Saturday 9 August 2008

JA Quote of the Week – Week Sixteen

Ah… sweet sixteen… before Michelle’s turn next week (nudge!) for the sweet seventeen. Anyway, for it’s sweet 16, I should come up with something sweet and romantic. Here it goes, Emma Volume III, Chapter 13 (page 339, Oxford edition 2003). This is after George Knightley’s confession of his love for Emma Woodhouse, a quote I had used a few months ago (click here, also click Linda’s Passionate Passages of Emma):

Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken; but where, as in this case, though the conduct is mistaken, the feelings are not, it may not be very material. – Mr. Knightley could not impute to Emma a more relenting heart than she possessed, or a heart more disposed to accept of his.

Aaah… Knightley! I really think it was so sweet of him to admit his love to Emma in such a way, without too flowery a language and by accepting that neither he nor Emma was perfect (but their very imperfections actually add the chemistry between them). Such sweet tender truth, spoken by an old friend like Mr. Knightley. Emma would be a fool indeed not to love him!

Sorry Linda and Michelle dear, Mark Strong is compelling, but I just have to go with my Jeremy Northam this time… swoon…

Pic: George Knightley (Jeremy Northam) and Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Palthrow) from the Riskyregency.blogspot.com

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh,Jeremy Northam is compelling as well!!I myself can´t imagine better Mr Knightley,I love him:)

Anonymous said...

Dearest Icha,

I finally got around to putting the quote in context and you are quite right, it is very good indeed!

I will forgive you for your Northam obsession (in a whisper) - because I do still have that adaptation on my shelf - so I will get around to concentrating on Jeremy instead of Gwyneth's long, skinny neck and arms that are not disguised by the costumes very well. You see, little things like that spoil the movie for me. However, I do still prefer Mr. Strong's looks, etc.

Yrs aff'ly,
Linda the Librarian

Icha said...

(whispering to Linda): Sister, you know what they say, there's enough men for sisters. It's good we like different Knigthleys, so that we don't have to share! You have your Mark Strong, I think he's actually pretty cute. I've just fallen in love first with Jeremy. Swoon...

Anima, yeah, I can swoon twice with you for him...

Michelle said...

I must say though Icha, that is a stunning picture! Ahhh, Mr Knightley, what a man.

What a beautiful quote! I also love your thoughts, Icha. So true. Beauty in imperfections. Such a magnificent novel.

Every time I read a quote of the week from Emma, I fall in love with the book a little more...

PS: Linda, I must look up the quote, but I remember reading a comment from Paltrow that she was extremely disappointed with the costumes on her, thinking they looked like nighties!