Study Mat for Jane Austen's "Emma"

Emma (prose) Jane Austen (1815)

What you need to consider as you annotate the text

AO1 and AO3
On characters and characterisation:
points on the characters- how do characters develop (are they round?) or do they remain flat?
internal conflict and tensions - what are the opposing desires or values in the character’s minds? (Think of Emma, Jane Fairfax, Frank Churchill, etc.)
the functions and roles - What are the characters’ roles and functions?
the situations – how are characters affected by the situations and places that they find themselves in?
the language – what type of language is associated with characters?

The third person narrator:
tone: what is the attitude of the narrator to characters or events? Does the narrator’s tone of voice associated with characters change? How do characters use tone in their relationships with each other?
the relationship – what is the relationship between the narrator and the reader at various points in the novel?


AO1 and AO3
Style:
irony – is there irony in the narrator’s comments on characters and in what characters say and do?
the style of writing/speech – when and where are the following used and why are they significant: ornamental features in description, formality in language, symbolism, other narrative devices, etc?
plot devices – how are the following presented: the exposition of the plot, its rising climax and falling action, discovery including self-discovery for Emma, openings and endings, withholding of information by the narrator, characters, etc.
recurring images and symbols: what are they and what do they signify?

Themes (AO5i):
Can you identify recurring concerns and ideas that are important for the characters and the readers in Jane Austen’s time? (They will reflect the social and historical context.)the social and historical context: what is the importance of social rituals, manners, the theme of marriage, duty, the importance of the small community? (Austen believed that the fate of the landed classes depended on their ability to preserve the system of manners which supported their authority: their beliefs and values)
Locations – what are their significance for the characters and themes?