The East Bay Express favorably reviews the stage production of EMMA currently being staged by the Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley, California.

Suggested by some as the predecessor to today’s vast wave of “chick lit” — thin novels with bright covers usually chronicling the struggle of hip single girls with fancy publishing jobs to pick the right shoes and husbands — Austen did in fact write about young women trying to make a place for themselves in a changing world by marrying well. But she did it slyly, using her novels to explore the restrictiveness of Regency-era British society, where women had few other options but to marry. She also wrote incisively about class, and that comes through strongly in Fry’s gloss, where five contemporary young people — apparently somewhere between late high school and college — decide to while away an afternoon playing out the beloved story of Emma, a charming meddler who fancies herself a matchmaker but has no idea of the true havoc she wreaks.

That sounds like fun, doesn’t it? And yes, that’s a hint, Californians. We would love to post a reader review of this production!

Emma was quoted in an article in the Times Online, sort of.

“The sooner every party breaks up the better” — Emma, Jane Austen (1816)

THE LUCKLESS Emmas of this world are just about to start the party season. To them, Christmas must be as much of an ordeal as sports day is for a totally unathletic adolescent.

The Emmas of Jane Austen’s day will have had hearts that sank deeper with every button they did up while dressing for their parties. All around them would have been the mounting excitement of the other women. Their chatter, speculation and increasing sexual tension, coupled with nervous excitement, would serve only to deepen an Emma’s gloom. A blushing, sweating, monosyllabic dinner would have been followed by the hell of being looked over, judged on appearance and rejected. The ritual humiliation would have been as great as it is for the schoolboy who is always last to be picked for a team in the gym or on the games field. They know before they start that their self-respect is about to take another battering.

It’s always lovely to see a Jane Austen reference, but we believe that it is not quite correct. From Vol. II, Ch. VII (25):

“You will make my excuses, my dear, as civilly as possible. You will say that I am quite an invalid, and go no where, and therefore must decline their obliging invitation; beginning with my compliments, of course. But you will do every thing right. I need not tell you what is to be done. We must remember to let James know that the carriage will be wanted on Tuesday. I shall have no fears for you with him. We have never been there above once since the new approach was made; but still I have no doubt that James will take you very safely. And when you get there, you must tell him at what time you would have him come for you again; and you had better name an early hour. You will not like staying late. You will get very tired when tea is over.”

“But you would not wish me to come away before I am tired, papa?”

“Oh! no, my love; but you will soon be tired. There will be a great many people talking at once. You will not like the noise.”

“But, my dear sir,” cried Mr. Weston, “if Emma comes away early, it will be breaking up the party.”

“And no great harm if it does,” said Mr. Woodhouse. “The sooner every party breaks up, the better.”

The author was on the right track, though we suspect that Mr. Woodhouse was less shy than abundantly self-absorbed, but can any Janeite imagine Miss Woodhouse overcome with shyness in company?

We apologize to our New York AustenBlog Readers for not getting this information to you sooner, but the South Asian International Film Festival opens tonight with BRIDE AND PREJUDICE. If you got to go, we hope you enjoyed the film!