Jane Austen discussion

Mr Knightley returns to Highbury and finally any preconceptions and misunderstandings are sorted between the couple. Now to break the news to Mr Woodhouse and poor Harriet. Frank tries to explain his behaviour... Harriet is off to London for a while. Jane and Emma finally sort out the problems between them and become friends. Mr Knightley has some news for Emma, regarding Harriet, and so there are three weddings to take place, one being the most important, and although the wedding is too modest to please Mrs. Elton, “the wishes, the hopes, the confidence, the predictions of the small band of true friends who witnessed the ceremony, were fully answered in the perfect happiness of the union.”

Well, I finally finished. I wonder if Mr. Knightly didn't engage in a little romantic intrigue by arranging to throw Mr. Martin and Harriet together in London? I wonder if Mr.Knightly sent instructions to his brother to bring them together by going on an outing (to the circus I believe?). Did Mr Knightly deliberately send Mr. Martin to London to his brother knowing that Harriet was his guest? As a better judge of character, Mr. Knightly got better results than Emma's dreadful outcomes.

Mr. Knightly spent some time talking to Harriet on a couple of occasions to get a handle on her. Perhaps after getting to know her he became determined that she and Mr. Martin should be together. Thank heavens Harriet accepted Mr. M! Phew! What a relief! I was worried through the length of the book that Mr. Martin would "get away." Good men don't grow on trees.

Better to be adored by a farmer who is a gentleman in the way that matters and be as a queen in his house , than to enter into a mésalliance as the inferior partner and be condescended to and looked down upon by his friends and family and perhaps one's own children.

I can't wait to watch the movie my sister and Soph recommended. I think Mr Woodhouse is going to be a real character in the movie.

Harriet's parentage is just as embarrassing as I thought it would be.

Yes! Knightley was much better at it than Emma! And he was definitely trying to get them back together for they are perfect for each other.
Yes Harriet's background was not what Emma wanted.

So what did you think overall?
Were you surprised by FC and JF?

Yes let me know what you think of the series! I love Mr Woodhouse in the series!

OK, so I know that Frank Churchill's letter is supposed to give us a better opinion of him, but I still feel resentment towards him for making Jane suffer so much. I mean, it's one thing to try and appear indifferent in order to conceal his regard for her, but it is quite another to openly flirt with someone else (and really, he is beyond lucky that Emma did not grow very attached to him!) and actually say or imply things that he knew would hurt her. The whole Mr. Dixon speculation, which was a silly invention of Emma, should never have been carried on by him! All his little comments and insinuations to her were just mean. And poor Jane could seriously take no more and she actually broke off the engagement (I didn't remember that from the movie!)!! He didn't deserve to get her back -.- But in a way I am glad he did because she did really love him, and she would have been very miserable without him I think, as she was so ill whenever he wasn't there.

I cannot forgive him. For the reasons you say. He did not need to go that far to appear indifferent to Jane. He went too far. Emma could have been really hurt. There was no need for such flirtatious behaviour and encouragement. He is a character I find hard to respect for what he did, for even though he was not as bad as Willoughby or Wickham in the act, he behaviour was far from proper or necessary!

I'm glad we agree Soph! I was kind of like Mr. Knightley...I never really cared for Frank in the first place! There was always something fishy about his behaviour! Poor Jane must have thought he cared absolutely nothing for her! And yet he is so lucky because everybody wishes him good and is ready to forgive him! Like Mr. Knightley said, even his aunt who ways in the way, dies, and so he is free of making his engagement a public thing. Lucky fellow indeed!

He is very lucky! I never fell for him either. There was always something not quite right! He was always so lucky - his aunt dying making him free and then everyone willing to forgive so easily for his behaviour!

Completely agree with you all.

@Andrea, I hope you liked the adaptation, I think it was the one with Romola Garai you were talking about? It is a good adaptation, though I do think she could have been given a bit more elegance. My favourite remains the earlier BBC adaptation. :)