Jane Austen's 1816 novel, Emma reflects the detail of nineteenth century England and therefore the values of the context in which it was written. The setting of Emma is that of the world in which Austen lived. The text explores the themes and values of romance and marriage, social order, feminism and moral dimension. Austen has employed several techniques in order to convey these, such as literary context and social microcosm, satire and a number of narrative techniques.

In the novel, Austen has focused on a small circle of upper-class country people in Highbury, and describes their social relations and individual reactions. Austen's skill in writing lies in her ability to describe the life of her characters and their surroundings in great detail; she is able to write of the world within Emma in microcosm. It is a feature of her style that there are few references to people...