本书是英国乡村中产阶级生活的工笔浮世绘，也是奥斯汀六部小说中最成功的一部。它以滑稽曲折的情节而独占鳌头，讲述一个任性自负的女子如何发现真爱就在身边的故事。奥斯汀笔下的女主人公大多热情聪明独立、言谈机智风趣，与现代女性心理有灵犀，处处相通……

Emma, first published in 1816, was written when Jane Austen was at the height of her powers. In a novel remarkable for its sparkling wit and modernity,Austen presents readers with two of literature's greatest comic creations--the eccentric Mr. Woodhouse and that quintessential bore, Miss Bates. Here, too,we have what may well be Jane Austen's most profound characterization: the witty, imaginative,self-deluded Emma, a heroine the author declared "no one but myself will much like," but who has been much loved by generations of readers. Delightfully funny, full of rich irony, Emma is regarded as one of Jane Austen's finest achievements.