Bauman Rare Books lists following tantalizing items on their website:
Sarah Seltzer, aka The Egalitarian Bookworm (Chick?) quoted me in her article "Austen Boom Keeps 'Janeite' Scholars Jumping" along with much more famous Janeites such as Margaret C. Sullivan (AustenBlog; The Jane Austen Handbook), Carol Pippen (Professor of English at Goucher College/JASNA newsletter editor) and others. Go give it a read!
Sponsored by The Jane Austen Centre in Bath:
"Vote for your favourite actor, actress and film of 2007 and for the people who have promoted Jane Austen worldwide in the first Jane Austen Regency World awards! There are seven categories which recognise the contribution of the nominees in furthering the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the work of Jane Austen.
"You can only make your vote online. Please vote here. Only one vote per person so forward the link to your friends.
"The winners will be announced and awards presented at a black tie dinner event at the Hilton Hotel in Bath on 15th May 2008."
My review/article about Emma (1996 TV film starring Kate Beckinsale) is posted HERE. I had a lot of fun writing it, and it felt good to exercise the analytical part of my brain that's been pretty lazy since grad school.
Be sure to Read Erica Perl's take on it HERE. She started out feeling this way about the task: "I love almost everything on PBS. Except period pieces. Crumpets, corsets, carriages… none are my cup of Nestea. Put it this way: I prefer South Park to Gosford Park."
Go find out whether this film changed her mind, or confirmed her opinion!
Emma airs this Sunday night March 23rd on PBS' Masterpiece. Check your local listings for affiliate channels & times.
It's not Regency, but it will do!
Playford Ball, Friday Feb 22 8-10pm
at Camelot Treasures, Cary, NC
"Join us for an evening of English and Scottish Country Dances from the Renaissance through Colonial eras (1584 to 1785). All the dances will be taught: no prior experience is required, and you don’t need to bring a partner. A beginner’s lesson will be offered at 7:30 pm and the dancing starts at 8:00.
Instruction and dance prompting will be provided by world-reknown fiddler and historical re-enactor Simon Spalding. Dancers are encouraged to come in clothing of the Elizabethan or Colonial periods, but your ordinary clothes are just fine as well. Tickets are $10 each in advance $12 at the door. Light refreshments provided. "
I had the pleasure of joining chapter President Virginia Claire Tharrington and other members of the NC chapter of JASNA a couple weeks ago for a guided tour at the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh. Our guide, Bettina, packed a wealth on information into a short hour, giving us an overview of the evolution of storytelling through art, as well as some pointers on “reading” the symbolic language of visual art. She also exhibited an understanding and appreciation of Austen, making connections to her themes and milieu where appropriate.
We learned that Western storytelling was essentially born in Greece, with stories such as that of Hercules often featuring a fatal flaw who must overcome obstacles on a journey of atonement. In Rome, Caesar Augustus’ wife, Livia, was an early model of a learned women, having an extensive library herself.
Europe did not forget this past and often referenced it artwork (ex. a painting of a noblewoman in silk and pearls as an homage to Venus). Archeology became a topic of great interest in Europe, with the discovery and relocation to Europe of the Elgin Marbles (YEAR), as well as advances in Egyptian archeology. Sculptor Antonio Canova was asked to recreate the statue of Venus, and while he created an admirable piece of art (one of which is on display at the gallery), could not bring himself to copy the original exactly. The popularity of tableaux as a theatrical pastime amongst the gentry was be traced to such sculptures of antiquity. On a side note, I was intrigued to find out that it was Queen Anne who made Bath fashionable again in 1702 with a visit to Bath (the town was renovated by architect Nash in advance of her visit).
In France, the struggle between Reason and Passion manifested itself in the art world, while in England landscape and portrait painting rose to prominence, with Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Thomas Lawrence - being the most prominent practitioners of each, respectively. The famous Flemish painter Van Dyck, it seems, heard of Britain’s lust for portraits and traveled there to avail himself of the healthy market for such work, and in doing to transformed the style of British portraiture. Eventually, a few decades later, all this formality gave way to the intimacy and subjectivity of Impressionism (my favorite art movement by far).
My favorite portrait in the collection was without a doubt the 1815 portrait of Thomas Robert Hay by the Scottish painter Sir Henry Raeburn. Hay was a Colonel in the Perthshire, militia and the 11th Earl of Kinnoull. The notes for this painting call it a “superb example of British military portraiture” and I must agree that the bold color and brushstrokes do make it a “dashing and virile” likeness. With his dark hair, cleft shin, bright eyes, and bold stance, Hay looks rather rakish. Now I see why Lydia was so mad for a man in a red coat! How exciting! See:
I also learned a new word from the Italian painters exhibit -- “capriccio” - a work of whimsy, or flight of fancy. This was exemplified by a realistic painting of Venice in which three popular edifices appear from one vantage point, even though they are in different quarters of the city entirely!
It was wonderful to meet Virginia, who is every bit as energetic as one would expect from a college sophomore who has taken on the responsibility of leading a JASNA chapter. She is also planning to spend next summer in Bath, for which I envy her greatly! If any JASNA NC members have found my blog and read this, please feel welcome to add observations, corrections, or general discussion in the comments to this post! It was great to meet you all, and I hope to attend other future events.
NOTE: If you’re an NC resident and interested in joining JASNA NC you can contact the chapter through this website.
Yes, I am officially a month behind on all things Austen (not to mention other aspects of my life!) *Sigh* I hope to catch up in the next two weeks.
Gillian Anderson said some words at the opening of the new Masterpiece season about the "mystery" of Jane Austen, namely how did an unloved, uneducated (?!) women write such great novels? (I'm pretty sure those weren't her exact words, but something to that effect.) As to the question of why we still read her novels, the answer given was because she "makes the difference between true love and false very clear." I like that.
I'm not sure I liked the rest of the evening so well. Overall, I think Sally Hawkins (as Anne Elliot) did a good job with what she was given. She had the right look - pale, plain face and severe hair, but a cheerful and sincere smile that reflected her inner beauty in small glimpses. She personified Anne's "faded bloom" at the ripe old age of 27. However, I think the direction focused far too much on her crying, trying not to cry, trying to look like she hadn't been crying, or generally staring off into space (or at the camera!) with a forlorn look. Anne Elliot is stronger than that -- she has fortitude, composure, and self-knowledge -- qualities which this film in its brevity and disjointedness could not possibly convey. Instead she comes off as somewhat pathetic and desperate.
Rupert Penry-Jones as Wentworth did a fine job of acting blond and silent. He had so few lines and we were given so little insight into his character that I can say no more. Someone unfamiliar with the story would doubtless be at a loss as to why he was such a catch, and unconvinced that his cool exterior hid any sort of smouldering passion for Anne. He snubs her wonderfully in just three words -- "We are acquainted." Later he is more pointed in his insistence on "firmness of character, a woman who knows her own mind," not a timid mouse like Anne. He seems like a bit of a jerk, until he first betrays his feelings for Anne by taking great interest in hearing of her refusal of Charles' (Sam Hazeldine) hand. Shortly after he gives her the very high praise of being "capable." Be still my beating heart.
Lady Russell (Alice Krige) comes off as a well-meaning(?) busybody. We get little idea of her and Anne's actual friendship and are left in doubt as to whether she really had Anne's best interests at heart or was just being meddlesome when she persuaded her not to marry Wentworth those long eight years ago. Anne's youth, the uncertainty of wartime, and his lack of fortune are her given reasons. Lady R is portrayed more as the enemy than is wholly fair, I think. To blame her for their breakup takes the power away from Anne's growth as an independent woman who knows her mind and con now stand up for herself.
Sir Walter Elliot (Anthony Head), with his baronetage never once mentioned, seems incredibly cruel in his complete lack of love or affection for his spinster daughter. I believe it is he who says "even you, Anne!" when they are invited to dinner. This indifferent treatment adds a "Cinderella story" aspect to the plot which I never noticed before (maybe because it wasn't there?). I need to re-read the novel to be sure.
Mary (Amanda Hale) is perfectly annoying: self-absorbed, foolish, simpering, and a hypochondriac. I'd completely forgotten about Mrs. Clay (Mary Stockley), and spent half the film trying to remember who she was, and kept confusing her and Elizabeth (Julia Davis). Anne's old school friend Harriet Smith (Maisie Dimbelby) played a more important part in book, but was an afterthought in this film.
Mr. William Elliot (Tobias Menzies) has a haughty, sneering demeanor that seemed to require little acting. His proposal is appropriately insincere - he uses the clichéd of wishing to be made "the happiest, most fortunate of men" by her acceptance -- only bad people use these hackneyed phrases in Austen's world. His wish "that name might never change" sounds rather creepy to a modern sensibility. I'll have to re-read the book to see if he really propositioned Mrs. Clay to be his mistress. I certainly don't recall it, but it has been a few years...
More than any other adaptation, this film gave me an idea of why Austen may have disliked Bath so: Promenading around the Pump Rooms looks dreadfully boring; the décor at Camden place was truly tacky; the ridiculous running to greet Lady D. was unbelievable. Did they really do that!? The Cobb at Lyme, however, with the waves crashing and sun shining, was simply beautiful. I get the attraction to Lyme now. 
The snobbery of the gentry towards the navy was fairly clear, but I think Austen's larger point was lost. In the novel there is a clear emphasis on "the Naval set" as hard-working, good-hearted people who deserve a higher place in society. By downplaying Austen's admiration of people like the Crofts and their lifestyle, this message is lost.
I understand that in order to turn a novel into a film of only 90 minutes a lot of cutting must be done, but some of the rearranging of the plot did a great disservice to the story. I refer specifically to the "letter scene," where Anne is talking about how women love longer when all hope is lost. This was said either to Benwick (Finlay Robertson) or Harville (Joseph Mawle) -- I can't recall which, they each got so little screen time! Wentworth is supposed to overhear that, which prompts him to hope again and to write her that passionate letter! By hacking this part of the book up into two separate scenes the whole thing becomes very disjointed, and as a consequence, Wentworth's love letter seems to come out of the blue.
For all that, the ending still got to me at moments. The shot of Anne walking along the street in Bath in the rain is perfect. Her meeting Wentworth in the shop is a very private, intimate moment. They can't stop looking at each other! It's very exciting. Despite the intrusion of Mr. Elliot, Anne inviting Wentworth to the concert and pump room is her message to him that clearly says: "I'm not interested in my cousin, and I remember you…"
The other stuff after the pump room and Mr. Elliot's proposal just lost me. Wentworth sending a letter after he's left her house in a huff seems silly. There is much extraneous running around through the streets of Bath. Truly, a woman in Regency dress would have hyperventilated, twisted both ankles, and had a heart attack in the course of all that!
The lead-up to the final kiss was quite drawn out, maybe too much so. Anne tuning out Charles voice was a nice touch, but I would have liked for the camera to show Wentworth's face a bit more. All I recall is Anne's, which created the impression (as did other aspects of the film) that the affection was more on Anne's side. The aching, halting, I-want-to-kiss-you-but-I-don't-want-this-moment-to-end kiss was great though -- It seemed right for the situation, the couple having waited so long for the moment to happen.
The Bottom line: Sally Hawkin's performance was admirable, but as a whole the story didn't move me much. Wentworth showed so little emotion that it made the love story uncompelling. I think the actors were all capable, but the movie overall was disappointing. The brevity of the film and choppiness of the storyline made it too confusing for an Austen newcomer, and too frustrating for a seasoned Janeite, to enjoy properly.
I'm working on my review of Persuasion, notes from yesterday's NC Museum of Art tour with the JASNA chapter, and re-reading Sense and Sensibility for next week's book club meeting. I'm also hoping I remember to tape Miss Austen Regrets tonight! In the meantime, here are some interesting links:
($16.99), Northanger Abbey
($16.99), and Mansfield Park
($18.69). (They are also for sale at the PBS store, but are closer to $20-25 each, plus shipping. Also, they are on backorder for 2-4 weeks! At least that means they are popular...?)
Can I make a confession? I’ve only seen ONE of the PBS Masterpiece Jane Austen films so far. I have three pages of notes on Persuasion, from three weeks ago, that I will attempt to decipher in my next post.
Northanger Abbey I missed because I was entertaining guests who weren’t particularly interested in watching it when it aired Sunday night, and I completely forgot to set the VCR for the rerun at 2am the following Saturday. And to top it off, it’s listed as “very long wait” on Netflix. Figures...
This past Sunday evening I just wasn’t up for Mansfield Park. I think my husband and I were watching another movie, something mindless. I don’t remember. At any rate I was probably in bed by 10pm. Again, didn’t tape it. I hate fighting with the VCR, and I have no idea what’s on the stack of unlabeled tapes next to it. *sigh* Hopefully I’ll get my act together and get the rerun taped this weekend. This cast does not look amused at my lack of proper attention to what is due to them:
The good news is that next week is Miss Austen Regrets, and then it’s three weeks of the 1995 BBC Pride & Prejudice. So if nothing else I should be able to catch up during P&P. I love it, but don’t think I have anything to say about it that hasn’t been said by every other Janeite for the past 10+ years. I also own it on tape and can watch it on my schedule, which is good because I don’t intend to stay up til 11 on Sunday nights.
In the meantime, for everyone who has seen them, be sure to check out PBS’ Remotely Connected blog, where some wonderful guest bloggers are weighing in on the film:
There are some other great resources on PBS’ Complete Jane Austen page, including videos, a discussion board, a teaching guide (pdf), a photo feature on the men of Austen and a Flickr pool for shots of Jane Austen action figures out in the world. I’ve got to get in on that! I see that Jane has beaten me to Vegas, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, and has been traipsing around DC as well. I’m jealous!
The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James
