『エマ』における新しい男性像

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AbstractGeorge Knightley marries Emma Woodhouse at the end of Jane Austen's Emma. She does so, I would suggest, because Mr. Knightley is quite different from most gentlemen of the same period. In other words, he is what might be called "a new man," at odds with era about which Jane Austen was writing, a time in which society was still dominated by men as can be seen in the practice of institutions such as primogenitor. During that period, the ideal woman was "an angel of the house," -modest, unselfish, obedient to men and very patient. In addition, she should be pale and feeble. Emma is exactly the opposite. Jane Fairfax, on the other hand, who is an orphan and is educated as to be a governess, is such an ideal woman. However, Knightley is critical of Jane because she lacks openness, and the openness, he believes, is one of Emma's strong points. In addition, Knightley decides to live at Hartfield after his marriage instead of Emma's coming to Donwell Abbey. His decision is an event that shakes the patriarchal world. George Knightley, because he acts this way, can be called a gentleman who is ahead of the times. Jane Austen, in Emma, contributed the creation of a new man.
2012-04-01