Ahem.

Be not alarmed, gentle readers. My devotion to Jane has not wavered. Yesterday's post was indeed, as many of you guessed, published in consequence of the date being April 1.

A Confession

I can no longer call myself a Janeite. Over the last few months or so, I have undergone a complete change of heart in regards to the work of Miss Austen. How can I put this. I just. . . don't like her books any more. They are overlong, shallow, tedious, and - dare I say it - BORING. I'm sorry if I offend anyone. I just can't understand how Jane Austen's books ever appealed to me in the first place.

Sorry, Jane.

Recent reads

I've been taking a brief break from the classics these last few weeks. It's been. . . fun. I've borrowed a heap of books from the library. Our library will be losing a significant portion of its collection in the near future, so I've been reserving a lot of books from that part of the collection while they're still available! Here's an overview of some of the books I've been reading. Don't forget to add me on Goodreads, if you haven't already. I'm something of a Goodreads addict - I love finding interesting books to add to my ever-growing to-read shelf.

The Clockwise Man by Justin Richards

England 1924: the Doctor and Rose find themselves caught up in the hunt for a murderer. With faceless killers closing in, can they solve the mystery of the Clockwise Man before London itself is destroyed? This is the first of a new series of hardcovers featuring the new Doctor Who from the new TV series.

My first Doctor Who novel. I've been slowly working my way through the TV series, and can't get enough! Eccleston is still my favourite Doctor, and Rose one of my favourite companions, so it was fun to return to their "era". The Clockwise Man was adequately well-written and diverting. Not on the same level as one of TV episodes, but still fun. As with a typical NuWho episode, the story combines elements of mystery and sci-fi. This particular book had something a steam-punk feel to it, thanks to the heavy involvement of clockwork - stuff - in the story. 3 out of 5 stars.

The Storekeeper's Daughter by Wanda Brunstetter

Time seems to stand still in Naomi Fisher's tranquil community, but it cannot hold back tragedy. Helping her widowed father run a store, manage a household, and raise seven children is a daunting task. There is no time to think about courtship or having her own family, though her heart yearns for the attention of Caleb Hoffmeir. But her days are plotted for her-until the afternoon her baby brother disappears from the yard. How can Naomi expect anyone to love and trust her if she can't take care of one small boy? Should she leave all that is familiar and seek a new avenue of life?

My first Wanda Brunstetter novel. Also my first taste of Amish fiction. I wasn't particularly taken with it. The story moved VERY slowly, and the dialogue seemed stilted and unnatural, particularly from the non-Amish characters in the book. There was one particularly ludicrous plot point. . . at which point I stopped reading, and skipped to the end of the book to the resolution that I knew was coming. I gave this 3 stars originally, but considering that I didn't even finish the book, perhaps I should make that 2 out of 5 stars.

Colonel Brandon's Diary by Amanda Grange

A vibrant retelling of "Sense and Sensibility," Grange's sweeping epic breathes new life into another of Austen's best-loved novels. 

At the age of eighteen, James Brandon's world is shattered when the girl he loves, Eliza, is forced to marry his brother. In despair, he joins the army and leaves England for the East Indies for the next several years. Upon his return, he finds Eliza in a debtors' prison. He rescues her from her terrible situation, but she is dying of consumption and he can do nothing but watch and wait. Heartbroken at her death, he takes some consolation in her illegitimate daughter, who he raises as his ward. But at the age of fifteen, his ward goes missing. Devastated by the thought of what could have happened to her, he is surprised to find himself falling in love with Marianne Dashwood. But Marianne is falling in love with the charismatic Willoughby.


Not perfect, but a brave effort on the part of Amanda Grange. I liked the part of the book that detailed Colonel Brandon's earlier life, but I was actually a bit disappointed with the handling of Brandon and Marianne's relationship. Worth a look if you're a Brandon/Marianne fan like me, or for anyone who loves Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and would be interested in reading a sensitive retelling of the neglected back story of S&S. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

~~~~~~

Doctor Who fan? Amish fiction reader? Read any of Amanda Grange's Austen hero books? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Hello again and goodbye again

Yikes! Another two weeks have slipped by and I haven't posted anything. Well, I'm afraid you'll probably have to wait another month before I publish any new material, because I'm doing Nanowrimo again! That's right! Yes, I'm crazy. Yes, I am extremely excited about it. Yes, I am writing another Regency romance (of sorts). No, I am most likely not going to let you read it. Ever.

I'm going to be writing Pride and Prejudice. From Jane Bennet's perspective. :-) I CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED!! Every literary bone in my body has been tingling with anticipation for days. That sounded weird. . . but that's how I feel!

Fellow Nano-ers, please do add me as a writing buddy.

What else is there to add. . . hmm. . . I'll put a widget on my sidebar so you can keep track of my progress (if you're interested. . .). I still miss all of you. If only I had an extra couple of hours in every day in which to blog and do internet stuff. It's not that I'm super busy, but I can't read books and blog and watch movies all at once during my spare time. . . unfortunately.

Oh, one more thing. If you'd like to do a little something to help me through Nanowrimo. . . I'm looking for some good music to listen to while I write my novel. Have any suggestions? I like classical music, classical crossover (e.g. Hayley Westenra, Katherine Jenkins), Celtic music, instrumental music, world music, film scores. I think a lot of my readers have similar tastes to my own, so shoot me some of your favourites!

Top 10 Period Drama Villains: #3

3. Henry Crawford (Alessandro Nivola) - Mansfield Park

Just to warn you in case you haven't read or watched Mansfield Park - there will probably be some spoilers in this post.

Jane Austen created some of the most truly good, honourable, gentlemanly heroes in literature, but she generally didn't write too many charming, conflicted villains - she was too sensible and too realistic for that. Her scoundrels are almost always - well, just plain scoundrels! No romantic illusions here! Mr. Elliot, Mr. Wickham, Frank Churchill, John Thorpe. . . There are two great exceptions, however - John Willoughby and Henry Crawford. Henry Crawford has always been my favourite Jane Austen villain/anti-hero.

But why? Probably because he seemed so close to truly reforming/repenting. Or maybe that was just my romantic fancy, as a 14-year-old girl reading the book for the first time. I loved Henry and Fanny as a couple. They make a much more intriguing combination than Edmund and Fanny, who are arguably the most boring couple in the Austen canon. I desperately wanted Henry to get his act together and mend his ways, so that he could be truly worthy of Fanny. Of course, in the end, he stumbles and throws away every chance of future happiness with Fanny. Stupid, stupid Henry.

Could he have been satisfied with the conquest of one amiable woman’s affections, could he have found sufficient exultation in overcoming the reluctance, in working himself into the esteem and tenderness of Fanny Price, there would have been every probability of success and felicity for him. His affection had already done something. Her influence over him had already given him some influence over her. Would he have deserved more, there can be no doubt that more would have been obtained. . . Would he have persevered, and uprightly, Fanny must have been his reward, and a reward very voluntarily bestowed. . .

-Mansfield Park, Chap. XXXXVIII

Joseph Beattie as Henry Crawford in Mansfield Park 2007

In terms of on-screen Henrys - I thought Alessandro Nivola's performance (MP 1999) was the most memorable. Joseph Beattie in the 2007 adaptation was also okay. The Henry in the 1983 adaptation, however, came across as a snivelling, rodent-like idiot, with the none of the necessary charm or charisma.

So:

Your thoughts on Henry Crawford, and Mansfield Park? Did you want Henry and Fanny to end up together, or were you on "Team Edmund"?

Which is your favourite screen adaptation of Mansfield Park? Your favourite Henry Crawford?

Do you have a favourite Austen villain?

Also, whilst preparing this post, I came across this comparison of Henry Crawford's and Fizwilliam Darcy's characters at Pemberley.com. Interesting. Darcy isn't perfect, either, but his strength of character shows up all the better when compared against Crawford's lack of resolve and self-control. Also, come to think of it, Mansfield Park could almost be seen as a subverted form of P&P. . . but that's a whole other post altogether.

Literary Heroine Blog Party

Hmm, I've had this post all ready to publish for days. I've just been waiting to get the pictures organised - but I can't do that because my computer is out of order at the moment! So you can just have the post without the pictures, LOL.

How delightful - a Literary Heroine Blog Party! Please join in, if you feel so inclined.

~ The Questions ~

Compiled by Miss Kellie and Miss Natasha

What, to you, forms the essence of a true heroine? A true heroine should be someone who I can relate to and admire. A true heroine should be strong, yet feminine.

Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to. Oops, I've just realised that I used those two words in my first answer, above! Oh well. . . Okay, four heroines who I admire and relate to:

~Fanny Price from Mansfield Park. I first read this when I was about 14 or 15. I think I was even more painfully shy then than I am now. I don't have Fanny's moral strength and steadfastness, but I sure could relate to her quiet nature and sometimes crippling shyness!

~Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey. Perhaps there isn't much to admire about Catherine, aside from the fact that she is a genuinely sweet, good-natured girl, but she's probably the Austen heroine to whom I can most relate, aside from Fanny. I found it so lovely and refreshing to read a Jane Austen novel with a heroine who was. . . well, just an ordinary teenage girl, who I could identify with! Young, a bit silly, very gullible and naive, a great bookworm, part of a big and happy family, totally in love with Mr. Tilney. . . Yep, Catherine and I have a lot in common!

~Emily Starr from the "Emily" books. Emily has always been the L.M. Montgomery heroine to whom I could most relate. More on this when I get to the letter "E" in my fave books series. Much as I adore Anne, we're almost complete opposites, in terms of temperament, LOL.

Oh, and I just remembered my "Top 15 Heroines" post that I did a while ago - I'll refer you to that post for more of my favourite heroines!

Five of your favorite historical novels? Historical as in historical fiction or historical as in books that were written a long time ago? Oh well, I'll assume it's the latter. I've picked these at random; these are five OF my favourites, not my five favourites.

Rose in Bloom - Louisa May Alcott
North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
A Girl of the Limberlost - Gene Stratton-Porter
Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens
The Enchanted April - Elizabeth Von Arnim

Out of those five books who is your favorite character and why? Hmm, I'm going to say John Thornton from North and South. Because he's one of the sweetest, kindest, manliest heroes. . . ever! He's even nicer in the book than he is in the miniseries.

If you were to plan out your dream vacation, where would you travel to - and what would you plan to do there? The British Isles. I'd visit as many castles, stately homes and historical sites as possible. :D

What is your favorite time period and culture to read about? Ummm. . . I like reading about ALL different historical periods and cultures! Oh well, I'll say the Regency Era for now.

You have been invited to perform at the local charity concert. Singing, comedy, recitation - what is your act comprised of? (!!!) Well, NOT singing. I couldn't do comedy. Maybe recitation. Or perhaps I'd play something on guitar.

If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent? Lady Percy Blakeny!! LOL, that was just the first thing that popped into my head. I recently read The Scarlet Pimpernel for the first time, and am going through a second phase of SP fandom. . .

What are your sentiments on the subject of chocolate? I can live without it, but. . . I do like it. :-) Dark, but not too dark (i.e. not the 85% cocoa variety). I like most chocolate things too (cake, brownies, etc.), but generally not chocolate ice cream.

Favorite author(s)?
Jane Austen
Charles Dickens
Jane Austen
Charles Dickens
Jane Austen

Okay, okay, let's try that again. . .

Jane Austen | Charles Dickens | C.S. Lewis | J.R.R. Tolkien | L.M. Montgomery | Elizabeth Gaskell | Charlotte Bronte | And many more. . .

As a small, imaginative, red-haired damsel might query; would you rather be divinely beautiful, dazzlingly clever, or angelically good? Why? I'd say "angelically good", except that the phrase somehow smacks of hypocrisy and goody-two-shoes-ism. And I'd pick it for partly selfish reasons, I'm afraid. I think being truly "good" would be more likely to help me find happiness and contentment than being beautiful or clever.

In which century were most of the books you read written? 19th century. . .

In your opinion, the ultimate hero in literature is… It's a toss-up between Henry Tilney and Sir Percy Blakeney.

Describe your ideal dwelling place. Hm, hard! Umm. . . wherever my family is!

Have you ever wanted to change a character’s name? Yes, sometimes.

In your opinion, the most dastardly villain of all literature is... Oooh, another hard one! I can't pick just one, but here are a few: Rigaud, Carver Doone, Chauvelin, Heathcliff. . .

Three favorite Non-fiction books? The BIBLE, So Much More, Castles of Friuli.

Your duties met for the day, how would you choose to spend a carefree summer afternoon? Reading, of course!

Create a verbal sketch of your dream hat - in such a way as will best portray your true character. Oh, I don't know. . . something broad-brimmed and utterly romantic. :-)

Share the most significant event(s) that have marked your life in the past year. 1. Our big road trip last year. 2. My 18th birthday (not so much the day itself, just. . . getting older).

Share the Bible passage(s) that have been most inspiring to you recently. God's and Moses' admonitions and encouraging words to Joshua in the book of Joshua, and towards the end of Deuteronomy.

And lastly, as I am a rather businesslike hostess, may I ask you your views regarding those adorable little items - namely pin back and mirror back buttons? 1). Where would you choose to display a button badge to best showcase your unique style? 2). What image and/or sentiment would most make you smile were it inscribed on your very own compact mirror? 1). I'd proudly wear it on my shirtfront, to declare to all the world my passionate love of books! LOL. . . Seriously, I don't really know. But I do think they're adorable. I especially like the "Bibliophile" badge. 2). I don't know! I do love the design on the compact mirror in the giveaway, though.

Becoming Jane: a review

Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen

I have finally gotten round to watching Becoming Jane! (Thanks, Bec!) Surely I must be one of the last Janeites on earth to have seen this!

As I'm sure most of you will know, Becoming Jane is loosely (emphasis on the word loosely) based upon the life of Jane Austen, more particularly her supposed romance with Tom Lefroy. I had of course heard a lot about this movie, and how it had enraged so many Janeites. . . It was for this reason that I have been a little hesitant to watch it, afraid that I would dislike it, and its depiction of Jane. But, today, feeling in a relatively open-minded, non-judgmental mood (in fact, feeling just plain sick and miserable with a cold, and in want of some pleasant diversion), I finally got out my headphones and my sister's laptop and sat down to watch. [I wrote most of this review a couple of weeks ago, and am now quite recovered from my cold. :-) ~Elise]

I loved it! Well, I didn't love it, but I liked it very much indeed.

Julie Walters as Mrs. Austen

I know a bit about Jane Austen's life - I've seen a couple of documentaries, and read a little bit here and there - but I haven't read any full-length biographies or done any serious research (yet). I think this was probably a good thing in this instance - while I knew that this was not necessarily a very accurate depiction of Jane's early life, I was able to (mostly) just enjoy the movie for what it was, without nitpicking over inaccurate or unconfirmed details. I knew just enough, however, to relish seeing Jane and her family brought to life on the screen - particularly Jane's parents, her brother Henry, and sister Cassandra. . . Though they didn't show as much of Cassandra here as I thought they might - perhaps there'll be more emphasis put on Jane's and Cassandra's relationship in Miss Austen Regrets (next on my to-watch list). And last but not least, a brief cameo from Mrs. Radcliffe (Helen McCrory) herself!

James McAvoy as Tom Lefroy

Acting-wise, all the costume drama veterans present were excellent, as usual. Anne Hathaway was also surprisingly good. James McAvoy was VERY good, and there was great chemistry between him and Ms Hathaway.

The cinematography was gorgeous. . . I was pleasantly surprised, the film was much more artistically done (and less Hollywood-ised) than I had expected. I liked the costumes, too - more subdued than those in Pride & Prejudice 2005, and yet just original and unconventional enough to be interesting - besides being very pretty. (I daresay they aren't historically accurate or consistent, but I'm no historical clothing expert, so that didn't bother me too much!) Becoming Jane is now possibly in my top five Regency films for costumes - and that's saying a lot, considering how many I've seen!

The score - often a deal-breaker with me, I love a good movie soundtrack - was lovely. Not too flowery, just subtly complementing the film. Composer Adrian Johnston is also the man behind the deliciously dark score of my fave Dickens adaptation - Our Mutual Friend!

Cassandra Austen (left) - brilliantly played by Anna Maxwell Martin

Interestingly enough, Becoming Jane smacks more of Bronte-ism than Jane-ism. The script is not as witty as one might expect of a movie about that wittiest and most ironic of all authors, Jane Austen. Most of the wit here comes directly from Jane Austen's novels, with various familiar lines interspersed throughout the film - some feeling rather out place. In some respects, I think the semi-biographical Mansfield Park 1999 does a better job of capturing Jane and her sense of humour - though that film was certainly not without its flaws, either.

Becoming Jane is. . . imaginative, impressionistic, sad, poignant, beautiful. Recommended if you feel you can just enjoy it as a bittersweet period romance, rather than a Jane Austen biopic.

Recommended for mature teens and up. It only received a PG rating in Australia and America, but be warned that it is quite a "mature" PG! Christian movie reviews of Becoming Jane:

Charity's Place | Christianity Today | Plugged In

Now, to watch Miss Austen Regrets!

Just a couple of random thoughts to finish - do comment and let me know whether you agree with me or not!

Laurence Fox as Mr. Wisley

-Poor Mr. Wisley! Was he really all that bad? I thought he might have been alright beneath the cold, "boring" exterior.

-As I watched Becoming Jane, I thought there was something different in the atmosphere of the film - I mean different to the oodles of Austen adaptations shot in beautiful English pastoral settings - but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. After I finished, I found out that Becoming Jane was shot in Ireland! Maybe that's what it was! It's hard to explain, and it's possibly just my imagination, but there was just something subtly different about the countryside, that lent the film a more "fairytale-ish", less prosaic air. And yes, I know that much of Northanger Abbey 2007 was shot in Northern Ireland, but NA tended to have more of an "urban" setting, so the effect was less pronounced.

-"Old" Jane's hairstyle at the very end. . . (!!!) Seemed more 1930s than 1810s to me!

All pictures from SharonaLee.gallery.ru

A Damsel's Daybook XVII

Time for a long overdue return to blogging! Sorry I've been away for so long.

~Hosted by Autumn @ Storygirl~

Outside my window....... A pleasant, if overcast day. Such a nice change from the 35C heat we've had for the past week.

I am thinking about......... Anna Karenina. I started it yesterday.

From the kitchen.......... I'm making chocolate slice and ginger crunch slice.

I am creating......... Not much right now. I need to get back into sewing.

I am reading......... Anna K., also re-reading P&P (yes, again!!).

I am hearing....... Relatively quiet right now!

I am hoping......... To have a quiet, productive week.

I am planning.......... To finish Anna Karenina within one month.

I am wearing............ Nothing interesting, LOL.

Around the house.......... General tidying up this morning. 1 neat and organised mother + 8 messy children = some interesting situations sometimes. :P But mum managed to get us (and the house) into quite a clean and organised state over the course of the morning. What an amazing, patient mother I have! :-)

My wish of the week......... That the crazy weather we've had across this country over the last few weeks would settle down, so that people can begin to rebuild their lives. No more flooding or bushfires or cyclones, please!! Having said that, I am very grateful to God for keeping the people of Queensland safe during Cyclone Yasi. Only one death reported - truly a miracle!!

Costume Chronicles

Just wanted to let you all know that the new issue of Costume Chronicles webzine is now available to download! I've been looking forward to this - the current November/December issue and next year's Jan./Feb. webzine are dedicated almost exclusively to Jane Austen and Austen adaptations. :-)

The fine art of transforming siblings into bookworms. . .

I am so proud of my little sister! Grace - 12 years old - recently finished reading Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. She had never read anything this heavy or challenging before, but she made it, with no problems! (The fact that I had said she could watch N&S for the first time after - and only after - she'd read the book, probably egged her on a bit, too. ;-).

Inspired by her achievement, she is now reading Jane Eyre! And yes, I said that she had to read the book before she could watch the series. ;-) I stopped short of making Naomi read Bleak House before she watched it - I still haven't read Bleak House myself, so it would perhaps have slightly hypocritical of me. . .

Congratulations, Grace! (Read her review of N&S here.)

Other news: my 15-year-old brother is *finally* reading The Lord of the Rings! (And loving it, needless to say!) I've been trying to get him to read LOTR for years! I can't wait to watch the movies again - with my brother, for the first time! - when he finishes.

And. . . I'm making a Janeite of my two-year-old sister. No harm starting early, eh? "Mr. Darcy" - her name for P&P 1995 (you gotta admit, "Pride and Prejudice" is bit of a mouthful, especially for a two-year-old) is already one of her favourite movies. She squeals out "Oooh, look, it's Missar Darcy!" whenever he comes onscreen, and whenever there's dancing, she gets up and jumps and dances around the room! 

And I shouldn't close without mentioning what was perhaps the single greatest triumph of my literary life - getting my teenage brother to read Pride and Prejudice. (He liked it, too!) I'm telling you, it warmed the cockles of my book-loving heart.

PS - of course the title for this post was tongue-in-cheek. The love of books - as with all kinds of love - cannot be forced, though it can be nurtured and encouraged.

Born to be a heroine

No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her. Her father was a clergyman, without being neglected, or poor, and a very respectable man, though his name was Richard — and he had never been handsome. He had a considerable independence besides two good livings — and he was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters. Her mother was a woman of useful plain sense, with a good temper, and, what is more remarkable, with a good constitution. She had three sons before Catherine was born; and instead of dying in bringing the latter into the world, as anybody might expect, she still lived on — lived to have six children more — to see them growing up around her, and to enjoy excellent health herself. A family of ten children will be always called a fine family, where there are heads and arms and legs enough for the number; but the Morlands had little other right to the word, for they were in general very plain, and Catherine, for many years of her life, as plain as any. She had a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without colour, dark lank hair, and strong features — so much for her person; and not less unpropitious for heroism seemed her mind. She was fond of all boy’s plays, and greatly preferred cricket not merely to dolls, but to the more heroic enjoyments of infancy, nursing a dormouse, feeding a canary–bird, or watering a rose–bush.

~~~~~

The opening passage from what is arguably Jane Austen's funniest novel - Northanger Abbey.

"I declare. . ."

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."

~Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter XI of Volume I

Regency World Awards

I guess I'm a bit out of the loop right now, when it comes to all things Austen, because I hadn't released that voting was now open for the Jane Austen's Regency World Awards! There's still time if you haven't voted yet (I hadn't until five minutes ago!) - voting closes on June 30th.

Click HERE to vote.

Jane Austen's World Cup Team

Read the post here at Jane Austen Today. I LOL'd. . . 

Top 5 things you can do to irk a Janeite

1. Spell Austen with an I - Austin.

2. Refer to Jane Austen as a Victorian. ("Jane was NOT a Victorian, she died YEARS before Victoria was BORN!!")

The worst Austen adaptation ever?

3. Dismiss all of Austen's works after seeing one bad movie adaptation. ("Never, EVER, judge a book by it's movie!")

If you think this is all there is to Austen. . .

4. Dismiss all of Austen's novels on the basis that "nothing happens" in them. ("Nothing happens in them, yet everything that matters happens in them!")

5. Use the first line of Pride and Prejudice to open an article, news piece, or advertisement. It has long ceased to be funny or original.

~~~~~

Do you have any suggestions to add to the list?

!!!???

I had seen this. . . 

And this. . . 

But this????

Well, if it's going to get more teens to read Shakespeare, Austen, and Emily Bronte, then I suppose it's a good thing. BUT if Wuthering Heights' greatest merit is the fact that it is "Bella and Edward's favourite book". . . good grief. . .

Have a closer look here, here, and here. Be sure to check out the back cover blurbs and the "extras" at the end of each book, featuring such interesting anecdotes as "What if Romeo and Juliet lived today and were on Facebook?".

And just in case you've been living on a different planet for the last couple of years and have no idea what I'm rabbiting on about:

Thoughts?

Interviewed!

I am honoured that Aurora from The Secret Dreamworld of a Jane Austen Fan has included me in a series of Austen-related interviews she has been posting on her blog! Read my interview here.

Aussie readers: P&P on TV

95% of my readers have probably seen it, but just in case you wanted to watch it again (and you happen to live in Australia), Pride and Prejudice 1995 will be on TV every Sunday night for the next few weeks, so you can get your P&P fix. :P It'll be on at 7:30pm on ABC2, starting this Sunday (6th Dec.).

Aussie readers: Miss Austen Regrets on TV

Jane Austen as played by Olivia Williams

Part 1 is on at 8:30 pm this Sunday (15th Nov.) on ABC1.

Thanks to my mum for noticing this in the TV guide. :-)

~IMDB page

~Charity's Place review

Emma 2009: my verdict

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty much all Austened-up and Austened-out for now. I think this will be the last Austen-themed post for a while.

I've been a bit hesitant to write this post, partly because my opinions of new Austen adaptations inevitably change over time. . . I suppose all I can do is write down what I think of Emma '09 now, even though (like I said) my opinion is bound to change. Ideally, I would have liked to have watched it a second time before writing my verdict, but I don't really have four hours to spare right now. . . 

The cast: I thought about 70% of the actors in this series were well-cast. 10% were hopelessly miscast, and the remaining 20% were not exactly miscast, but. . . but - they didn't seem perfect for their roles, either. I'm thinking of the two leads in particular - Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller. In spite of my early misgivings , JLM was really pretty good as Mr. Knightley, but I think most of you will agree he didn't look like Mr. Knightley. . . even though his acting was good, he just wasn't the Knightley that I imagine when I read the book. 

Romola Garai is a good actress, and she did well as Emma, but her gestures and mannerisms really bothered me! She went over-the-top with her facial expressions, and her posture was so bad - she had this annoying habit of hunching her shoulders forward, giving her an awkward, ungainly appearance. I know they were aiming for a "modern" feel with this production, but I would have been very grateful if they could had the cast's deportment a little more accurate for the period. . . maybe it sounds like I'm nitpicking here, but it was just something that annoyed me throughout the series.

The rest of the cast were mostly good - though I wasn't entirely convinced by Laura Pyper's Jane Fairfax. She was very sweet, but she seemed too small and mousy - more like a Harriet Smith than a Jane Fairfax. Rupert Evans was okay as Frank Churchill. . . better than Ewan McGregor, anyway. 

I really loved Mr. and Mrs. John Knightley in this adaptation. This is the only version in which we get to see much of them. The other real stand-out was Christina Cole as Mrs. Elton - she played this part almost to perfection, snobby and obnoxious and unwittingly hilarious. Blake Ritson was excellent as Mr. Elton. Michael Gambon was good as Mr. Woodhouse, but this certainly wasn't his most memorable role in a BBC costume drama (think Wives and Daughters or Cranford). 

I admit I was quite disappointed by Sandy Welch's screenplay. After her brilliant scripts for Our Mutual Friend and North and South (and an okay one for Jane Eyre) I was expecting something really special. . . I mean, a screenplay for a Jane Austen movie written by someone other than Andrew Davies? Of course I was looking forward to seeing what the translation from novel to screen would be like. Like I said, I was disappointed. Only a relatively small amount of Austen's dialogue was retained, and I was also disappointed by the proposal scene and the "badly done, Emma" scene. They didn't seem nearly as powerful or as poignant as they were in the two 1996 adaptations.

It's a big-budget BBC costume drama, so of course the production values were high. Costumes, music, filming locations. . . all were gorgeous, but. . . it just seemed a bit too sanitized, too flawless. Would Mrs. Goddard's school really have been as vast or as beautiful as it is in this production? I don't know, I just found all of the perfect gardens and perfect country homes to be a bit stifling after a while. . . I was crying out for some dirt, some disorder, some brooding skies. I guess it's the Bronte side of me coming out, LOL. . . 

But in spite of all of my quibbles, I really did enjoy it. It may not be the definitive Emma we were hoping for, but it is still definitely worth watching, particularly since it includes quite a few scenes from the book that weren't in the 1996 adaptations. My prediction was correct - sort of. Like Sense and Sensibility 2008, it's not brilliant, but it's good. I'll probably end up buying the DVD in spite of myself.