One
quotation from my reading that stuck out to me was, “I do not know what I could
imagine, but I confess that I have seldom seen a face or figure more pleasing
to me than hers. But I am a partial old friend” (35). This was said by Mr.
Knightly to Miss Taylor in their discussion about the relationship between Emma
and Harriet and whether it seemed to be healthy. Mr. Knightly brings up how Harriet
is “the very worst sort of companion that Emma could possibly have” because he
believes that Harriet “looks upon Emma as knowing everything” but to him she doesn't know much of anything (35). Miss Taylor defends Emma by bringing up “how
well she looked last night” and Mr. Knightly even claims that he can’t’ deny “Emma’s
being pretty” but he stills is negative and tries to degrade her (35). I think that Mr. Knightly has feelings for
Emma but is struggling to cope with them and doesn't know how to act when she
is brought up in conversation. He immediately goes to the childish way of
talking poorly about Emma and acting as if he hates her. The way he talks of
her may seem very negative and degrading but the deeper meaning behind it is
that he’s masking his true feelings for Emma. This is similar to the movie Clueless because the main character and
her step brother don’t get along but in the end they realize that they both
like each other and end up dating. I feel that the same will happen with Emma
and Mr. Knightly and it shows an underlying development in a relationship between
them.
The relationship between Mr. Knightley and Emma is very interesting. Like you said, he goes to a childish way of talking to and about Emma. I think it is just that they have very different opinions on things, and Mr. Knightley doesn't like to agree with Emma. He seems to find pleasure in putting her down, and that comes easy for him. I think this relationship adds a lot to the novel. The two of them bring something different to the story, and it can be interpreted in many ways. If I hadn't made the connection to "Clueless," I would expect them to end up hating each other forever, because Mr. Knightley seems to be the only one who finds imperfections in Emma. However, knowing this novel is based off "Clueless," it makes sense that Mr. Knightley is outwardly being rude to hide his love for her, just as you interpreted.
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