I know Emma was supposed to be funny, but to me it was more "eh" funny than "ha ha" funny and not worth it.

Perhaps I'm just too shallow to appreciate the subtleties of humor

Actually, though, I read Austen many years ago. Maybe I'd appreciate her more now that I'm older. Something similar happened to me with The Red Badge of Courage. The first time I read it I found it so boring I couldn't finish it. Then I read it again when I was older and enjoyed it very much. Maybe I should also try rereading Moby Dick, which is the other book that bored me so much I couldn't finish it.