Imagination in Jane Austen's 'Emma'

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Lauren Murphy Mr. Adams Period 7 AP Language and Composition September 20, 2012 “ Imagination reshapes the world, and the self, to the desires of the mind ”: How the imaginistic ways of each character is detrimental to their relationships in Jane Austen’s Emma Jane Austen’s Emma can be viewed many different ways with its complex details and relationships throughout the novel. More often than not, the characters are exaggerating events or creating their own ideas about the people around them. This causes many issues such as gossip, misunderstandings, and confusion. The relationships in Emma are hindered, because several characters are imaginistic ways cause uncertainty. Imaginists or Imaginism does not have a precise definition, but the “word was coined by Jane Austen according to the Oxford English Dictionary” (Pejerick). It is a term that describes a person or the act of constantly using the imagination. An imaginist is always caught in their own fantasy of what is really occurring in reality. They have the tendency to over exaggerate what they perceive. Sometimes they may twist the truth into something they acquire. It is easy to state that many characters in Emma possess these traits. The protagonist of this novel, Emma Woodhouse, is by far the prime imaginist. Her constant habit of exaggerating events in her head causes some of her relationships to be problematic. Unfortunately, her characteristics hurt the friendship most important to her, that of Harriet Smith. Although Harriet does not voice the issues she has with Emma, it is evident that she is hurt. In the very beginning, the reader can acknowledge Emma’s blindness to Harriet’s feelings. When Mr. Martin, a nice suitable man, proposes to Harriet, Emma has a conniption. She imagines her best friend marrying a gentleman, not a farmer. Mr. Martin is not of the right social class, so therefore could
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