Bearshorty's musings

Cross- stitching is coming along. I like the colors and just the project more and more as work on it.

I went to the library to get a book I ordered awhile ago about Jane Austen. It is called “A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen” edited by Susannah Carson. I read a review of it a few month ago. I suspect I won’t read the book outright but just skim it but I thought it might be interesting. As I walked in the excellent summer weather (T-shirt, sunglasses and getting ice-cream on the way home) I skimmed the book and thought on why I like Jane Austin. It is not like she is my favorite author but I do enjoy her stories and I read four out of six books so far. But for me, unlike some people in this book, the movies and TV series of her stories hold a crucial part of why I like Jane Austen. Without movies, I might not like the books as much (although I do enjoy her books). The books for me, often, fill in the universe, and do not exist in a separate higher level of entertainment category as for some critics who shall remain unnamed. To me the stories and the characters hold interest, not as much the language itself.

I first came upon Jane Austen one summer in high school as I took a videotape of Part 3 out of 6 of 1995 BBC “Pride and Prejudice” out of my local library. I didn’t realize that I got the middle of the story but I was hooked (even if confused) by the time Darcy first proposes and I got the rest of the videotapes soon after. I adore that miniseries and when I saw it I bought the book and was delighted to discover just how wonderful the adaptation was and that my favorite lines in the movie came straight from the book. I tried getting some of my friends from high school to read this book too, even giving them the books as presents but that did not take. (Over the years I discovered that the friends I have through academia adore Jane Austen while friends outside the academia don’t appreciate it as much, but then it is true of my sci-fi tastes as well. I’ve learned to deal.) I still rewatch the miniseries often. Colin Firth is firmly Mr. Darcy in my mind.

I also watched Ang Lee’s “Sense and Sensibility” and adored it way before I read the book. I finally read the book when I was 25, in London, doing research. When I was 27, PBS was doing Jane Austen TV marathon every Sunday, and I just had to watch it. That year I read “Persuasion” (at a great age, since Anne, the main character, was 27 as well) and “Northanger Abbey.” I also fell in love in “Persuasion” movie with Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root and soon added it to my DVD collection. I still have to read “Emma” and “Mansfield Park” but their stories are a bit less appealing; I’ve seen many adaptation and my favorite “Emma” one was one that just aired on PBS this winter.

“Persuasion” actually became my favorite book. While I still love “Pride and Prejudice,” “Persuasion” moves me more, probably because I can relate to the character of Anne Eliot more. (I can identify with Anne Eliot and Elinor Dashwood the most, if I lived at that time that is who I might be. I only wish I could have the wit of Eliza Bennett; she is an excellent character but she is much cleverer than me.) In fact, after looking through the book I got on the library today, I just had to rewatch “Persuasion” again for a gazillion time. I do understand why many critics prefer “reading” Jane to “watching” her stories, and books are often much better than movies, but for me Austen universe is really both.