While I won't get into the big league titles that I've completed-the latest one was The Forsyte Saga-over the past few years, that section of my bookshelf has gotten pretty full at this point. So much so that it felt like the right time for a good reread.
Naturally, I went to Jane Austen since it's been a long while for me to have done a proper revisit with the Classic Six there. I started with Emma,thanks to the new movie which was nicely done, and I must confess that as charming as she is, Miss Woodhouse is not my favorite of the Austen leading ladies. She's a bit too self satisfied for my taste yet I've grown to appreciate her story.
During this current reread, I find myself taking another look at a different major character who does have his fans but is not as beloved as Mr. Darcy. I speak of Mr. Knightley, whose first name is George but I quite agree with Emma that calling him Mr. Knightley sounds more natural.
He is a proper leading man that provides the much needed balance to the heroine, matching her ready wit with a sly observation or two. Mr. Knightley can and does at times come off as snarky and overbearing but that's not there is to him, not at all:
What worries him is her occasional lack of direction and need to interfere in the lives of others, particularly Harriet Smith. Granted, Mr. Knightley doesn't think much of Harriet beyond her being "pretty and good tempered" but he has a strong point regarding Harriet's uncertain background not being a guarantee that her future would be secure elsewhere in life.
He's also very knowledgeable about what Mr. Elton's martial ambitions are, as opposed to Robert Martin, a man "so in love" that he could not be talked out of finding a more financially beneficial partner. Yes, that sounds cold but back in those days, marriage was considered more of a business deal in some respects(a notion not entirely departed from in certain quarters today).
Emma's intentions are somewhat well meaning when it comes to trying to pair up Harriet with Mr. Elton but she's also playing around with other people's feelings in a way that ultimately backfires on her as well as Harriet. No matter what time period it is, creating a sock puppet romance for your own personal pleasure is wrong and Mr. Knightley is very much in the right to call Emma out on this:
Mr. Woodhouse is of no help in such matters, being overly concerned with everybody's health(and mainly his own) and her older sister Isabella is much like her father, not to mention living in London with her own family to take care of.
In some ways, Emma is like a only child, given that Isabella married and left home while she was still a little girl. Due to her innate cleverness, most of the people in Emma's life assumed that her character was not in need of extra attention.
Mr. Knightley, as not only a family friend but related to her by marriage as well, seems to see it as his duty to urge Emma towards the right path every now and then. He doesn't force her to do anything other than reflect upon her own behavior, which Emma does do at certain moments, and makes up with her after their arguments.
He's not flawless,believe me-I find it amusing how much he can't stand Frank Churchill(who is to him as Jane Fairfax is to Emma; a person each feels gets too much praise and credit from others) to the point of a rant about that "trifling ,silly fellow" to Emma in one chapter. Personally, I think part of the reason that Emma likes Frank is that it annoys Mr. Knightley to no end!
What really makes me consider the merits of Mr. Knightley all the more this time around is his steadfast nature. Running a farming estate such as Donwell Abbey has him in a position of serious responsibility, which he takes to very well.
In addition to maintaining the land and looking out for his tenants such as Robert Martin's family(Robert even asks for Mr. Knightley's advice concerning his first proposal to Harriet), he takes additional measures to help out the Bates family,particularly when Jane Fairfax shows up for an extended visit.
Despite what Mrs. Weston speculates, I believe his interest in giving the Bates an extra hand is the added expense of Jane staying with her aunt upon the family budget rather than any possible romance with Miss Fairfax. He knows their family income well enough to offer what socially acceptable assistance he can, such as the use of his carriage and a surplus of apples. Emma herself admits that "he's not gallant but he is humane".
What really impresses me is that he is willing to admit that he's been wrong. When Harriet is in need of rescue from social embarrassment, thanks to Mr. Elton(who so deserves his awful wife!), Mr. Knightley is quick to remedy the situation and later tell Emma that he had misjudged her friend's character greatly. It may not seem like much but that kindness to Harriet on that particular occasion was a truly generous gesture that went a long way towards uplifting that young lady's spirits, plus her social standing.
In this day and age when so many people in positions of potential and/or unwarranted authority stubbornly cling to outlandish statements and ridiculous notions despite all evidence otherwise, a man like Mr. Knightley is infinitely preferable company, a good leader and a fine example for others to follow:
While my top Austen men will remain a tie between Captain Wentworth(hey, my first JA book was Persuasion!) and Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightley is high up on that list for me these days. My favorite quote of his-which I'm badly quoting here- is "There is one thing a man can do if he chooses and that is his duty." I so wish more folks would take up that stance in the socially responsible way!
Meanwhile, my next Jane Austen reread will be Sense and Sensibility, a book that I haven't explored for far too many years now. It's nice to have my own Jane Austen book club as comfort during these troubling times and I hope that others can find a similar source of solace as well:
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