Jane Austen's writings, like her novel Emma, were greatly influenced by the society she came from. She grew up in the Victorian era whereby the status of women was very limited. Women could not vote, they received inferior education to their male counterparts and were limited to domestic occupations (Williams in Marshall & Williams 2002:5). This is the context in which Emma was written. Emma highlights the idea that women have only two good choices in society - to get married or become a governess (Parkinson in Cookson & Loughrey 1988:24). This essay shall examine the character of Emma with particular reference to the idea that Emma has `a mind delighted with its own ideas' (Austen 1994:19). The characters of Harriet and Jane will be used to show how Emma's ideas are often not based on reality but on her own preconceived ideas. This essay will also show how Emma later matures into...