Posted by greg on August 23, 1997 at 12:18:44:
laraine's impression of mr. w as described in her post this week made me pay close attention to his character as i re-read the book. her comment:
The interesting thing here is that I think we see Mr. Weston quite differently. I see him as definitely one of the comic characters and one who does a lot to contribute to the craziness--the preparations for the ball show this best of all, I think, but the Christmas Eve party and John Knightley's reaction to having been forced out of his house on Christmas Eve show that Mr. Weston's ease of manner can inconvenience people a good deal. (Not that John does less than over-react). Mrs. Weston really does have something of a cross to bear in her husband's open manner,IMHO.
did not square with how i saw mr. w.(she used this as a reason to re-cast hugh laurie as mr. w.). i see hugh laurie more as isabella's husband, john knightley, because i think isabella has a bigger "cross to bear". jk's speech in ch. 13, "a man[mr. w] must have a very good opinion of himself when he asks people to leave their own fireside..." etc., where he complains bitterly about going to randall's on a snowy christmas eve, is received by emma thus: "emma did not find herself equal to give the pleased assent, which no doubt he was in the habit of receiving, to emulate the "very true, my love", which must have been usually administered by his travelling companion". this, plus the fact that (ref. ch.14) to emma, "mr. w was a great favorite", add to my feeling that mr. w was a very personable, discerning(except in his son's case), man - though perhaps a little too funloving - and was generally portrayed as such in e3.
this week i read, in book 2, ch.17(= ch.35), where mr. jk comments on mr. w's return from a long day in london to go to hartfield to tell everyone that frank is returning: "that a man might have spent his evening quietly at home ... should set off again, and walk half a mile to another man's house ... was a circumstance to strike him deeply." reading the following paragraphs about mr. w and his wife's reaction leaves me the impression again that mr. w is a little too dependent on other's company and good will, but still generally a very steady character. jk, on the other hand, strikes me as being too much like his farcical father-in-law, and therefore a good candidate for mr. laurie's talents. what say you?
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