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First published in 1816 and considered one of Jane Austen's finest works, Emma is a humorous portrayal of a heroine whose injudicious interferences in the life of a young parlour-boarder in a neighboring village often lead to substantial mortification. Austen brings to life a myriad of engaging characters and presents a mixture of social classes as she did in Pride and Prejudice. Her two greatest comic characters are part of Emma's machinations-the eccentric Mr. Woodhouse and the quintessential bore, Miss Bates. Delightfully funny, Emma displays the shrewd wit and delicate irony which made Jane Austen a master of the English novel. Although Austen thought that only she would like her witty, fanciful, self-deluded heroine, Emma has gained the affection of generations of readers.