The JANE AUSTEN CAGE MATCH is on!

Robert has finally sent me his essay. I've sent him mine---both will be posted here and at The Llamabutchers . Just to refresh your memory, the rules are as follows:

1. A 500 word essay
2. One rebuttal each
3. You vote to see who wins.

Without further ado, here is Robert's essay.

There is a certain “pitchforks and torches” character
to most criticism of Emma. This often takes the form of facile
dismissal – Emma is a rich, selfish, thoughtless bitch: why should we
care? More̢۪s the pity, because in fact Emma is one of the most
emotionally conducive figures in literature. First of all, there are
the charms that bind us to Emma in the opening chapters. Among these
are her innate goodness, as illustrated by her happiness for the
Westons̢۪ marriage, her exertions to ensure her father̢۪s comfort,
and other smaller episodes. Indeed, it is critical to remember that in
taking Harriet Smith under her wing, Emma genuinely believes –
however wrongly – that she is doing a good thing. Emma also is
undoubtedly intelligent. Indeed, Mr. Knightly believes that her natural
cleverness at an early age is a factor in her spoiled condition. But
Emma̢۪s intelligence is manifested in more than mere cleverness or
competence. For example, her declamation to Harriet on why she (Emma)
plans never to marry, despite containing a certain amount of posturing
vanity, demonstrates a very clear understanding of the politics of
marriage in her world. Second, I do not believe that Emma has a sudden
epiphany about herself after the Box Hill incident. Rather, she is
aware of her own shortcomings at a subconscious level from the very
beginning, as illustrated by her constant attachment to Mr. Knightly
despite the fact that he is the only character in the story who
criticizes her - She seeks out his opinion because she knows this is
good for her. It is these qualities in Emma, together with her charm
and beauty, that make us love her – and make us all the more
emotionally involved in the fallout from her shortcomings, chief among
which, of course, is her self-blinding vanity. We cringe on Emma̢۪s
behalf when she so cruelly dismisses poor Farmer Martin and nearly
destroys Harriet. We wish to flash warning signals at her as she idly
muses about Jane Fairfax and Mr. Dixon and dallies with the shadowy
Frank Churchill. We howl with laughter at her surprised indignation
over Mr. Elton̢۪s feverish proposal in the carriage. We genuinely weep
with her over her Box Hill disgrace. Finally, we feel Emma̢۪s distress
at the sudden horrid thought of losing Mr. Knightly and her painfully
humbling realization that such loss would, indeed, be entirely her own
fault.
And here, really, is why I enjoy Emma more than Pride and Prejudice.
Elizabeth Bennett is a paragon of virtues. But she comes pre-packaged.
Elizabeth̢۪s struggle is with the world around her. Emma̢۪s struggle
is within herself and we, the readers, are made an intimate part of it.
We are not treated to an omniscient third-person view of Highbury.
Rather, we see what Emma sees and what Emma ought to see. The pattern
of growth in her character is mapped by the eventual merger of these
two viewpoints in her eyes. The true joy of the novel is watching
Emma̢۪s progress and arrival

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

And so begins Pride and Prejudice,
a novel that has enthralled readers for almost two hundred years. The
plot could be summarized thusly: how to bag a rich husband when you
yourself are not rich. Women all over the world are still enslaved to
this task. However, our young heroine Miss Elizabeth Bennet has a
heavier load to bear than just trying to inveigle a man into buying her
a beach house: she wants to be in love with her husband, and if the man
just happens to be rich, well all the better, but it̢۪s not really
necessary. The odds are not in her favor, yet Lizzie succeeds. She bags
Mr. Darcy and he loves her. Why? Because Lizzie has character. She has
strength. She knows what she wants. She̢۪s not Wonder Woman, but she
could be. And what a spectacular superheroine she̢۪d be. There
wouldn̢۪t be any Peter Parker-ish quibbling over the heaviness of her
burdens; there wouldn̢۪t be any Batman-like whining about
loneliness---although Alfred would undoubtedly hector her over the
state of the Batmobile, just because he̢۪s Alfred. She may not be able
or fly above the skies of Metropolis, but Lex Luthor is a chump
compared to Lady Catherine De Bourgh. You have to admit, on a super
heroine level, Lizzie would make the League of Justice blush for all
the whining they̢۪ve done over the years. And she̢۪s just looking for
a husband---she̢۪s not out to save the frickin̢۪ world.
Yet, while our Lizzie possesses admirable qualities, the people she
encounters are not charmed. They think her coarse and opinionated; that
she does not know her station. While they plot against her, she never
willfully blinds herself to their intentions, hence she is able to
retaliate on her own terms. Lizzie chooses to be different: not simply to be contrary, but because she trusts her own heart and mind---and that makes
her different. Whatever issues she may wrestle with, she is confident
in her own abilities to suss out the situation in a rational manner.
She is a woman of sense, not silliness. Lizzie is admirable because she
chooses a challenging path; Emma chooses to make her life more
interesting by meddling in the affairs of others. There̢۪s honestly no
comparison between their virtues: Lizzie is far superior and is much
more interesting to read about because the world conspires against her
goal: to find a husband she loves and respects. Emma has nothing to
lose and her blunders are of her own making, while Lizzie, by following
her path, deliberately places herself in a precarious situation where
to make a mistake would be to sabotage her entire future. Who would you
rather read about? A character who is naïve in the extreme? Or someone
who knows the world is against her yet has the courage to follow
through?

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