The Word for Writers

Sir Knightly

by Honey Stone
05/27/17
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I’m not sure how it happened…but years ago I got the guys in my small group to watch some Jane Austen movies. It took awhile. They said they didn’t want to watch chick flicks. I told them that this was classic fiction and NOT fantasy or soft porn. These were stories about likeable people with flaws, and the point of classic fiction is that the main characters learn to overcome their flaws.

The ranting continued until I said, “You are either going to watch the movies or we are never going to talk about them.” So, shockingly they watched Pride Prejudice (P&P), Sense and Sensibility (S&S), and Emma.

One of the guys said that the Lizzy, from P&P, was a gold digger because she decided she liked Mr. Darcy after visiting his mansion. I had to calmly explain that it was because the maid spoke so highly of her master (Mr. Darcy) that Lizzy realized he wasn’t a snob.

Then I was told that I had too high expectations of men. I said, “Look, you know my favorite character is Mr. Knightly. And Mr. Knightly reminds me of the Holy Spirit because he is always trying to improve Emma for Emma’s sake, and not just his own - even though he loves her.”

Mainly, the point isn’t to compete with the Holy Spirit. The point is to become one with the Holy Spirit. But that may have landed near wax-filled ears.

Emma married up not because she married wealth (she was already rich) but because she married a man of integrity and someone who cared about her character development. I think they call that kind of man a gentleman. That’s almost unheard of these days. Well, at least outside of the church it is almost unheard of.

Some will say that I like the movie Emma because of Jeremy Northam. No, I read the book first and fell in love with the character within the pages. But Jane Austen is known for her ability to develop loveable characters yet there wasn’t a lot of physical description on Sir Knightly.

Emma is my favorite novel by my favorite author and Mr. Knightly is my favorite male character. Mr. Northam did an outstanding job though. Reason being, that he accurately picked up on the author’s wit and expressed it. Most ‘Austen-inspired movies’ are way too serious. They miss the wink and knowing-grin of the narrator while observing and describing human foibles. You are supposed to be amused and chuckle. It’s meant to be a comedy that only you discover but the rest of society doesn’t pick up on it.

I have to add that most women don’t like Mr. Knightly. They think they like Mr. Darcy, but really Jane Austen is so good at getting you to like Lizzy, that you don’t realize why you like Pride and Prejudice. It’s just because the narrator has set you up. I’ve caught on to her ways and I don’t fall for them anymore.

It’s too late because I’ve already fallen for Mr. Knightly (symbolic expression of the Holy Spirit).