Books

Monday, 3 November, 2014 - 12:11

A Jane Austen-style picnic

by FrancesS

When I was little I used to read every day but as I got older I read less and less. I preferred to watch TV instead of reading a book. However, I realised that I had watched three different television adaptations of Jane Austen's famous novel Emma but had never actually read the book. So I sat on the sofa with my book and a cup of tea to discover the world of Jane Austen.

Emma was published in 1815 and is about a rich girl who likes finding husbands for her friends. In the novel, there is a famous scene where all of the characters have a picnic at Box Hill in Surrey. I found this scene particularly interesting because I live near Box Hill. As I was reading about the picnic at Box Hill, I decided to have my own picnic there. My sister and I decided to wear old-fashioned hats like the characters in Emma and drove to the countryside.                                                       

My friends also came to the picnic and brought freshly baked cookies. We sat on top of the hill and admired the view while eating. Even though it was unlikely that Emma ate cookies at her picnic, very little has changed in two hundred years. The view from Box Hill was pretty much the same as Emma would have seen it. Although Emma was written in 1815, modern readers can still relate to the story and visit the same places. I believe that Jane Austen’s books are still popular today because the characters do the same activities that we do, such as having picnics together on a sunny day.

In the novel, Emma's first picnic was a disaster because she insults another character called Miss Bates by saying that she is boring. However, at the end of the book everyone forgives Emma so they plan to have another picnic. Emma has taught me that it is important to share experiences, like a picnic with your friends, to create wonderful everlasting memories.

Discussion

Do you enjoy reading? Have you ever read about a place that you have been to?  

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