Emma said she was not interested in getting married, so it seems likely she never had a beau before Mr. Knightley. So was he her first kiss? And do you think the opposite was true? I mean, men of honor didn't just go around kissing women if they didn't intend to marry them in Austin novels, did they?
Taking back IMDB message boards....one ignored Troll at a time.
AustEn was not as prim and proper as you may think. Take a look at her letters.
Over the years, at every single AustEn board I've been affiliated with, we've had a "is so-and-so a virgin?" My answer? No.
http://currentscene.wordpress.com
I'm sure it was Emma's first kiss but would be astonished if this was the first kiss a 38 year old man had ever received
He looks like what happens when you punch a cow!share
It might have been Austen's subtext that Emma at the least kissed Frank Churchill, being that everyone assumed they were nearly engaged and they had a very flirtatious relationship. There's alot of physicality and passion implied in classic romance such as Austen or the Brontes that isn't explicitly stated. I'm sure Mr. Knightley wasn't a virgin let alone that being his first kiss.