Mr Knightley
BBC mini-series, 1960, starring Paul Daneman and Diana Fairfax.
‘Go easy on the sugar, Emma love, these breeches are far too tight already - or haven’t you noticed?‘
George Knightley is an English classic, a strawberry fondant encased in milk chocolate …
Mrs Augusta Elton adds: ‘Of course, these are not just any chocolates, they are made with Knightley’s very own strawberries from the Donwell Abbey estate in Surrey - which, as we all know, is the Garden of England. To arrange exclusive ’pick your own’ parties, please apply in writing to me - no riff-raff.’
Anyway, towards the end of Emma (Volume 3, Chapter 2, to be precise), there is the following exchange:
Emma You have shewn that you can dance, and you know that we are not really so much brother and sister as to make it at all improper.
Mr Knightley Brother and sister? no, indeed!
This seems to sum up their changing relationship. While Emma’s still fairly oblivious to Mr Knightley’s charms (and who can blame her), the man himself conveys his repressed feelings in those two little words - ‘no, indeed!’.
Is Mr Knightley animal, vegetable or mineral? Whatever the answer, for this JA he comes across as a far less appealing romantic hero than Darcy or Wentworth. And although 37-year-old farmers courting nubile 21-year-olds with the line ‘God knows, I have been a very indifferent lover’ may be as common today as in 1815, JA felt she couldn’t do that scenario justice.
So, for this modern version, Mr Knightley had to have a makeover. Cut the age difference so that he’s not old enough (technically) to be her father, change his first name (JA has nothing against ‘George’ - just think of George Clooney - but it simply didn’t feel right), give him more obvious sex appeal and send him away from Highbury until the story begins.
Oh, and make the brother-sister thing a put-down from the past that Emma has never forgiven him for …
The Importance of Being Emma by Juliet Archer was published on 15th December 2008.
