Jane Austen frenzy....

[dangermousie]

Hey, why did no one on my friends list mention to me that they just did TV adaptations of Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park! I’d add Persuasion to the list but both koalathebear and alexandral just mentioned it.

I am so full of glee. Am about to watch Persuasion. Rupert Penry-Jones is much much too gorgeous for words. And while I have cooled down towards Jane Austen considerably (too facile, if that makes sense), Persuasion remains the exception, her one novel with a lot of emotion in it. I can still quote Wentworth’s famous letter by heart. I mean, how awesome is the below:

"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant.” Etc etc…

I really like the Ciaran Hinds/Amanda Root movie version from ten or so years back, but you can never have too much Persuasion.

I mean, check out the Rupert!



I am almost more excited for Northanger Abbey though because it’s the most underrated of her books, and so funny, and the only one with no decent adaptation (yeah, there is a horrible horrible movie from the 80s, but I’ll block it out of my mind).

As to Mansfield Park, it was the first JA novel I read (in Russian translation) and it’s a wonder I read more, as both Fanny and Edmund are hideous bores. The only one I liked was Henry Crawford. Probably one of the very few times (must be fingers on one hand, tops) where I rooted for the uncanonical OTP. The movie version a few years back was not a bad movie but had nothing in common with the book (I didn’t care, the eye candy was awesome), so this can’t help but be more faithful and hey, it’s not a book I am attached to so as long as there are pretty guys and pretty frocks, I am set.

EEEEE! Must obtain these.

P.S. Austen purists on a certain board that shall remain nameless make me laugh. Most purists do (people on the TWOP Tudors thread? Shut the Hell up. Whatever other issues Tudors might have, the fact that JRM is not bulky or not over 6 feet tall does not make the adaptation a sin against God), but the Austen ones? LOL. They are ranting about the fact that…OMG…the adaptations had kissing even though there isn’t any in the book. As far as I can tell, Austen adaptations are closer to the books than a heck of a lot of other adaptations (have you seen what they’ve done to Moll Flanders? And I still liked it) so deal.

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Jane Austen purists scare me. Never mind that Kiera Knightley was essentially born for such dialogue, people were proclaiming it would suk(before filming had started) because she was thin and popular...

And if good girls were allowed to acknowledge that yes, they DID let men kiss them(because they did, they just couldn't admit it) there would have been kissing

BTW, forgottenpolish is starting Persuasion as I type...

oh yeah..

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

that Northanger Abbey was my first Austen, after theEmma Thompson S&S. I wasn't sure if I loved it or hated it...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I don't like KK P&P but mainly because it didn't really appeal to me as a movie. As an adaptation...ehhhh, not too faithful, but it's an adaptation, not an illustration. *rolls eyes*

Re: oh yeah..

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I was scarred by it for life.

[kitsune714.livejournal.com]

There is a TV adaptation of Mansfield Park? I've seen a movie version that came out, oh, six years ago, I think, and thought it was an interesting interpretation of the novel (and by the way, I thought the novel was probably my least favorite of all the Austen novels).

I enjoy The Tudors as a strictly guilty pleasure adaptation of history. Some of it might be accurate, some of it might be totally made up, but when they all look THIS GOOD, why should I stress about the details? ;)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

See...people who watched but didn't like I get, even though I loved it. It'sthe ones who just ASSUMED it would suck because it had a starlett that i don't get, or because it didn't have colin firth.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

when they all look THIS GOOD, why should I stress about the details? ;)

Seriously. I am all about the shallow.

MP just came out. Staring Billie Piper, Rose from Dr Who.

[janlake83.livejournal.com]

i love jane austen's novels especially pride and prejudice, i'm on my third copy.. but i agree on mansfield park edmund and fanny were quite a bore but i still enjoyed it.. i have seen the very bad adaptation of northanger abbey and if there is a new adaptation i must watch it...

i however, am not a purist on austen's books movie adaptations, since as long as the movie is close to the novel then i'm happy since i realized how hard it is to adapt a novel into a script...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the new adaptation is supposed to be fun.

And I agree with you re purism and adaptations!

[bennet-7.livejournal.com]

Heh. I posted about this a couple of weeks ago.

Rupert Penry-Jones is much much too gorgeous for words.

Oh god, yes! He's the main reason I'm downloading this one - him and Giles ;-)

I am almost more excited for Northanger Abbey though because it’s the most underrated of her books, and so funny, and the only one with no decent adaptation.

I love Northanger Abbey. When I first read it I was going through this big Gothic Novel phase. This adaptation is pretty good (and also really pretty) though I think a lot of the Austen purists are put off by the mentions of sex (gasp!). It's flawed but fun. Mansfield Park was not so great but as I wasn't expecting much I wasn't too disappointed and enjoyed parts.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

purists are put off by the mentions of sex (gasp!).

Shocking! You mean people reproduced in 19th century? No way. Next you'll be telling me they actually kissed occasionally. The horror.

Re: MP. I don't care for the book much so I don't mind if the adaptation is not so great.

And RPJ? *swoon*

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

A lot of time I think people are "purists" just so they can get on their high horse and ridicule people who aren't. There's no other reason for it. Yes, I have been disappointed by movie versions of books and whatnot, but that's more because of what they left out, not that they dared tamper in the plot. Same way with historical movies. If I wanted facts, I'd watch a documentary. I don't expect a movie version to be all that factual. It would be rather boring if it were.

As for Penry-Jones, he is a handsome man. Is he playing Wentworth?

As for the liking of Jane Austen, I admit to being rather more fond of Elizabeth Gaskell. In fact, I even like the BBC version of North & South more than any of the Austen productions I've seen.

[lydzi.livejournal.com]

The Northanger Abbey adaptation is herigiuershoivjqcpzjiqw LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm challenging you not to fall completely over Henry Tilney ( well I'm a little biaised seeing he is my favourite male character in Jane Austen's work, yes he even tops Darcy actually ^^). Felicity Jones is the cutest girl ever :). She and JJ Field had such a cute and adorable chemistry... best adaptation of ITV. By far.

As for Persuasion, I know they are lot of things that wasn't like the book and questionable in a realisation (wth with Anne running everywhere? o_O) but truly, I enjoyed it. And Captain Wentworth was yummy XD.

[wistfulmemory.livejournal.com]

Have you ever watched the modern-day version of "Pride and Prejudice"?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366920/
It's hilarious and is pretty faithful, for the most part, to the book. I love it; I actually prefer it over the A&E version of "Pride and "Prejudice". (Though never watch that 5-hour version twice in one weekend; I still haven't been able to watch it since I did that three years ago.)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I prefer Gaskell too. Austen usually feels too 'sterile' and not emotional for me.

And yes, RPJ is playing Wentworth. Yum.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Henry Tilney is m fave JA male too. He is the only really fun one.

OMG OMG now I must watch this.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Wow, I've never even heard of that one. Is it the Mormon one? Must find.

I adore A&E's version of P&P more than anything :)

[wistfulmemory.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's the Mormon one. My college roommate gave it to me for Christmas a couple of years ago. I'm not sure where she got it though; I think she had to special order it.