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Monday, January 16, 2012

"More Worthy of Him"


"What had she to wish for? Nothing, but to grow more worthy of him, whose intentions and judgment had been ever so superior to her own. Nothing but that the lessons of her past folly might teach her humility and circumspection in the future”
- Jane Austen, Emma, Vol. III, Ch. XVIII

I recently re-encountered this quote and was thinking how amazingly poignant it is. Mistakes and follies are part of each person's life but if we accept our mistakes and grow from them we will learn to be more humble, circumspect and wise.
In the life of the Christian we are striving to "grow more worthy" of Him who has called us, the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. These words from the an old hymn come to mind:

More like the Master I would ever be,
More of His meekness, more humility;
More zeal to labor, more courage to be true,
More consecration for work He bids me do.
- Charles H. Gabriel


My sister Bea has just finished reading Jane Austen's Emma today. Now we have plans to watch all of the Emma adaptations and decided which is out favorite!
Tonight we re-watched Emma (1997) starring Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong. This is an old favorite, I've watched it so many times with my family that I can quote it and hear the actor's voice in my head whenever I read certain lines from the book. It might not be the most accurate or best cast but it's the first Emma adaptation I saw and will always hold special memories.  My favorite scene is still the ball in Highbury, it contains some of the best English Country Dancing I've seen in period dramas (with very catchy tunes!) and has the wonderful quote "Brother and sister? No indeed." 

I pray you all had a blessed Sunday and that your week starts well!

Have you seen Emma (1997) before? 
Do you have a favorite scene or actor/character? 

4 comments:

  1. Another Emma to watch, how delightful! Especially since it is your favorite.

    Emma is not my favorite Austen. Honestly, she annoys me. Perhaps if I were to keep this quote in mind, and the fact that she did learn her lessons, I might enjoy it more.

    It is surprising to find a reference to a hymn. Lovely, thank you.

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  2. I've only seen this adaptation once, but have recently thought about giving it another try because so many people are fond of it. (I wasn't) I like Mark Strong's looks as Knightley, but I though he was too severe. Anyway, I shall try it again :)

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  3. This Emma was my favorite before the new version came out! =) It is so lovely and old-fashioned! I'm so glad the 'brother and sister no indeed' quote was in there. It was sort of in the 1996 Miramax version, but not exactly like the book. And the 2009 version left it out completely. =( The dance scene following just about made up for it, though.

    I just love the dances! I've done one (Juice of Barley) myself two or three times! And one or two of the songs I've danced to as well; I'm not sure if the dances were the same or not.
    "Very sprightly"--haha!

    I love that quote from Emma! It really shows how much she's changed, and what a worthy heroine she is by the end of the book. =)

    Tell Bea congrats from me for finishing Emma! What's next on her list? =) It's so fun to read a book and then compare the movies.

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  4. I have this copy of Emma, but I do prefer the more recent one with Romola Garai. Somehow, I've always just pictured Emma as blonde. Emma's definitely not my favourite Austen character, either!

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