The other night, T and I were watching TV, and as is often the case, there was nothing on. We have movie channels for a few months (so that we can watch Homeland on Showtime), and while flipping we stumbled on the early 90s thriller The Net. It features a young Sandra Bullock (but I swear she hasn't aged a day since) and dashing British actor Jeremy Northam (well helllllllloooooo there). T asked what else Jeremy Northam had been in. I sighed wistfully, nearly swooning as I responded, "he's Mr. Knightley." Mr. Knightley is the romantic protagonist in the film adaptation of Jane Austen's novel "Emma." That movie marked my first exposure to the world of Austen at age 12, and since that day my obsession with it has only grown stronger.
I wish I could put a finger on what it is about Austen's stories that attract me. Austenland is undeniably...stuffy? Her novels have a proclivity towards run-on sentences overflowing with monotonous flowery descriptions of things like tea and crumpets. And yet, as much as Austen's world is ruled by a strict caste system, her characters tend to rebel against what is considered "proper." I think what I love about Austen is her careful crafting of strong and independent female heroines. It was brave (even dare I say, ballsy) for her to make a career out of creating such progressive representations of women. She did so in a country (Great Britain) that would not allow women such as herself to vote until more than a hundred years after her death.
My favorite Austen novel? Hands down, Pride and Prejudice. I love stories with lots and lots of characters with storylines intersecting and chaos ensuing. The five Bennett sisters provide plenty of romance, drama, and even laughs as they navigate the delicate transition from girlhood to womanhood. Pride and Prejudice has more laughs than some of Austen's other novels. It's easy to chuckle at the overbearing Mrs. Bennett (worst prospective mother-in-law EVER) and delight in the schemes of the dastardly Wickham. Yet Pride and Prejudice also delivers some of Austen's most deeply moving passages. The letter that a tortured Darcy writes to Elizabeth is achingly romantic.
My favorite Austen film adaptation? Hands down, Pride and Prejudice. But no, not the Colin Firth version. I don't care how good Firth looks shirtless in that famous pond scene. There is no amount of partial nudity that makes a six-part 323 minute miniseries bearable. Rather, I prefer the more recent Keira Knightley version. It captures what I perceive to be Austen's intent when she wrote the novel - the laughs and tears that come from issues of family and love. I cried like a baby at one of the last scenes in the film between Elizabeth (Knightley) and her father (Donald Sutherland, British edition). I'm such a daddy's girl. It's one of my go-to movies that I find myself reaching for over and over again. You know those movies you buy, and then wonder, why did I buy that, I never feel like watching it?. This is not one of those.
The worst of Austen? Mansfield Park. I'm sorry for you Fanny lovers out there, but it is not my favorite. Fanny is weak, whiny, and obsessed with her cousin. Gross. The book and the movie are equally awful. Poor Frances O'Connor. Every movie she's in, all I can think is, "oh, there's that annoying b$#%h from Mansfield Park." Not really a career starter. This is the type of movie you only watch at 3am when you can't sleep, you're depressed, and the universal remote is out of batteries and you're too lazy to get new ones out of the garage.
New Austen-esque projects I am excited for? The book and film Austenland. The book by Shannon Hale is already out, and there is a sequel to it as well. It is about a woman obsessed with everything Austen who takes a trip to the UK for an Austen themed vacation. Predictably, romance and hijinks ensue. The film starring Keri Russell (Felicity, represent!) is currently in production. I can't wait to check out both.
The world of Austen is worth exploring, if you haven't already. To recap:
Recommended reads: Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice. I haven't read Northanger Abbey or Persuasion, but have heard good things, especially about Persuasion. As stated earlier, skip Mansfield Park (book and film) unless you're into self-harm. There are many great works out there written for Austen fans about Austen fans. One of my favorites is Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter. You can get through it in about a half hour, but it's a fun thirty minutes.
Recommended films: Emma (Gwyneth Paltrow version preferred to Kate Beckinsale version but both acceptable), Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson/Kate Winslet version), and Pride and Prejudice. Also Lost in Austen (PBS/BBC miniseries) and Becoming Jane (semi-factual autobiography of Austen), while not true film adaptations of her novels, are great movies for the devoted fan. I really wanted to like The Jane Austen Book Club, but it is god-awful. I can't put my finger on what was wrong with it, in theory it sounded awesome. It's amazing the damage a poorly written screenplay can do. If Emily Blunt could make one thing disappear off of her IMDB page, I'm guessing it's that.
Jane Austen's works have touched women for generations. Her characters continue to resonate with us. They make us laugh, cry, and most importantly, empathize. We feel a connection to them. They are our friends, our sisters. When Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice) is described as "barely tolerable" by Darcy at the ball, we feel hurt on her behalf and want to slap Darcy for being such a jerk. When Marianne (Sense and Sensibility) chases pathetically after Willoughby, we want to take her aside and give our girlfriend some tough love. And when each of the stories conclude, we cheer when the good girls finally get their well-deserved happy endings. Are Jane Austen's love stories realistic? Probably not. Have Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley contributed to women having ridiculously inflated expectations of what men should be capable of romantically? Hell yes. And yet, who cares? There's something to be said for escapism. As Jane (Anne Hathaway) says in Becoming Jane, "My characters will have, with a little trouble, all that they desire." And we as a reader (or viewer) will have all that we desire too. So curl up with a good book, or movie, and enjoy!
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