Book Review - Persuasion by Jane Austen

Lest you think I'm only reading "junk" and watching Netflix all of the time, I present to you my review of Jane Austen's Persuasion - considered a  literary classic.

Is it heresy to say I found it a tad slow and frustrating to read? I'm a Jane Austen fan - Pride and Prejudice is really good. Based on that, when my PA friends book club had choices I eagerly picked Persuasion.  I do suppose it was a good book to read in this time of being rather home bound. The Elliots and assorted friends and family pretty much kill time through the whole book - walking, reading, sewing, and pining and yearning. Hoping for a proper introduction, an invitation, and such concerns over looks and manners. Arrghhh - I wanted to scream.

Then again, I realize Jane Austen was writing for her time and in bringing her observations on vanity and pretension, she truly paints a picture of fashionable society in Bath and Lyme.

p. 34 "There is hardly any personal defect (freckles)," replied Anne, "which an agreeable manner might not gradually reconcile one to."

p.141 Good company requires only birth, education, and manners.

Anne Elliott, old now at twenty seven, might have missed her chance for marriage. If only Captain Wentworth....
Now near the end of the book, a letter arrives that brings about a change of fate and fortune. Can it be love?  I suppose I softened near the end of the book and was pleased for Anne's sake that her efforts were not in vain. She was not a simpering fool, like so many of the other characters. I was persuaded. 

Movie Review Madness - Emma

Can't go wrong with a Jane Austen Sunday afternoon at the movies. This newest version of Emma is quite pleasant and delightful. It's a very pretty film with lots of pastels colors, flowers, and green grounds. The estates are magnificent, the clothing lavish, and the manners and deportment are very quaint.

Emma (Anya Taylor Joy) is very pretty, admired and loved, and quite the meddler. She's always matchmaking but not for herself. She's promised Papa (Bill Nighy - always funny and quirky) she won't leave him. Meanwhile, Mr. Knightly (Johnny Flynn) hangs around as a pal, and he alone can call out Emma on her manners and actions.

Her meddling ultimately comes back to bite her with a good friend, a neighbor, and Mr. K. She has to work through her conscience and make amends. Emma is a fluffy film but in the manner of Jane Austen, words do matter. Actions matter. And one must be agreeable with good intentions. Beyond handsome, rich, and clever, there has to be some depth of character.

This was a fun film to see with girlfriends on a cloudy afternoon, with a tasty lunch afterward.

Movie Review Madness - Love and Friendship

I sat and let the glory of words wash over me. It was a refreshing time at the movies for Love and Friendship.  Based on a Jane Austen novella, this smart costume drama filled the screen with beauty and cunning (Kate Beckinsale as Lady Susan), witty dialogue, fantastic vocabulary, and a quick paced tale. It was glorious and nothing blew up. It’s eighteenth century England, and what is a woman without a man and money? Woe to the widow, Lady Susan, who’s on the move. She lands at a relative’s home and instantly charms her sister-in-law’s brother. Reginald De Courcy (Xavier Samuels) is younger, full of ideals, and enjoys talks and walks with Lady Susan. Meanwhile, other suitors circle despite her devious reputation. She’s difficult to resist.

Her daughter arrives – a pale, wisp of a girl, seemingly without a backbone. She’s been kicked out of school. Now what? Marry her off? Oh dear. In typical Jane Austen fashion, the author questions the role of women in the world, and points to strong will and character, personality and wit. It’s sad if one does not have a fortune, and ridiculous to be dependent. Some of the best dialogue occurs between Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny (the brash American married to an old fart – Stephen Fry). It’s laugh out loud humorous. Oh, there’s behind the scenes conniving, a scandal at Langford, and plenty of rousing indignation in a mere ninety minutes or so.

Great acting, great writing, and Kate Beckinsale is absolutely wonderful in this role. Love and Friendship is a gem of a little flick. If you like Jane Austen, this film is for you.

Movie Review Madness - Pride and Prejudice AND Zombies

If you have never read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, well shame on you. It’s a literary classic in a good way. And if the movie version doesn’t bring to mind Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy…well, never mind. This just isn’t for you. But…if you are all things Austen, then make haste to see Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  What sounds horribly wrong actually works. Seth Grahame-Smith did the mash-up version. He was loyal to the book and language and threw in a zombie apocalypse for good measure. The book was quite humorous and now on the big screen, it is a kick-ass tale from the 1800s.

Elizabeth Bennet (the lovely Lily James) is “a ruthless slayer of the undead hordes” (Time mag.). She and her four sisters still seek husbands to ensure financial security, and much of the movie still embraces the manners and morals of the time. Elizabeth meets her match with Sam Riley’s Darcy – together they pinwheel through the air wielding weapons. Their swordplay and wordplay prove to be electric.  Elizabeth looks out for her older sister Jane (charming Bella Heathcote) who must marry first and falls for the dashing new neighbor. But are the Bennets worthy? There’s quite the dance, but love indeed wins out and zombies are slayed too.

Intelligence is key to the Austen primer. Fortunately “our Elizabeth is fully capable of taking care of herself, but it’s still nice to have a man around the house, especially when zombies are afoot.” (Time)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a lark in all the good ways.

Dallas Theater Center: Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility as adapted by Kate Hamill for the Dallas Theater Center, proved to be an outstanding production. We first hear and see the town gossips - such a shame about the Dashwoods. Poor Mr. Dashwood died so suddenly and now his widow and her girls must move.

1790s in Devonshire, England is not so different today. Jane Austen, beloved author, wrote of timeless subjects. We see Elinor Dashwood, the eldest sister, try to maintain proper decorum while falling in love with Edward Ferrars.

Elinor has to rein in her sister Marianne, the impetuous soul who fights the social mores of the day. She falls for the dashing John Willoughby, while the stolid Colonel Brandon courts her. But Willoughby is a playboy and scoundrel. Edward is engaged to another. The Dashwood girls have no money to bring to the table. Oh, it's all so difficult. Thank goodness they did not have Facebook and other social media to exacerbate the muddle.

The Dallas Theater Center's simple staging and strong acting carried the day. This was a rich well done play, and Jane Austen ruled over it with her words.

It is not what we think or feel that makes us who we are. It is what we do. Or fail to do....
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

T: Talking, Timing, Typewriter, and Turpentine

#atozchallenge another week. We're on the downhill slide of April   

T: Talking      The less said the better - Jane Austen/ Sense & Sensibility  Indeed, as a writer, it's often better to listen. You can pick up so much good material.

Timing - There is a time for departure even when there's no certain place to go - Tennessee Williams
That's true of some characters - best to write the loud obnoxious sidekick in small doses. Television series on cable have made it a bloodsport - favorite characters are killed with abandon. It surprises the audiences and keeps us intrigued. I'm still not over Adrianna being executed on The Sopranos.

Typewriter - We got this IBM from Ray's folks - grimy & filthy from sitting in their garage. It's now in my office looming above my head, filled with noir tales of old.

Finally, I chose Turpentine. There are far more lethal T poisons, however everyone has turpentine in the garage. It rarely kills because it's painful to breathe or swallow. But, it's a great red herring - make a life appear to be threatened.