Emma Across Adaptations
Emma., starring Anya Taylor–Joy and Johnny Flynn, written by Eleanor Catton and directed by Autumn de Wilde, 2020.
This 2020 feature film creates a visually and musically vibrant adaptation of Austen’s Emma. Maintaining the novel’s Regency roots, de Wilde created an adaptation that highlights female friendship and which captures the hearts of a modern-day audience. This is only the second adaptation of Emma to date that was directed by a female director. (Clueless was directed by Amy Heckerling.)
from the teaching collection of Prof. Juliette Wells
–Lilia Gestson ’24
Amy Heckerling, Clueless. Paramount Pictures, 1995.
This satirical reimagining of Emma pioneered the teen romcom and kickstarted a new generation of Jane Austen lovers. With her hilarious characters and memorable dialogue, Heckerling transformed a novel about 19th-century society into a relatable film that transcends time. In many cases, including my own, Clueless has helped new readers’ understanding of the novel.
available for checkout from the Main Collection, Goucher College Library
–Kaylee Ray-Williams ’25
Emma, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam, written and directed by Douglas McGrath, 1996.
The feature film is a star vehicle for Gwyneth Paltrow, who makes a regal Emma.
from the teaching collection of Prof. Juliette Wells
–Quoted from Juliette Wells, ed., Emma, by Jane Austen (Penguin Classics, 2015)
Jane Fairfax. Joan Aiken. 1990.
By a renowned British novelist, this alternative version of Emma centers on one of Austen’s most thought-provoking supporting characters: Jane Fairfax, a talented musician and reluctant governess-to-be, whom Emma considers too “cold” and “reserved.” Aiken invents surprises in Jane’s back story in Weymouth and also sends her to the West Indies.
from the teaching collection of Prof. Juliette Wells
–Juliette Wells
Emma in Love. Emma Tennant. Fourth Estate, 1996.
Written as a sequel to Emma, this 1996 spinoff is ahead of its time and offers us a queer exploration of Emma Woodhouse’s sexuality. Yes! But no. Unfortunately, we could only get through the first chapter before deciding that this was not the queer adaptation of our dreams.
from the teaching collection of Prof. Juliette Wells
–Lilia Gestson ’24
Playing Jane Austen. Rosina Filippo. The British Library, 2019.
This book contains adaptations of scenes from a range of Jane Austen stories intended to be performed as drawing room performances. One of these short plays combines three different scenes from Emma and takes artistic liberties with its ending to create a new interpretation of Emma’s iconic proposal scene. Originally published in 1895 as Duologues and Scenes from the Novels of Jane Austen Arranged and Adapted for Drawing–Room Performance.
from the teaching collection of Prof. Juliette Wells
–Lilia Gestson ’24
Arielle Eckstut and Dennis Ashton. Pride and Promiscuity: The Lost Sex Scenes of Jane Austen. Fireside / Simon and Schuster, 2001.
The pseudonymous authors of this light-hearted book claim to have found manuscripts of bawdy passages that Austen’s publishers were too prudish to include. The best of these sketches go beyond amusement value to address real questions about Austen’s novels. “Knightley and Churchill,” for example, explains why Mr. Knightley so dislikes the younger Frank Churchill: because the latter’s flirtatiousness extends well beyond the women of Highbury.
available for checkout from the Main Collection, Goucher College Library
–Juliette Wells
Emma (Marvel Illustrated Graphic Novels), adapted by Nancy Butler and Janet K. Lee. Marvel Enterprises, 2011–2012.
Comprising 5 monthly released issues, Marvel Comics released a mini comic series adaptation of Austen’s classic novel. What is most notable, besides its being a comic book, is the art style.
Pictured above is Issue #3, depicting Frank Churchill and Emma Woodhouse. Isn’t Frank Churchill extremely uncanny? He’s certainly not the mysterious, sexy man described in the book. Perhaps this modern art style is meant to physically portray Churchill based on his behavior: that of an inconsiderate cad.
Duplicate of item in Jane Austen Collection, Special Collections & Archives, Goucher College Library
–Ian Meyer-O’Connor ’24
Cozy Classics: Emma, board book, created by Jack Wang and Holman Wang. Chronicle Books, 2016.
The Wang brothers created Cozy Classics as a means to teach words to their young children. To that end they elaborately crafted felt dolls, scale–accurate sets, and photographed them for this book. The brothers’ extreme dedication to their craft has given us a useful book for children. It is also a rather humorous book for those of us who enjoy trying to see how much of the original novel remains understandable with just one word per scene.
available for checkout from the Main Collection, Goucher College Library
–Ian Meyer-O’Connor ’24
Emma: A Play. Marion Morse MacKaye. The Macmillan Company, 1941.
Less well known than screen adaptations of Emma are stage versions such as this one. Rather than opening with the main character, this 1941 play opens with a conversation between two side characters, Emma’s father, Mr. Woodhouse, and one of their servants, James. 80 years later, Autumn de Wilde made a similar choice to spotlight side characters and their stories in the 2020 film, Emma.
from the teaching collection of Prof. Juliette Wells
–Lilia Gestson ’24
Emma. Starring Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong. Screenplay by Andrew Davies, directed by Diarmuid Lawrence. 1996.
This lesser-known adaptation of Emma was written for television by the man who famously added a wet-shirt Mr. Darcy scene to the beloved BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries. A rare brunette Emma, Kate Beckinsale plays well against the blonde Samantha Morton as a very timid Harriet and Olivia Williams as a compelling Jane Fairfax. In the proposal scene, Mark Strong’s comb-over blows in the wind, unfortunately emphasizing the considerable age gap between Mr. Knightley and Emma.
from the teaching collection of Prof. Juliette Wells
–Juliette Wells
Emma, starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller, written by Sandy Welch, directed by Jim O’Hanlon, 2009.
An exceptional cast and beautiful settings and costumes are reasons enough to watch this four-episode miniseries. Romola Garai is a radiant Emma, Jonny Lee Miller an appealing Mr. Knightley. Tamsin Greig as Miss Bates and Michael Gambon as Mr. Woodhouse are both highly sympathetic; Christina Cole as Mrs. Elton is pitch-perfect.
from the teaching collection of Prof. Juliette Wells
–Quoted from Juliette Wells, ed., Emma, by Jane Austen (Penguin Classics, 2015)
