She calls him George!
Debbie Jordan writes a column about Jane Austen’s novels for TriValleyCentral.com. Ms. Jordan is clearly attempting to lure nonJaneites into reading her novels, an endeavour we heartily applaud, but we were a trifle startled when the author refers to Mr. Knightley by his Christian name!
The element that sets “Emma” apart from Austen’s other novels is the fact that there is no class conflict between the wealthy neighbors who’ve known each other since Emma was born. The book tells the story of Emma’s often comic meddling in other people’s lives as George gently tutors her in the responsibilities she will one day assume as lady of the manor-his manor!
Brave indeed! 
August 25th, 2005 at 3:08 pm
Er… Mansfield Park is a “satire” that’s “more lighthearted” than her previous novels????
I don’t think I trust Ms. Jordan’s good intentions.
August 25th, 2005 at 9:32 pm
And what about: it is likely that they [the Brontes] learned their craft from reading Austen’s popular novels?
I do not think so either. It seems Charlotte Bronte had never read any of Jane Austen’s novels until she had already published Jane Eyre, because her editor (George Lewes) praised Austen and recommended Charlotte to follow her example. Charlotte read P&P and Emma then, she didn’t like them:
http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/janeart.html#charlottebronte
August 26th, 2005 at 9:21 am
I never read that anyone thought Jane was satirizing the Brontës in NA except for me, joking about it (and saying flat-out that she parodied JE 30 years before it was written). The comparison of the initial scene where Jane is banished to her dead uncle’s room with Henry Tilney’s Gothic parody is quite hilarious. (And it’s all Henry’s fault that I can’t read the Brontës now…he snarks them in my ear.)
August 26th, 2005 at 3:19 pm
Cinthia: You’re right, I noticed the Brontë comparison too and thought “Wait, that’s all wrong.” I didn’t know at what point Charlotte Bronte read JA, but I knew she disparaged her. And can you imagine Emily Bronte “learning her craft” from JA? I don’t think so.
Mags: LOL! Don’t ruin JE for me too!
August 31st, 2005 at 8:53 am
Well, at least she didn’t call him Knightley