Though Emma is a work of fiction, one can find many examples of space and time in the early twentieth century through reading it. In this blog post, I will focus especially on renditions of space throughout the novel. These examples come in physical as well as nonphysical manifestations.
The physical renditions of space in Emma coincide with those of nearly every society before modern day transportation became widespread and affordable. In the book, we may note that the main form of transportation in their era is the horse and carriage. When Mrs. Taylor moves out, Emma notes how she is now half a mile away and treats this as a great distance where in today’s society, it would be considered extremely short. Also noted is how sixteen miles (the distance to London) is so inconvenient to traverse that Emma never sees her older sister. Today, sixteen miles outside of London is consumed by suburbia. Of course, the rise of the suburbs came with the rise of the automobile and public transportation. These inventions were not to come for another few decades, leaving each space in Emma much more confined than our modern day world in its move for globalization.
Due to these constraints in travel, local communities are extremely tight-knit in Emma. Meaning, any outsiders that come into that community are treated with suspicion and distrust. In one sense, a community in the world of Emma is one big “in-group” the way that a clique of people living in a dorm here at college is. But because of the lack of exposure to new faces in Emma’s world, this effect is especially true and magnified to a greater degree.
Within these communities, each person gains status and influence based on space acquired through wealth. For many such as Emma, this comes with the family name. The effects springing from this ownership result in very important nonphysical results. The more land a family owns, the greater their status within the community. The command of space is almost seen as a show of power. On the contrary, those who do not own land are either in service to those who do or are simply of a lower status. This difference in ownership of land is used to regulate social interactions. Those who own land typically refuse to marry into a family that does not. Socially, the two crowds do not intermingle in the same way. When these two classes do intermingle, there is a very different air to the interactions therein.
Space plays an especially important role in Emma. From social interactions to travel limitations, the confinement of space has an enormous impact on local culture and business. Emma gives us an opportunity to look into a time just prior to the creation and widespread use of the automobile and public transit. By examining the time before and after the introduction of these technologies, we are able to appreciate and understand the magnitude of change technologies such as the automobile and public transportation via bus and subway have brought to our world and society.
It is interesting how distances that would be considered minuscule by today's standard are really prohibitive in this time period. 16 miles is a easily traversable distance with even a bicycle much less a car. I also found it interesting your points on how everyone in their community would just be one group on a campus. It made me realize how many different people I interacted with on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteAgain good job with the organization and easily readable paragraphs.