Dearest friends,
As I write to you I am sitting in the window bar seat at The Elephant House, watching people stop in front to admire “the birthplace of Harry Potter.” It is here that JK Rowling wrote my childhood and many others’. While we may have the same name and I sit where she sat, I do not expect nor intend to write a masterpiece, particularly in one sitting. I have not the patience nor the willingness to put all my imagination into pen and paper. Instead I intend to share my thoughts about another’s imagination, the imagination of Jane Austen (who would had guessed?).
You see, I haven’t always loved Jane Austen. I found her stories too complicated, too dramatic, too archaic. But my friends adored her, so I gave her a try. To no one’s surprise, the first film I saw was Pride and Prejudice, Keira Knightly version. I loved it. I didn’t love Mr. Darcy because he constantly looked constipated but I loved the story and scenery and music. My sister was a big fan of JA so we watched Sense and Sensibility together. There were so many pieces I missed the first time I watched it. I think I watched S and S 3 times that year, each time picking out the witty humour and finding Mr. Palmer more and more hilarious.
Then I discovered Emma. Emma is light-hearted, a comedy rather than a tragedy. I suppose one of the original rom-coms. I felt connected to it, yet I didn’t know just how.
Emma Woodhouse is described and praised as being pretty and clever – and she knows it. She is well liked by many and generally feels the same about those who do. She’s a daddy’s girl and loves nothing more than to spoil him. She’s the first to entertain. When she’s not keeping company, she is often sketching or painting. Emma is also honest and outspoken, to the point of fault. She wishes well and truly wants the best for her friends but pride often blinds her into believing she knows best. A stubborn being, Emma denies that her influences are all that obvious.
The only two people who see Emma for who she truly is are the two who have watched her grow up. They’ve watched her take her baby steps and held her hand. They know Emma inside the home and outside the house. They’ve seen the best and unfortunately the worst.
Mrs. Weston was Emma’s governess and now her best friend. Having raised Emma since she was a little girl, Mrs. Weston knows Emma better than most, yet still thinks well of her dear friend. The two share many laughs and tears.
A close family friend, Mr. Knightley, enjoys Emma’s company and admits her cleverness and beauty. However, he is not amused by her ill-humour as most are. He knows her motives as well as the condition of her heart – and he doesn’t put up with it. Instead of flattering her vanity with empty compliments, Mr. Knightley scolds and lectures Emma when she’s mischievous or unkind; he knows better of her. Although he has been disappointed in some of her actions, he remains her friend. Despite all her imperfections, he loves her.
Over the years, I have connected the dots and understood why I love this story so dearly. It is because I have seen myself in Emma, both the person and the story. There are quite a few similarities between Emma and me. I love to draw, to plan events, to dance. I am loyal to my friends. I like to explore but home is ultimately where my heart belongs.
Her other characteristics apply just as much, though many may not see it. Many may not know the vanity that lies in my heart, but the Mrs. Weston’s in my life know all too well. They are such gracious friends. As for Mr. Knightley, I pray there is a man on earth that wants to better me, that knows the bad but sees the good, that will love me unconditionally. Maybe he doesn’t exist (if he does, he certainly won’t be perfect).
There is, however, One who does know me. He knows the wicked desires of my heart, He knows the arrogance hidden beneath the good deeds…yet loves me so. I know not why, but that is the beauty, that grace which is free and love unconditional. It is not archaic but constant.
“Beloved, for that is what you are and always will be.”
“Beloved, for that is what you are and always will be.”
