Entries tagged with "jane austen"
Purple haze all in his brain
posted by srah on January 28, 2008 10:12 PM
Tags: books, jane austen, mansfield park, movies
Mansfield Park is possibly my least favorite Jane Austen novel. I'm actually not sure exactly how I would rank all of her novels - it would be something like: Persuasion/Pride & Prejudice (tie)Northanger Abbey/Sense & Sensibility (tie)Emma/Mansfield Park (tie) I have a general idea of how much I liked them, but I've also never sat down and read each one in succession and my memories of the books are very much influenced by the movie versions. Mansfield Park, I think, suffers the worst from this, because I've never been satisfied by a movie version. Although I'm not that fond of...
Lazy Reviewing
posted by srah on January 26, 2008 4:20 PM
Tags: jane austen, movies, northanger abbey, reviews
It's about time I finally got around to watching Northanger Abbey, since Mansfield Park is on tomorrow! I shall shamelessly copy and edit - only slightly - my own Facebook/Flixster review of the film rather than writing anything original. Alas, poor readers! It was good, but leaves room for improvement in future film versions. When I read the book, I felt that the judgment of Catherine was coming from inside - from the narrator and the reader, so that we were sort of laughing at her from our side. In the movie, it's all Henry and I felt a bit...
Barouches of Fire
posted by srah on January 18, 2008 12:29 PM
Tags: jane austen, movies, persuasion, reviews, tv
I guess I should finally finish writing this post, before it's Sunday again and time for more Jane Austenpalooza (I've never seen a film adaptation of Northanger Abbey so I'm looking forward to that one, but I think I'm going to have to tape it). Things I liked about Persuasion (2007) It was produced by Clerkenwell Films. Rupert Penry-Jones is ridiculously handsome and smoldering. I felt like Mary Elliot Musgrove was a more complex character in this adaptation than in Persuasion 1995. In 1995, her hypochondriac tendencies seemed more like annoying attention-seeking personal traits, whereas in this version it was...
One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other
posted by srah on January 10, 2008 9:53 PM
Tags: daniel radcliffe, emma, jane austen, mansfield park, movies, northanger abbey, persuasion, pride and prejudice, sense and sensibility, tv, writers' strike
This SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY, coming to a TV near me (and maybe you, if you're lucky!) is the three-month Jane Austenpalooza on Masterpiece Theatre. In case this is the first you're hearing of the loveliness that PBS is providing in our hour of television need, here's the program: January 13: PersuasionThe Amanda Root-Ciaran Hinds version is probably my favorite film version of a Jane Austen novel, so I'm a bit hesitant about this one. Can it be anywhere near as good? January 20: Northanger AbbeyI've never seen a film version of Northanger Abbey, but it's the novel that I've read...
Henry Tilney: Women love him, women want to be him
posted by srah on October 25, 2007 12:41 PM
Tags: books, jane austen, northanger abbey
I'm currently listening to the audiobook version of Northanger Abbey. It got me up to Michigan and back this weekend, and I still have a tape or two to finish off on my short jaunts around town. I had the clever idea that I was going to blog about how I could identify with both the heroine, Catherine Morland, and the hero, Henry Tilney, but then I discovered that I wrote exactly that almost exactly five years ago when I read the book for the first time. There is nothing new under the sun! I am fortunate, I suppose, to...
Four soggy Mr Darcies per day!
posted by srah on March 26, 2006 1:46 PM
Tags: colin firth, jane austen, movies, pride and prejudice
I think that there should be a (network) television channel that does nothing but show the 5-hour 1995 Colin Firth version of Pride & Prejudice in an ongoing loop....
'Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills. You know, like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills...'
posted by srah on January 1, 2005 10:53 PM
Tags: jane austen, movies, napoleon dynamite, pride and prejudice
My hair is in a ponytail on the side of my head (because I couldn't quite tease it into a 'fro). I'm scoffing. I'm thinking about getting some sweet moon boots. I'm craving tater tots. And I'm the only one who knows the illegal ninja moves from the government. It's AWESOME. Goshhhhhhhhhhhhh. While we were at Hollywood Video last night, we came across what we originally thought was a joke but turned out to actually be the first volume of a movie version of the Book of Mormon. We thought about renting it as a joke. But then by some...
'It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces'
posted by srah on November 12, 2004 3:44 PM
Tags: bridget jones's diary, jane austen, movies, pride and prejudice, srahmom
My mom and I just watched Bridget Jones's Diary in preparation for the sequel, which comes out this weekend. When the movie was over, my mom set off to clean house. Inspired by the fact that Colin Firth/Mark Darcy/Mr Darcy is adorable and everything that is wonderful, I got out my homework and popped Pride and Prejudice into the DVD player. My mom wandered in with her dustcloth, saw the DVD menu, threw the dustcloth into the air and leapt into the recliner with a surprising agility for someone who's just had a total knee replacement. "What, you didn't want...
Doot'n doo doo, feelin' girly
posted by srah on December 28, 2003 4:40 PM
Tags: anne of green gables, jane austen, movies, pride and prejudice
Wearing: pyjamas Eating: ice cream Watching: Pride and Prejudice I somehow end up watching at least part of Pride and Prejudice every time I'm left home alone. I may be developing a sideburn fixation or something. Now I don't know whether to go for more Jane Austen or more Colin Firth or go a completely different route in my Big Girly Video Fest....
The movie in my mind
posted by srah on September 22, 2003 9:45 AM
Tags: jane austen, movies, quote, sense and sensibility
It's raining. And when it's raining, I don't feel like being out and about or even like being at work, next to the window. I feel like being curled up in a blanket on the couch, drinking tea and watching Jane Austen movies. But I'm not. So let's pretend we are and recreate Austen movies in quotes. I am watching Sense & Sensibility in my mind. You may watch it with me, or curl up on your own couch and watch something else. Edward Ferrars: I wish to check the position of the Nile. My sister tells me it is...
A quiz that Becky will enjoy
posted by srah on August 9, 2003 3:20 PM
Tags: alan rickman, jane austen, quizzes, sense and sensibility
I've been trying to cut down on the quizzes, but every once in a while, one comes along that allows you to post a big picture of Alan Rickman on your blog....
Great Expectations in education
posted by srah on March 30, 2003 3:50 AM
Tags: books, charles dickens, education, high school, jane austen
Reading Great Expectations for the first time, I am inspired to question the value of my education. I took advanced English classes in one of the best public schools systems in Michigan, but I don't remember ever reading Charles Dickens in school. I don't even recall any excerpts from A Christmas Carol in my textbooks. What is going on here? I read Oliver Twist on my own a few summers ago and found it very clever and funny. I've tried A Tale of Two Cities twice but I've never been able to get into it, which turned me off from...
Persuasion... to invite the loser
posted by srah on October 23, 2002 12:53 PM
Tags: assistantship, jane austen, loneliness, persuasion, socializing
I love Jane Austen. I love Persuasion. I love sitting at home all by myself on the first day of vacation and reading Persua... wait, no. In the cafeteria the other day, Agnès and I sat with some of the Optics students and Agnès asked them if they were having any parties to celebrate the half-term. One of them said that they were going to to something and Agnès said that they should invite me. I just sat there like the loser that I am, who has to be pushed on people because she has no friends of her own....
"If you think this country's bad-off now, just wait'll I get through with it"
posted by srah on October 19, 2002 10:00 AM
Tags: a clockwork orange, assistantship, books, jane austen, music, persuasion
"What type of music do you like?" my students have asked me. "I like lots of different kinds," I usually answer. Which is true, as evidenced by my choices at the library's discothèque: Satie's Oeuvres pour piano, Vanessa Paradis' Bliss, Echoes of Chile, and The Marx Brothers Sing and Play. My book selection ranged from Persuasion to A Clockwork Orange, so that's not much better....
Dippy hermaphrodite Austen character seeks new book to read
posted by srah on October 17, 2002 2:30 PM
Tags: books, jane austen, northanger abbey
The book-monster that is srah has finished Northanger Abbey. I think Catherine is one of Jane Austen's dippier main characters, but I also identified with her a lot. Great, what does that say about me? I also identified a lot with Henry Tilney, the male protagonist. Great, what does that say about me?...
I bet Bath-water tastes better
posted by srah on October 17, 2002 12:40 PM
Tags: books, jane austen, northanger abbey, quote
Once upon a time, there was a girl who went to spend some time in a town known for its waters. When she arrived, she was very lonely. Sound familiar? I am reading Northanger Abbey and quite enjoying it, so I will share some of my favorite parts: "How uncomfortable it is," whispered Catherine, "not to have a single acquaintance here!" "Yes, my dear," replied Mrs. Allen, with perfect serenity, "it is very uncomfortable indeed." "What shall we do? The gentlemen and ladies at this table look as if they wondered why we came here -- we seem forcing ourselves...
Bibliothèque
posted by srah on October 17, 2002 6:50 AM
Tags: assistantship, books, jane austen, library, northanger abbey
I went to the public library yesterday to get a card and feed my voracious hunger for the written word. I am out of control. I will eat read two a night. I need to get started on French ones, because that will slow me down. So I have Foreign Exchanges in honor of me, Northanger Abbey in honor of Becky, and The Pyramid in honor of Piggy and his ass-mar....
