Brain Soup Goes Gilmore discussion

Who's your favorite character in Emma, and why? Which character(s) do you relate to the most? The least?

Mr. Knightley has long been one of my favorite Austen men, and really one of my favorite book characters. I love that he is a bit rough around the edges, but not because he is some wounded soul. He knows who he is, but he is also someone who grows. He takes things seriously, but he's not without a sense of humor. And in regards to Emma, where others are willing to give her a free pass so to speak, from the very beginning, for her whole life, he knows there's so much more to her than even she is aware of and that she's capable of being a great and good person.

Oh, Mr Knightley. He is my favourite of all the Austen heroes. I don't even have the words to say all of why I love Mr Knightley.

I've always liked Emma, but never really been able to relate to her. It's only been recently that I've started to see myself in some of the other characters.

First, Harriet: I found her more relatable in Emma Approved than I ever had before (well done Dayeanne!). Though she is naive and a bit foolish, I admired her courage and personal growth in EA.

The other is Jane Fairfax, but from the 2009 BBC adaptation (and then a subsequent reread). I had never realised before how principled Jane is, and how miserable it makes her to keep such a great secret for so long. In this she reminds me of Jane Eyre - so much integrity, yet Miss Fairfax makes the decision that goes against her conscience, while Miss Eyre remains blameless. If I were in Jane Fairfax's position, with a handsome and charming Frank Churchill persuading me to keep an engagement secret, I think I would have made the same choice.