Abstract

The novel Emma plays an irreplaceable role in establishing Jane Austen’s position as one of the greatest women writers in the 19th century England. In Emma, Jane Austen employs a great many rhetoric skills to shape the characters. This thesis, based on the rhetoric theory of W·C·Booth, analyzes the rhetoric techniques in Emma to further comprehend the intention of the author and know more about the personality traits of the characters and thus will help to gain a deep understanding of the novel.

Keywords: Emma; the rhetoric theory; rhetoric techniques

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-1

2.1 The Background of the Study-1

2.2 The Review of the Rhetoric-2

2.3 The Current Study of Emma-3

3. A Brief Introduction to Austen and Emma and W·C·Booth’s Rhetoric Theory-3

3.1 Jane Austen’s Life and Career-3

3.2 An Introduction to Emma-4

3.3 W·C·Booth’s Rhetoric Theory-7

4. Analysis of Emma’s Rhetoric Techniques from the Perspective of Booth’s Rhetoric Theory-9

4.1 The Narrative Perspective of Emma-9

4.2 The Reliable Narrator—the Implied Author-11

4.3 The Distance Control in Emma-12

5. Conclusion-14

Works Cited-15