Little Roles Great Souls: The Analysis of the Secondary Characters in Jane Austen's Emma

摘要

In this paper, the functions and positions of the secondary characters in the novel have been analyzed. The secondary characters play the key roles in rendering the heroine, pushing the development of the details and enhancing the mood of the novel. In Jane Austen's Emma, there are a series of the secondary characters that are helpful for readers to understand the heroine Emma's thoughts, behavior, personality and fate. This paper reveals that these secondary characters are closely linked to not only the protagonist, but also themes of the creations.