10) Emma, by Jane Austen
I had read Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion previously, and frankly liked them more. Emma Woodhouse is a manipulative snob, and while the author clearly disapproves of her manipulations and occasional rudeness, she entirely endorses the snobbery. The unfortunate Harriet, whose emotional life is Emma’s plaything, turns out to be the daughter of (shudder) a tradesman, so it’s all right for her to marry the farmer who loves her after all. All the other various single men and women characters get paired off by the end of the book. There are some vivid and even funny moments of characterisation, but I found the setting and mindset rather unappealing.
I have apologised and resigned from the BSFA. I did not mean to come across as defending John Meaney’s presentation. I thought I was making it clear that I disagreed with the contents of the speech, which I thought were insensitive and inappropriate. I wrote the original post after an angry encounter in which I was accused of believing things I do not believe and of being responsible for things for which I had no part. I should have bit my tongue and stayed off the internet until I was calm but I thought some reactions I was exposed to were unfair. I did not mean to cause offence to anyone and apologise if I did.