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.

North and South soundtrack. . .

Enjoy! :-)

Andrew Davies: BBC costume drama going "Downmarket"?

Yet another adaptation of David Copperfield? *Yawns* (A very cute, very young Daniel Radcliffe in the BBC's 1999 adaptation)

Thanks to Charleybrown, for the link!

Have a look at this article from the Telegraph.

Andrew Davies, television's master of literary adaptations and the writer behind the BBC's award-winning Bleak House, Little Dorrit and Pride and Prejudice, said the corporation is interested only in the "popular warhorses" of literary fiction. 

His planned adaptations of Dombey and Son, one of Charles Dickens' lesser-read stories, and of the Palliser novels by Anthony Trollope, were both scrapped. Instead, the BBC has asked for a re-tread of David Copperfield, which has had numerous television outings. 

(Click here to read the full article and interview with Andrew Davies.)

Auntie Beeb - what are you thinking? Tired rehashes of popular Austen and Dickens novels instead of fresh adaptations of forgotten gems? As much as I love both Austen and Dickens, the last thing we need is another TV version of David Copperfield.

Daniela-Denby-Ashe in North and South

Look at the success of the BBC's Elizabeth Gaskell adaptations - North and South, Wives and Daughters, and Cranford. The immense popularity of these series has spawned a Gaskell revival of sorts, with Mrs. Gaskell's books finally getting the readership they deserve. Or Lark Rise to Candleford, based on a series of books by Flora Thompson that few people had heard of only 3 years ago. Now, the BBC's Lark Rise is into it's third series, and going strong.

BBC, if you're going to restrict future costume dramas to popular classics that have already been adapted for television umpteen times, please, just don't bother. 

Now - on a more constructive note, here are 10 forgotten classics that I would LOVE to see the BBC take on:

1. Evelina by Fanny Burney (BBC, if you don't want to do any more 19th century "bonnet dramas", how about adapting some pre-bonnet-era classics?)

2. Cecilia by Fanny Burney

3. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

4. Villette by Charlotte Bronte (this would be difficult to adapt, but incredible to watch if it was done right!)

5. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

6. Belinda by Maria Edgeworth

7. Any L.M. Montgomery book, but I'd love it if they did an adaptation of The Blue Castle (perhaps a co-production with a Canadian TV network?).

8. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Okay, okay, I said I didn't want any more Austen adaptations. But this is the one exception. Mansfield Park is, in my opinion, Jane Austen's best novel, and yet there is still no satisfactory film version. Yes, it would be difficult to translate to screen, but if anyone were to be up to the challenge, it would be the BBC - right? Or so I thought. . . :-( 

9. Any one of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays. The BBC made a brief return to Shakespeare in 2005 with four Shakespeare stories set in the modern-day world (ShakespeaRetold), but I'd like to see some Shakespeare in it's original setting. It doesn't have to be big-budget, just well acted, with a good script! Duh! Exotic locations aren't necessary, either. Do one of the Histories that are set in England.

10. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. One of my favourite books as a little girl. Make it into a two-part Christmas special, or something like that. The 1995 version changed the book, the characters, the ending. . . it even changed the setting from late-19th-century England to WWI-era America. The 1986 version was better, but it's getting a bit dated.

Okay, strictly speaking, these aren't "literary adaptations", but I think they'd be worth making all the same:

*A biopic of Fanny Burney

*A biopic of the Brontes

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What are some of your favourite books that you would *love* to see made into a movie or TV series?

My Top 10 Literary Heroes

This is inspired by the post at Lights, Camera. . . History!, a beautiful costume drama blog which I discovered just a couple of days ago.

Some of the following are guys who I've fallen completely in love with. Others are just nice guys who are very deserving heroes in their own right, even though I may not have a crush on them, per se.

Sorry if I was a little bit cheeky in this post! :-D With so many handsome heroes around, it can be hard for a girl to stay sensible and sober all the time. . . 

~~~~~

#1: Henry Tilney by JJ Feild in Northanger Abbey. My favourite Austen hero. Henry Tilney is, of all the heroes I have ever come across, the most charming, adorable, funny, kind, good-natured. . . etc. etc. What's more, he's a pastor - he may be a bit of a tease at times, but one thing he does take seriously is his Christian faith  - he loves God. Henry is the nicest guy imaginable - but he isn't nice in a boring or bland way. Even my parents would approve of him! I'm not sure what my family would say if I brought home someone like Rochester. . . or Boromir. . . nah, I'm just kidding - I think pretty much all of the characters listed here are good and honourable enough to meet with even Mum and Dad's approval! Well, back to Henry - I heart Henry Tilney big time! Catherine Morland is a very lucky girl.

#2: Colonel Brandon by David Morissey in Sense and Sensibility. I always have trouble choosing between Colonel Brandon and Henry Tilney. I  think I would be more likely to fall for Henry - he's a lot younger, funnier, and better-looking than the Colonel - but every time I read or watch S&S, I just fall in love with Colonel Brandon all over again. :-)


#3: John Thornton by Richard Armitage in North and South. Every woman's favourite HCMO (Handsome Cotton Mill Owner). Richard Armitage gave an amazing performance as Mr. Thornton, giving Mr. Darcy a run for his money as the world's favourite brooding, handsome hero. Thorton isn't as snobbish as Darcy - he isn't an aristocrat, rather, he worked his way into his position. He is an honest, earnest, hard-working man with a good heart underneath the gruff exterior. Plus he's got a gorgeous Northern accent. What's not to love?

#4: Fitwilliam Darcy by Matthew MacFadyen in Pride and Prejudice. I could very easily have included all of Austen's heroes here, but I limited myself to just three. Charity will probably be a bit miffed with me for not including Mr. Knightley/Jeremy Northam. ;-) I know I'm in the minority here, but I prefer MacFadyen's Darcy over Colin Firth's. I've always been partial to blue eyes. But seriously, I just prefer MacFadyen's interpretation of Darcy's character.

#5: Boromir by Sean Bean in The Lord of The Rings. Possibly my favourite character from LOTR. Boromir is the closest thing to a romantic hero that LOTR has to offer. Brave, fearless in battle, with a good heart - but he is also very vulnerable, with a fatal weakness that will eventually lead to his demise. Plus he's played by Sean Bean. Need I say more? :-D I must have a thing for big noses, LOL - first Richard Armitage, now Sean. . .

#6: Edward Rochester by Timothy Dalton in Jane Eyre. Timothy Dalton is by far my favourite Rochester. I never really liked Edward Rochester that much in the book or the other movie adaptations I've seen, but I loved Dalton's portrayal of Rochester. He brought so much passion and charisma to the role - the chemistry between Dalton and Zelah Clarke (Jane Eyre) was amazing. Just goes to show, you don't need graphic love scenes to get the air crackling with chemistry! All you need is good acting! Duh! Modern film-makers, take note. . . 

#7: Caspian X by Ben Barnes in The Chronicles of Narnia. First let me make one thing clear: I loved Caspian in the books, but I don't like him nearly as much in the movie. With all the early hype surrounding Ben Barnes, I went in to the cinema expecting to be swept off my feet by this handsome prince - it didn't happen. But I still like the Caspian of the books. Handsome, brave, a bit cheeky, and a born leader.


#8: Daniel Deronda by Hugh Dancy in Daniel Deronda. A sensitive, caring, compassionate gentleman. In fact, he is so sensitive and kind that he was almost in danger of becoming a goodie-two-shoes - thankfully Hugh Dancy's wonderful performance ensured Daniel's likeable-ness. He is also remarkably gorgeous, and quite a good singer - one of my favourite scenes in the movie is the river scene, when he rescues Mirah. . . 


#9: Gilbert Blythe in the Anne of Green Gables series. I'll readily admit I've never had anything like a crush on Gilbert. He is awfully nice, though, and he is the perfect match for Anne. He isn't my favourite L.M. Montgomery hero - but unfortunately none of her other books have been made into decent movies. Still, Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert seemed quite huggable and adorable, and he and Megan Follows (Anne) were so sweet together.

#10: Roger Hamley in Wives and Daughters. The first time I watched Wives and Daughters, I wasn't particularly struck by any of the male leads. Over time, however, I've grown to like Roger a bit more. I always get annoyed with him when he falls for Cynthia, but he is so sweet and kind towards Molly, that by the time he finally wakes up and realises that it's Molly he loves, I am more than willing to forgive him.

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Who are your favourite heroes? Tell me in the comments, or, if you have a blog, write your own post! I won't make this into an official tag, but if you'd like to write a post listing your favourite heroes, please go ahead, then let me know so that I can have a look at your list!

Current Mood: Mischievous

For North and South fans. . .

I recently stumbled upon this North and South fansite - "Foolish Passion". (They're quoting Mr. Thornton - "I hope you realise that any foolish passion for you on my part is entirely over" - from the end of episode 3. You thought, Thornton! But it wasn't really over at all - teehee! :D )

There's a lot of fun stuff on there - make sure you have a look at the North and South humor page - I had bit of a chuckle over the Fitzwilliam Darcy/John Thornton conversation. And some of the goofy quizzes had me in stitches!

Well. . . I just thought I'd let you all know. I know that there are quite a few N&S fans among my readers! ;-)

And if you haven't seen North and South - why on earth haven't you seen it??!!! Buy it! Watch it! It's better than Pride and Prejudice, better than Wives and Daughters, better than Sense and Sensibility - it's better than any other BBC miniseries, for that matter. Trust me, I'm a period drama fanatic! :D

Current Mood: Satisfied