A gentleman is described as a man who's courteous, honorable, and chivalrous and is of a good social standing, as well as wealthy. At least that's how they seem to appear in Jane Austen's world. Men who are sophisticated and know how to make a woman feel downright giddy. I wanted to do some research on this, on the gentlemen who charmed us in Emma. Luckily I came across the same question, "What Makes a Gentleman?" written by a member of the Jane Austen Society of Australia.
The small article focuses on the topic of gentleman, such as Mr. Knightley, who's the prime example of the worthy title, and Mr. Frank Churchill, who's immediately well liked but there's something about his behavior that have us question whether or not he is a gentleman. At first I thought Mr. Knightley didn't have the charming qualities of a gentleman as Frank Churchill did. Between the two, though, I thought Mr. Knightley's convention was much more trustworthy and I came to like him more because he had everyone's best interest at heart.
Within the article the writer further discusses on the actualities of the society Jane Austern herself was a part of. Giving examples of how 18th century traits of gentleman carried over to the 19th century society. Saying how a true gentleman wouldn't be a coward and tell a lie, that was something no one would respect and we see that in Austen's Emma when it is revealed that Frank Churchill was a liar the entire time. There's nothing considered honorable in a man who fails to tell the truth to others.
The remainder of the article is filled with good, hard facts of the wealthy and social desires of those people during those times. I found it to be very enlightening and made me realize that Jane Austen wasn't too fond on 19th century gentleman and mixed the best things of the two centuries, 18th and 19th, into one to create the reputable gentleman into this written work and as well as her other works.
The other links in this website was very fun to read, also, because it has more discussions on Emma and other Jane Austen's novels.
Gabriela, I agree with your view on how a gentleman was portrayed in Jane Austen's time. Between Churchill and Knightley, a reader would be able to see that Mr. Knightley would be the more suitable choice of a gentleman and a more suitable character for Emma herself. As you stated, a gentleman is described as a man who's courteous, honorable, and chivalrous and is of a good social standing, as well as wealthy. All of these are traits of Mr. Knightley, but we cannot forget the jealousy he posed towards Mr. Churchill because of his potential match up with Emma. Although Knightley and Emma end up together, there is a question I would like to bring to light. Is Mr. Knightley still the perfect gentleman most readers seem to think he is, even after showing jealousy towards Mr. Churchill? To anser my own question, I don't think it matters because there is no person in the world who is "perfect", fictional character or not.
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