Knightley and Macfadyen hit the screens again

A film that “powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart“ – Official synopsis

It is Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in the 1800s and directed by Joe Wright… but it’s not Pride and Prejudice. Don’t fear, if you loved the 2005 Pride and Prejudice adaptation, then you’ll most likely love this as the Jane Austen and Regency literature connections are never ending.

Jane Austen’s handwritten letter in Canberra

“I would not let Martha read “First Impressions” again upon any account, and am very glad that I did not leave it in your power.” – Jane Austen

I trekked from Sydney to Canberra a few weekends ago to see an original handwritten letter from Jane Austen to Cassandra that is housed in the National Library of Australia after my publishing editor told me that he had seen it there some weeks ago. Three hours, traffic stress and seventy dollars worth of petrol later and I had made it to Australia’s capital, ACT. Every moment was worth it, to see this:

(A big thanks to N for going back in to take the picture on her iPhone, how would I do without?)

REVIEW: Jane Austen’s Guide To Dating, Lauren Henderson

“Dating these days is like walking through a minefield”- Lauren Henderson

Pride and Prejudice first ever tv adaptation

Referred to as “little known” in a BBC 2004 news piece entitled “Jane Austen’s enduring appeal” (Caroline Westbrook), and the frustration of P&P fans worldwide, is the 1938 version of Pride and Prejudice that many have speculated has fallen off of the planet. Solely a “tv” adaptation, it is the first Jane Austen adaptation to ever hit the tv screens, and did so in the UK twice in May 1938. But information about the piece is limited, however a bit of hunting has revealed some interesting tidbits that I am hoping may lead to a video copy of the almost hour long production.

Plots and Proposals BBC Alan Rickman – a P&P Parody?

The supposed Pride and Prejudice parody, Plots and Proposals, is a funny sketch I stumbled on a while ago. It was originally broadcast in the UK on Christmas Day 2000 as a christmas special of ‘Victoria Wood with all the trimmings’ and has been broadcast for the last three christmases in the UK. With all the gorgeous set design and extras, it’s as good as it comes with the BBC hallmark quality but with a Blackadder-esque sense of humour attached. Written by Victoria Wood, and directed by John Birkin, the wordy screenplay is no doubt enjoyable for any Janeite.

Book Review: A Jane Austen Education

A Jane Austen Education – How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, And The Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz

“Like Elizabeth Bennet, I had found my freedom.” – William Deresiewicz

This book is the type of read that makes you go “Why didn’t I think of it like that?”. It is not only gorgeous on the cover (who doesn’t love paper dolls?) and offers plenty of new and personal insights into how you can interpret the works of Austen, but is gorgeous on the inside too. I found a slight battered hardback version for about $5 at my local haunt Basement Books in Central Station, Sydney. You can also pick it up from Amazon for under $20 (and get the wonderful sneak preview read).

Mixing academic writing, textual analysis and a lovely running commentary on Jane Austen set within an autobiographical framework this is a different take on being a Janeite. Deresiewicz, an Austen scholar, explains from the start that he was once a cynic of Austen’s work (and a bit of a self-admitted pretentious git) because of the ‘girly’ connotations surrounding books such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, but after reading them and studying them – breaking through the tedium – it dawned on him just what it is that Jane is saying, and why she is as intelligent and interesting as the rest of us think. This book spans his life from student-hood onwards and ends like a Jane novel would.

The last Austen book club?

It has been far too long since I have blogged, and there’s probably an apology in this somewhere. Similarly, it has been over eight months since book club. Potentially the worst, and the best, book club this side of the world I’m willing to admit that my own new job (raise your teacups to getting paid to write!) combined with juggling other commitments has not made me the most easy person to organise around for a book club with four other busy ladies. As this has been the case, Persuasion, the book of so much emotion, has been kept very much overdue. Which almost seems fitting considering the long estrangement of our heroine and hero.

The Jane Austen Quiz and Puzzle Book by Maggie Lane

While on a Regency-worthy getaway in Katoomba (located in Australia’s Blue Mountains) earlier this year, I came across ‘Mr. Pickwick’s: Fine Old Books’ (an oddity of a name, but how quaint!). Katoomba, for the uninitiated, is a town of about 8,000 people and is famous for The Three Sisters and Katoomba Scenic Railway. The shop itself, selling books, art and antiques, had that sort of dim-lit cosy look that feels like a burrow in the manner of The Wind in The Willows or a Quentin Blake illustration. With books from ceiling to floor and on almost every wall of the three storey shop, it’s a miracle that The Jane Austen Quiz and Puzzle Book ended up with me as I left (NB: a surprise gift from a very lovely person).

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Little Miss Austen Pride & Prejudice by Jennifer Adams

I was one of those weird children that learnt to read at a young age. At three I was already fully submerged in reading the books at my play-group, pondering over the words, as my Mum has told me. I devoured the Peter and Jane books along with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Elephant and The Bad Baby before working my way to The Waterbabies (which still strikes my imagination today). The point of this is that I remember every one of those books with a tender recollection, the same way one might think of a childhood friend. Each story was an adventure in itself, and this was before I’d even discovered Narnia, Mrs. Pepperpot, Hogwarts, Hobbits, Malory Towers or even Green Gables, before I’d glanced at a classic, fallen in love with Mr. Darcy, or even read about love. I have fond memories of Mum reading out-loud text that ranges from Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott to Roald Dahl’s Danny The Champion Of The World and regardless of the sophistication of the writing or the intended audience, each is a treasured memory.

Books like these leave a literary imprint on who you are and, in my belief, your reading habits forever. So when I stumbled across a new book series called “BabyLit” where youngsters are introduced to Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet) and our Jane (Pride and Prejudice) early I just about died with joy. It also helps that the cover is Squee-Worthy.

Book Review: What Would Jane Austen Do?

by Laurie Brown

This is a dazzling 2009 version of a “Janeite heads to the past” type storyline. Downloaded for free onto my Kindle on Jane Austen’s birthday, while it took me a while to get around reading it… when I did I was gripped. Packed with historical nuances, detailed comments about the fashion of the time and some raunchy Regency sex (pulled off semi-tastefully, although it did surprise me a little when I first stumbled out of “cute dancing in a ball” chapters and before I even noticed I’m reading “certain-dashing-heroes cutting open beautiful-eligible-female’s corset with knife”)  it’s not one to be missed.