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Wednesday, December 12, 2007Jane Austen: Another Heart CapturedThere's a hard-and-fast rule in this household: You can't watch the movie until you've read the novel. There's one exception to this rule: Eric. It is sometimes painfully true that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. And while I'm certainly grateful for my husband's passionate enjoyment of various period movies, there is a part of me that views him as -- well, almost blasphemous. How can one continue, in good conscience, to enjoy film adaptations of novels by Austen and Dickens and Forster and such, and still refuse to read the books? However, I digress. For in whatever way Eric may be falling short of literary bliss, my daughter Maggie is certainly stepping to bat. It's true. My thirteen-year-old daughter has fallen in love with Jane Austen. Admittedly, the love affair had a rocky start. At my encouragement, Maggie began reading Emma several months ago. "Then you can watch both versions with us," I said, "and let me know which one you think is truer to the book." She got a few chapters in and stopped dead. I don't know what killed it for her, but something certainly did. I was brokenhearted, but I knew that nagging would not produce an Austenite, so I let it be. Strangely enough, the book that supplanted Emma was Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell -- a tome three times as long and wordier than Dickens. Maggie read it from cover to cover in record time. Okay, slight confession here. We all watched Wives and Daughters prior to having read the novel. But I've got a simple explanation. I didn't know it was a novel. I mean, have you ever heard of Elizabeth Gaskell? Anyway, it took me seven months to wade my way through Wives and Daughters, and after being blown out of the water by my speedreading daughter, I casually pointed out that Jane Austen would seem like a much easier read now that she'd tackled Gaskell's masterpiece. Wonder of wonders -- Maggie picked up the spurned Emma and read it. And loved it. So we watched Gwyneth's version, and we watched Kate's version, and I watched my daughter fall in love with some of the best actors and actresses to ever grace the screen. She has some fairly strong opinions about the different versions, too. And she won't mince her words if you ask her about it. Just like her mama. So now she's reading Pride and Prejudice. Oh, the joy of asking her, "So, where did you stop reading? What just happened?" and hearing her respond, "Well, Charlotte just said she'd marry Mr. Collins!" And then joining together in shrieks of disgust and horror at the thought. Ah! I've hatched an Austenite! My life is just that much more complete. Daddy (the inveterate non-reader of Jane Austen) is excited to watch A&E's magnificent Pride and Prejudice with our newly Austenized daughter over the Christmas holiday. Will she swoon over Mr. Darcy? Clench her lips indignantly at Lady Catherine de Burgh? Fall in love with the breathtaking views of northern England? Long for the days of silken gowns and proper courtship? I'm confident that she will. Will Eric ever actually read the book? I doubt it. But at least he was smart enough to buy me a red leather Easton Press copy of it a few years ago. And if you count his enjoyment of my reading the book out loud to him in my best British accent, I suppose you can safely say that he does, after all, appreciate the genius of Jane Austen's writing. I love being a book snob. Really, I do! |
About Me
I am: Mother to five stunningly individualistic children... Writer of young adult fantasy... Passionate advocate for Women At Home... Madly in love with my husband... In need of Organic Gourmet Chocolate on a regular basis. I've got a Paypal account if you'd like to contribute to the cause....
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3of my readers are feeling chatty:
Persuasion! Persuasion next!
(Bonus? The film is perfect!)
:D
I remember the first time I read Pride and Prejudice. What a wonderful time that was.
I have to read Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice every year! Persuasion is my favorite. To be honest I too struggle a little more w/ Emma. But I have read all of her major works.
The A&E miniseries of P&P is excellent!! (Except Mr Darcy is a little short) The more recent theater movie was way off. Too many people running around in their jammies! (Though Mr Darcy is taller ;)
I'm tempted to post annonymously. I haven't read Jane Austen. Need to repent, maybe I'll start with Pride and Prejudice :)
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