Jane Austen has great fun with this novel, teasing at the social mores of her time, where the hunting of a suitable partner is an all-consuming game. Emma Woodhouse is a confident, elitist young woman, whose self-belief leads to a series of romantic misunderstandings as she makes and breaks engagements for her companion Harriet Smith. Emma assumes that Elton desires to marry Harriet, but actually Elton really wants Emma. Frank Churchill too tries to win her, but Emma falls for Mr. Knightley, whom everyone thinks is in love Jane Fairfax. In the end, everything all is mended, as Emma and Mr. Knightley finally get engaged, and Harriet and Robert Martin are brought back together again.
