Jane Austen's Emma is set in the countryside around London in a small town called Highbury during Regency England. Hartfield, the house where Emma and her father live, is separated from Highbury by "a lawn and shrubberies," but their estate is part of Highbury (page 9). In Highbury, "The Woodhouses were first in consequence there," meaning that they are the most important family in town (page 9). Emma is part of this cloistered world, and she does not often stray far from home. Mr. Knightley lives only a mile away from Highbury, and he comes to see the Woodhouses nearly daily. The atmosphere is one of provincial neighborliness. Everyone knows everyone else, and also knows their business, and an outsider or visitor makes quite a stir. An outsider is often quickly befriended, such as Harriet is by Emma, because the people in Highbury want to find new companions.
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