A Difference in Perspective

    One of the more interesting aspects of the novel Emma by Jane Austen is the difference in cultures between when it was written and now.  The first reason, and why there are so many differences, is because this novel was written approximately 200 years ago.  The way we react to time and our nearby surroundings now is so different than what takes place in the novel it is almost hard to imagine.
    The way time is presented in this novel is completely foreign to me.  While the events happen chronologically, they are not defined by a specific time.  For instance, there is no mention of what time of day it is in the novel, except for meal times and sleeping.  However, neither of these events are designated a specific time, but rather a general stretch of time.  The reason why this is difficult for me to imagine is because our lives are hugely affected by what time of day it is now.  I have classes at a specific time of the day, the dining hall and other restaurants are only open certain hours, and the same is true for all of the people in my life.  Furthermore, the novel also seems to disregard dates.  It makes note of major dates, such as Christmas, but the specific date of the novel seems unimportant.  From a writing standpoint, I see how it is not important to write specific dates unless it is important to the story.  Yet the date is just as important to us as the time of the day.  So many different events happen in cities and in the suburbs that the date is important to recognize what is going on.  Some of this can be excused since it doesn’t appear that dates are important to the novel, though.
    The way that the area around the characters is portrayed is more similar to our current world than the way time was, but it is still noticeably different.  The characters do not venture away from their neighborhood, and even only leave their homes on occasion.  However, this is pretty similar to the way we live now.  I spend most of my day in my house, well my dorm, unless I have classes or group work.  The only other time I leave my “house” is if I’m meeting people, which they do in the novel, or if I’m going out for an event.  This is the key differentiation from their time, as there have been no events that didn’t involve meeting people in the novel.  An important thing to note, though, is that a distance of 16 miles (from Emma’s home to London) seems remarkably far to the characters in the book.  My house is 25 miles from downtown Atlanta and yet it is technically listed as a suburb of Atlanta.  While we do have the means of traveling at greater speeds due to cars, the difference between then and now is astounding.
    Looking at Emma from a modern viewpoint is difficult as the way they define their existence is vastly different from the way we do.  Moreover, understanding these distinctions helps understand slightly more of the novel and why their world seems so different.

Eric Carl