Keira Knightley is a beautiful, sexy, intelligent, independent, and talented British-Scottish woman (daughter of a British father and Scottish mother). She was the only reason I watched those 3 hour Pirates of The Caribbean films. And I have watched all of her films and TV roles. I love her! She appeared in roles that were based on 8 classical books of literature.

1. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

In 1999, Keira starred as Rose Flemming Maylie in this BBC TV series. Oliver Twist was published in 1838 in Liondon, England by Charles Dickens. The novel deals with Oliver Twist, an orphan, who gets involved in many adventures from an orphanage to a gang of pick pocketers in the London streets. A heart-warming and witty classic of survival, love, and growth.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

In 2005, Keira Knightley starred as the main character, Elizabeth Bennett and was nominated for an Oscar Award for Best Actress but lost to Reese Witherspoon. The novel was published in 1813 in London, England with great acclaim. The novel made Jane Austen famous at the time. The novel is very witty and displays the independence of a young woman way ahead of her time, who did not adhere to the Victorian beliefs of England. And there was only one man who, despite her toughness, swept her off her feet, the one and only Mr. Darcy, the sarcastic and arrogant aristocrat who is seeking for a bride. It was true love between these two in the most unconventional circumstances!

3. Silk by Alssandro Baricco

In 2006, Keira Knightley starred as Helene Joncour, wife of a French trader of silk and mercantile, Herve Joncour, who sails off to Japan on a business trip. Herve meets and has an affair with a Japanese concubine, without Helene knowing about it! But Helene is suspicious with her strong womanly instincts. The novel was published in Italy in 1996, to critical acclaim in Italian. The novel has been translated into English and is a best-selling novel in English speaking countries worldwide.

4.  Atonement by Ian McEwan

In 2007, Keira Knightley starred as Cecilia Tallis, a daughter of a wealthy family in England during World War 1. Cecilia is a college student at Cambridge University and she falls in love with a child hood friend of the family, Robbie Turner. In their first kiss together, the younger precocious sister, Briony Tallis, sees them making out but misconstrues the scene as a rape. Briony tells her parents and the police are notified. The reputation of Robbie is ruined, when he is forced to serve in the war and stained with the label as a rapist. During the next several decades, Briony realizes the mistake she committed and tries to “atone” of her sin to Robbie and Cecilia, but it is not that easy. The novel was published in London, England in 2001 and won the prestigious Booker Prize that same year.

5. Georgeiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devinshire by Amanda Foreman

In 2008, Keria Knightley starred in the film, The Duchess, based on the award-winning biography written by Amanda Foreman. The classical masterpiece biography deals with Georgianna Cavendish, , the wife of William Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshire. She was famous for her extramarital affairs, her gambling addiction, and her political activities. The biography was the PhD doctoral thesis of Amanda Foreman, who graduated with her PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) diploma from the prestigious Oxford University in 1998. Her doctoral thesis was eventually published by Harper Collins in the UK and Random House in the USA and won the 1998 Whitbread Prize for Best Biography.

6. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

In 2010, Keira Knightley will star as Ruth, in this classical science fiction story. The story deals with human cloning, and Ruth is one of those clones along with her boarding school friends in London, England. The science fiction novel was published in England in 2005 by the Japanese author who establishes permament residence in London. Kazuo Ishiguro is the author famous for his novel, The Remains of the Day, which won The Booker Prize in 1989. Never Let Me Go the novel won the 2006 Arthur C. Clarke Award, 2006 ALA Alex Award, and the 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award and was short-listed for the 2005 Booker Prize. A masterpiece novel indeed!

7. London Boulevard by Ken Bruen

In 2010, Keira Knightley will star as a reclusive young actress, who hides in Holland Park in London, England and befriends and falls in love with an escaped convict, played by the Irish actor Colin Farrell. The crime/drama noir fiction novel was published in Ireland in 2001.

8. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

In 2010 or 2011, Keira Knightley will star as Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of the famous American author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel was based on their marriage, with its triumphs and tragedies. This was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s second novel which was published in 1922, and deals with the main character, Anthony Patch and his wife, Gloria during the Roaring 1920s in the US. The novel is a classic of modern 20th century American literature, along with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby.

As you can see, Keira Knightley is more than just a pretty face and a sexy body, (indeed, a very very sexy body!). Ahem…excuse me………

She is a talented British-Scottish woman who chooses serious film roles. I anticipate more excellent film roles from her based on other classic works of world literature. Maybe Jane Eyre, The Scarlet Letter, or Wuthering Heights? Hmmmmmmmmmm? I smell Oscar win for Keira Knightley for any of these potential film roles!