It’s lovely to be young, beautiful, rich, and wise. Emma Woodhouse knows she has been blessed in many ways, not the least of which is in her natural gift for arranging the affairs of others. Having arranged a perfect marriage between her former governess Miss Taylor and the wealthy Mr. Weston—in spite of the doubts cast on her matchmaking prowess by her friend and neighbor Mr. Knightley—Emma launches a plan to save her new protégée, Harriet Smith, from an unsuitable marriage to Robert Martin, a modestly prosperous farmer. 

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1. Frances Burney (1752–1840) 

• A major influence on Austen.
   
• Wrote satirical novels of manners (Evelina, Cecilia).
   
• Blended comedy, romance, and social commentary — paving the way for Austen’s style.
   

• Anglo-Irish novelist.
   
• Focused on education, morality, and social class (Castle Rackrent, Belinda).
   
• Austen admired her — Emma was compared to Edgeworth’s Belinda.
   

• Queen of Gothic fiction (The Mysteries of Udolpho).
   
• While Austen didn’t write Gothic herself, she parodied Radcliffe’s style in Northanger Abbey.
   

• Philosopher and early feminist (A Vindication of the Rights of Woman).
   
• Less a novelist of manners, more an intellectual, but her ideas about women’s roles influenced Austen’s context.
   

• Known for historical novels (Waverley, Ivanhoe).
   
• Admired Austen’s realism — he famously praised her ability to portray “the ordinary.”
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