對大部分十八、九世紀的女人來說，一段令人滿意的婚姻非常倚重社會地位跟經濟能力。珍·奧斯汀為她筆下的女性角色們塑造了圓滿的婚姻，如同獎賞一般。在《愛瑪》中，女性們都被賜予了美滿的婚姻，其中也包括了與小說同名的女主角。然而，愛瑪跟奈特利先生的婚姻卻有異於其他人的，其差別在於雙方早已是高社經地位之人，同時也是當地社會的領導人物。此文旨在詳細審視諸多導向女主角婚姻的個人因素，以及隱藏在此聯姻中深遠的社會意涵。本文共分為兩章。第一章討論珍·奧斯汀的婚姻中獎賞的本質，並檢視幾個核心角色的個人幸福，以及他們自身的改變如何促成愛瑪的婚姻。第二章則著重於愛瑪婚姻的社會涵意、以及如何透過財產和禮儀的結合來成就繁榮穩定的社會。珍·奧斯汀所指的「完美的幸福聯盟」實則描述出愛瑪的婚姻中同時獲得個人幸福、造就社會福祉的圓滿意涵。愛瑪與奈特利的結合除了是獎賞，更是個人幸福與社會福祉的成就。

For most women in the eighteenth- and nineteenth-centuries, a satisfactory marriage vitally relied upon social and financial considerations. Jane Austen molded many such satisfactory marriages as a reward for her female characters. In Emma, several female characters, including the eponymous heroine, are blessed with good matches. However, Emma’s marriage with Mr. Knightley differs from others’ in that both characters, as community leaders, are already socially and economically privileged. This thesis scrutinizes many personal factors that lead to Emma’s marriage, as well as the profound social significance embedded within the union. The thesis contains two chapters. The first chapter discusses the essence of reward in marriage, together with examining the meaning of personal happiness for the central characters and considering changes demanded of them to bring about Emma’s marriage. The second chapter concentrates on the social significance of Emma’s marriage and how a prosperous society may be realized through the union of property and propriety. Austen’s “perfect happiness of the union” depicts the satisfaction in obtaining both personal and social happiness through Emma’s marriage. In sum, the union between Emma and Knightley is more than a reward; it is the accomplishment of the protection and promotion of both personal and social happiness.

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