Emma and the Challenges of Living in Community

Of all Austen’s writings, Emma is the most concerned with the practice and difficulties of living in community. The novel is set in Highbury, “the large and populous village, almost amounting to a town,” and the heroine, whose perspective we follow throughout the narrative, lives both a privileged life and a rather static life. The community of Highbury can appear small, contained, and content, but it’s also a community marked by challenges, changes, and even a few disruptions. In this episode, we consider a vital humanities experience that Austen's Emma helps us to appreciate: the challenges of living in community.Episode 7 features parts of my interviews with various writers, scholars, and artists, including (in order of appearance):Dr. John Mullan, University College, LondonDr. Janet Todd, Newnham and Lucy Canvedish Colleges, Cambridge Mahesh Rao, award-winning author of Polite SocietyDr. Claudia L. Johnson, Princeton UniversitySam Brooks, Journalist and Playwright, Auckland, NZDr. Jennie Batchelor, University of YorkDr. Julia Romeu, Brazilian scholar and translator of EmmaLaura Rocklyn, historical interpreter, playwright, actor, and scholarDr. Devoney Looser, Arizona State UniversityDr. Patricia A. Matthew, The Race and Regency Lab, Montclair State UniversityVanessa Kelly, best-selling author of The Emma Knightley MysteriesDr. Vivek Sachdeva, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University