Thursday, August 9, 2012

DEAR JANE

Just by accident I caught the second half of a documentary on Jane Austen. The show centered around how she is celebrated in England today. There is one day (her birthday?) where lots of people, men and women, dress up in Georgian costume and parade around. It was lovely to see the cotumes and to know that I am not alone in my love for her writing. 

That show started a craving in me to reread Mansfield Park. So I started last night. It is always an adjustment to read something written over 100 years ago, but once I get into the rhythm of it, I find I can read pretty fast. Mansfield Park is not my favorite of Jane's novels, Pride and Prejudice will steadfastly remain my all time beloved book, but I thought instead of reading that one for the tenth time, I should try again to get through MP.

Sigh, the manner of speech, the profuse politleness, interesting pursuits of country life absolulty capture me. And of course, Jane always weaves in one or two ridiculous characters to make the stories real.

So entranced by Jane's writing, once I even wrote out the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice with pen and ink on parchment, just to have a feel of what it might have been like to be like her. To walk in her "slippers." 

I guess you could say I am an obsessed Anglophile with Jane Austen overtones :)

Sunday, August 5, 2012

TOP TEN BRITISH MOVIE LIST

Top Ten British Movie List

1. Pride and Prejudice (BBC version)

2. North and South

3. Wives and Daughters

4. Pirates of the Caribbean series

5. King Arthur

6. Persuasion (BBC version)

7. Gosford Park

8. Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson version)

9. Howard's End

10. Under the Greenwood Tree