Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up... friends with much younger Emma Woodhouse. Though unrelated by blood, Mr. Knightley sees Emma much as an older brother would consider a younger sister – a quasi-sibling relationship that only gets even more tangled when Emma's older sister, Jane, marries Mr. Knightley's younger brother.
Living... in Regency England, on his family estate of Donwell Abbey. Large and beautiful, Donwell is also conveniently located next to the Hartfield estate, where Emma and Jane live.
Profession... gentleman. As the eldest of the Knightley brothers, Mr. Knightley is set to inherit Donwell and so has little to worry about financially. Still, it's a job he takes seriously, helping the local parish and acting as a magistrate in his free time.
Relationship Status... single. Though his younger brother is already married, Mr. Knightley himself seems to have little interest in romance, preferring instead to criticize Emma's attempts to play matchmaker.
Challenge... trying to be a mentor to Emma. His young friend may be well meaning, but Emma is also prone to unwise meddling, and her latest scheme to find spouses for all her friends may end in more heartbreak than romance. And he is often the lone voice of reason among Emma's friends. Mr. Knightley tries to warn Emma against overestimating her own intelligence, telling her that, "vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief," but seemingly to no avail.
Personality... kind, sensible, and polite, but unafraid to be honest. A perfect gentleman to most, Mr. Knightley reserves his more snarky side for those close to him – and more often than not, the recipient of his jibes is Emma. Still, while Mr. Knightley can be brutal in his honesty, he means well: "This is not pleasant to you, Emma – and it is very far from pleasant to me; but I must, I will – I will tell you truths while I can.”
Get to Know him in...
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Socialite Emma Woodhouse entertains herself by playing matchmaker for those around her. Her latest "project" is Harriet Smith, an unpretentious debutant, while Emma herself receives the attentions of the dashing Frank Churchill. However, Emma's attempts at matchmaking cause more problems than solutions and may ultimately jeopardize her own chance at love and happiness.
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Beautiful, smart, rich-and single, Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her prot&?eacute;g&?eacute;, Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected.
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Nothing delights Emma more than meddling in the love lives of others. But when she takes protege Harriet Smith under her wing, her plans can only end in disaster...
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Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who—from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister—dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fukú—a curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA. Encapsulating Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao opens our eyes to an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere—and risk it all—in the name of love.
