https://www.instagram.com/englishfinalja/

Unlike Emma’s interpretation of herself and other characters in the novel named for her by Jane Austen, on her Instagram she looks back on the past objectively. She is admitting her faults in a way that stays true to her experiences as they had happened, she relives those moments, without the alteration of the things she has learned. Presented under the premise that she is crafting the page while under quarantine, the project highlights how she would now view herself, her society, and others and how she understands her role in society as what holds everyone together. The project imagines Emma as transitioning from being an ‘unlikeable’ snobbish main character to a lovable one, because of the ways that the friendships of Mr. Knightley and Harriet have changed her.

Image [1] sets the scene as Hartfield, but the location is tagged in Highbury, aligning this with the novel as Emma sees it. Location changes in later photos as there’s a move towards self-isolation and with that you see the Instagram page tightening the scope. Just as Austen’s choice of location encloses them, the same is reflected in the medium. The page zones in on the individual characters by putting them in a frame, capturing them as they were and currently are, confining them even further than the novel to only specific snapshots of moments in time as presented by Emma’s perspective. Image [4] speaks to how Mr. Knightley intelligently observes Emma. That observation of his is later what aids Emma in her actualization and her alteration of observing herself and others in a more realistic way. In post [7] there are two photos which depict how Mr. Knightley deals with Mr. Woodhouse and Emma differently. While Knightley doesn’t speak out against Mr. Woodhouse’s false perceptions of his afflictions and it isn’t clear whether or not he observes these complaints for the illusions they are, Knightley speaks directly to and about Emma’s illusions of herself and her perceived capability. In image [5] Emma meets Harriet and as she passes her a cup of tea, it’s the beginning of Emma passing on her views to this girl whom she has been absolutely charmed by. The images in post [6] bring attention to Austen as the writer of the novel, and to Emma’s search to make a match for Harriet, which can be seen to propel all future events that take place. In this way especially Harriet’s friendship is also central to Emma’s growth. Unlike Mr. Knightly who knowingly tries to steer Emma in the right direction, Harriet does so simply by existing, and having captured Emma’s attention and affection. In post [11] we see that Emma’s shock of learning she was wrong about Mr. Elton and Harriet, has hurt her friend, and in that way how Harriet has unknowingly played a part in breaking down Emma’s erroneous interpretation of other characters. The second photo in that post shows how neither Emma nor Harriet is truly perturbed I’m searching for Harriet’s true love. This post once again brings Austen into view and speaks on her choice to further push these characters down the wrong road through seeking a match for Harriet. Post [2] shows how Emma had decided on a future based on and similar to her father, being without romantic partners, but caring for each other. Image [12] connects Mr. Woodhouse and Miss Bates as these two are the older single figures who also aid in Emma’s development. Each are looking off in opposite directions, her father grounds Emma in continuity since she never leaves him, but Emma’s later affront to Miss Bates challenges Emma to change. The ball in post [14] marks the turning point, it’s after this that the events seem to speed in tempo, which is why the next three posts show Harriet, Miss Bates, and Knightley’s relationships with Emma in quick snapshots. As her two closest friends frame Miss Bates in the middle post, who is a paradox of Emma’s future self, these three heighten the tension that leads to Emma’s revelations. This new view Emma will soon have is why post [18] depicts her looking through a window. She has been seeing the world through her schemes to bring people together, but her assumptions of their characters will be shattered through her acknowledgment of the role she plays in these relationships. The images in [21] put Knightley’s role in full view and Emma’s dissolution of her misconceptions. The imposed images of the baby and cat in the second and third photos show her switch from pure innocence and her goodwill, to a realization of her faulty feline stealth in controlling the other characters. The last image features Daenerys Targaryen specifically because of Emma’s pseudo role of queen in Highbury and how that role is her birthright, as Emma’s born into money, yet here Emma struggles with the fact that she’s misused her power.

 

Image [25] relates why and how the story is continued in this project. It lays on the crux of Mr. Woodhouse’s fear of ailments, which in itself mirrors the illusions Emma has had all throughout her past, seeing as no one can really be as delicate in every way Mr. Woodhouse believes himself to be. Emma’s father thinks that what is good for him is good for everyone else and that he’s looking out for their well being, Emma has done the same. Still, there are things in the world that are entirely out of our control. The imagining of the virus invading Highbury and providing a new normal speaks on the way that Emma had the illusion of control and how, just as COVID has altered the ways we view the world and our interactions, there are the things which are invisible to Emma that is really what maneuvers her fate. Post [26] signals this shift in time. Austen provides a distinct timeline in the novel and so, there is a distinct departure from that timeline in the project. Spring is where we currently are in the world today, but it is also metaphorical for Emma’s growth. After her perceptions have been demolished and the seed of her marriage planted, she is pure potential, however, in some ways she still retains who she was. In the coming photos Emma has been born anew in some ways. Her agency is no longer the focal point of interactions in her life, there are less images of her with only one other character, and there are more characters who stand alone in her posts. All of the photos that follow are not only in black and white because that’s what I had primarily found in photos of the actors, but also because there’s a shift to Emma seeing things without the way she has colored them thus far. Black and white photos are a thing of the past, and this shows how her future is rooted in the inverting and the negation of Emma’s past views. Post [27] is Emma’s vow renewal with Knightley, it’s her again committing to these new perceptions which both Knightley and Harriet were central in shaping. Post [28] shows the alteration in the interactions between the characters, there is an acceptance and coming together of Churchill and Elton, here Emma can be friends with her folly. They’re showing her something on a phone that she’s shocked by, just as she was shocked by the true connections the characters had between each other. Also these sidelined characters are validated as Emma should have validated Miss Bates. Now the respecting of social norms and understanding her place in society, Emma’s knowledge to not misuse her distinction, is a matter of surviving in the healthiest way possible. In post [31] Emma recalls how Harriet was an exception to the rules in her society because of the love she had for Harriet. That admiration she had for her best friend, shows how Emma had always let love lead her and make her choices for her. Even though she was manipulative, Emma did things because seeing other people come together through her agency validated her. Post [32] looks to the outside world from within Hartfield, it’s the first photo that switches the location and confines her to her home, yet now she has more of a deep connection to the other characters as she looks back. Post [33] recognizes Emma’s nanny as having shifted from Emma’s mother figure to now being a mother of her own. In [34] Emma has a tiny bit more patience with Miss Bates, inviting her to speak in the second photo of the texts between them. In post [35] we see that Mr. Woodhouse hasn’t changed, he still finds new ailments to ameliorate, in this case his sight. Emma also conveys that she is still willing to entertain him, take care of him, and doesn’t see anything wrong with his views of himself, but she’s still making a small departure to her and his independence by telling him he can manage it himself. In the images of [36], Martin is the first in view, Emma is paying respect to his character in that way. The idea of Harriet and Martin being separated mainly speaks to how dynamics between people are changing during the pandemic. In the final post Emma hasn’t lost that light banter that she’s had with Knightley, they’re firmly building a family of their own.

The one thing that has stayed most consistent is that Emma is still concerned with only her inner circle. She doesn’t think of what’s really going on in the rest of the current world and its impact beyond Highbury because while Austen allowed Emma’s views to change, Austen never changed the setting. She didn’t send Emma on some journey far away where she could learn about things outside of her society and in that way, Emma remains selfish and the few of her slightly clever captions show that she takes the relationships between herself and the other characters more seriously, but doesn’t fully acknowledge the agency that is controlling their society.