Emma Woodhouse's friend and former governess, Miss Taylor, has just married Mr. Weston. Having introduced them, Emma takes credit … See more

Emma Woodhouse, the protagonist of the story, is a beautiful, high-spirited, intelligent, and somewhat spoiled young woman from the landed gentry. She is twenty when the story opens. Her mother died when she was young. She has been mistress of the … See more

Emma was written after the publication of Pride and Prejudice and was submitted to the London publisher John Murray II in the autumn of 1815. He offered Austen £450 for this plus the … See more

Highbury as a character
The British critic Robert Irvine wrote that unlike the situation in Austen's previous novels, the town of … See more

Mr Perry is the apothecary in Highbury. He is never shown directly speaking but spends a significant amount of time responding to the health issues of Mr Woodhouse. He and … See more

Prior to publishing, John Murray's reader, William Gifford, who was also the editor of the Quarterly Review, said of the novel that "Of Emma I … See more

The fictional Highbury is said to be in Surrey, 16 miles (26 km) from London and 8 miles (13 km) from Richmond. (It is not to be confused with … See more