"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich"

At the crossroads of the Enlightenment and Romanticism, Jane Austen writes her novel, Emma, filled with ordinary people, places and events, unlike other novels of the time.  This was the time in history when reading novels became one of the main forms of entertainment for many people, but especially the middle class. This highlights an idea of the Enlightenment regarding literacy and the popular press where individuals gained access to learning for themselves on a personal level.  Of course, many new works were too expensive to buy, but around this time period, methods for sharing and borrowing the latest fiction came about including libraries, reading clubs, and subscriptions.  These methods are all still alive in our day as we see the sharing of literary works.