Reading Group of Jane Austen,

Emma

“The counterpart to Jane Austen's preoccupation with the counterfeit is the central place she assigns to self-knowledge, a Christian rather than a Socratic self-knowledge which can only be achieved through a kind of repentance. . . . ‘How to understand the deceptions she had been thus practising on herself, and living under!' meditates Emma. Self-knowledge is for Jane Austen both an intellectual and a moral virtue.”

—Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue

Jane Austen famously wrote that Emma is a character whom nobody but Austen would like. Is that true? In this reading group of Emma, led by Molly Gurdon Pinkoski (Columbia), we will explore what it means to “know oneself,” how relationships shape character and vice versa, and how Austen portrayed human frailty and love with singular success.

This reading group is open to undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates. Our leader will be using the Norton Critical Edition of Emma, but feel free to use another.

schedule

  • Wednesday, May 12 at 8 PM ET: Volume 1

  • Wednesday, May 19 at 8 PM ET: Volume 2

  • Wednesday, May 26 at 8 PM ET: Volume 3