Wouldn't it be Nice

I don't indulge false hopes of being the first person to detect similarities between her character and that of Miss Emma Woodhouse from Highbury; yet I am so extremely ego-centric that my reading of her character should be of primary interest here.

As you might be able to recollect, I have started a quest of reading a minimum of one book per week (length not considered). Pointless and unoriginal as it might seem, it is also an attempt to acquire and reconstruct the literary knowledge my formal education failed to provide. I have two main concerns in selecting the books: 1) I strive to read the so-called classics so as to form a ground of future literary discussion, 2) I would like to discover less known yet inspiring books (and by "inspiring" I am referring to books that are close to the idea of what I would like to write in the future). And of course I would like to have fun, improve my English, brag about my reads, etc.
Previously the only Austen I had read was Pride and Prejudice, in Hungarian, a couple of years ago. I cannot say that I remember much excepting Bridget Jones's frequent exclamations of "Oh, Mr Darcy!", obviously referring to the BBC adaptation. I must admit I was afraid of Austen's books being too soapy or even silly. Then two weeks ago I accidentally caught a Sense and Sensibility adaptation from the 90s, with such big names as Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, and Hugh Grant. Once I started to watch it I literally couldn't take my eyes off the screen, for Emma Thompson was so great in it. Induced by this experience I both bought and borrowed novels by Austen, and hopefully I will have a complete Jane Austin within a few days, for I have ordered it from Bookstation.
So, finally, Emma. I have read somewhere that it is the best representation of Austen, i.e. a kind of alter ego. In addition, it is considered to have most in common with Bridget Jones's Diary. (Believe it or not, their relation to one another is a researched topic in the West.) The similarity is obvious to the extent that both tell the story of a single woman and her relation to being single.
Emma Woodhouse is the cleverest and finest lady of her circle, yet she has her own faults, e.g. thinking too high of herself. This is a reoccurring element in the book in the way she compares other people to herself, e.g. Harriet Smith, Mrs. Elton, etc. One thing which really irritated me was judging people by their origin (socio-culturally). I guess it was common at the time but it's far from my way of thinking.
Now that I think of it I wouldn't say the events in the plot interesting. It is about love and marriage and society all the way through. But above all, it is about the way Emma sees all this and how she changes in due course. When we first meet her, she acts as a matchmaker to everybody around, yet she doesn't want to get married herself. She finds a young and simple girl, Harriet, and does everything she feels proper to lift her.
Then we have Mr. Knightley, who in my opinion is quite similar to the male protagonists of her other novels. When I was reading P&P I was upset by the idea of falling in love with a morose, middle-aged gentleman but here in Emma Mr. Knightley has become my favourite character. He is indeed superior to all the other characters in the book. I love how he always knows better than Emma, criticizes but respects her, comes to the rescue of wretched creatures; in short, he always behaves so gentlemanly. In my version he would be played by Alan Rickman, just as Colonel Brandon in S&S. (Or perhaps Colin Firth.)

I won't go into details about the thorough and amusing portrayal of country life and social life and all the peculiar characters, such as Miss Bates, Mrs. Elton, Mr. Woodhouse, etc. Let me just reflect on Emma. The ways I assume I am similar to her are all her crazy ways. For example, me too, have an air of snobbery, though primarily based on education, not on origin and manners. I also have a tendency to constantly analyze and speculate on other people's emotional life. Not to mention manipulate. In relation to it I show a tendency to uncertainty and constant change of the mind. In addition, I have what I think all of us have, namely a Jane Fairfax. An ever so perfect creature innocent of our envy and dislike. It is closely related to and can be accounted for by my uncertainty and lack of self-confidence.
As Emma was cured, I hope I can also be cured, and who else would be capable of curing me but one Mr. Knightley?