The text of the Fourth Edition of the Norton Critical Edition of Emma
is based on the 1816 edition published by John Murray. George Justice
has lightly and judiciously emended the text for faithfulness and
clarity. The novel is accompanied by detailed explanatory annotations as
well as facsimiles of the 1816 title and dedication pages.
"Backgrounds" collects a wealth of source material, much of it new to
the Fourth Edition. New material includes Austen's correspondence with
her publisher about the business of writing, revealing Austen's view of
her own writing and career. In addition, there are two sets of
verses--"Kitty, A Fair But Frozen Maid" and "Robin Adair"--referenced in
Emma as well as responses (1815-1950) to Austen and her writing from,
among others, Charlotte Brontë, Juliet Pollock, Virginia Woolf, D. W.
Harding, and Edmund Wilson.
"Reviews and Criticism" includes twelve major interpretations of the
novel, nine of them new to the Fourth Edition. New contributors include
Jan Fergus, Patricia Meyer Spacks, Tony Tanner, Maaja Stewart, D. A.
Miller, Emily Auerbach, Gabrielle D. V. White, Richard Jenkyns, and
David Monaghan.
A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are also included.