Fashionable Websites Jane Austen Would Have Liked to Visit

It is nearly May when the sun becomes strong enough for young ladies to think about protecting their delicate skin from harmful rays. Visit Ruby Lane, and browse for beautiful antique items, such as this 19th century black Chantilly lace parasol with pink lining. In the image above from David Brass Rare Books, one can see two ladies strolling ahead of the group, one with a parasol and one with a shawl, two wise choices for a promenade in Kensington Gardens.

In the matter of choosing a shawl, an issue of The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine in 1851 declared: "We scarcely know a truer test of a gentlewoman’s taste than her selection of a shawl, and her manner of wearing it." - Vintage Textile

The weather is still brisk and thin muslins and silks are no protection against cool spring breezes. Beautiful shawls are the answer for a young Regency miss who wants to stay warm and remain fashionable at the same time. Vintage Textile offers several exquisite choices. Click on the link above to see a breathtaking example of a lace shawl. If that is too fancy for you, click on this link at Vintage Textiles to view a shawl one could wear in more ordinary places.

Speaking of breathtaking, this new paisley acquisition at the Spurlock Museum, University of Illinois would be worth a special visit to the museum. As described below, paisley shawls became all de rigeur during the Regency, but the imports from India were quite expensive:

By 1777 imitation Indian shawls were being made in Edinburgh. They were first popular in England in the 1780's, and did not gain popularity in France until the 1790's. At that time Indian shawls sold for as much as $:300, a stupendous sum in those days. It was the French Empire fashion at the beginning of the 19th century, with its high-waisted, willowy silhouette, the perfect foil for the long, soft shawl, decorated around the edges but plain in the center, that made the shawl fashionable. - New York Times, 1989

Just remember, before stepping out the door, a young lady's accessories of shawl and parasol would not be complete without the requisite gloves, hat, and reticule to accompany them. If the roads were muddy from the ever present spring rains, one might consider wearing pattens to protect delicate footwear.

Want your own affordable Regency style shawl? Check out these beautiful examples:

• Antique Kashmir Shawls from $1,250 - $3,600 at Textiles

• Pashmina Jama Shawls, Paisley, $125 USD, Click Here

Image at top: Promenade in Kensington Gardens, 1804, David Brass Rare Books, featured in Jane Austen's World: The Fashions of London and Paris, 1798-1810. View more fabulous vintage books of the era at this beautiful site, which is worth a visit, especially for bibliophiles.

Posted by Ms. Place

Heard on the Blogosphere: Interview with Judi Dench

Judi Dench spoke for 8 minutes during an interview on Weekend Edition of NPR. Click on the link to access the site and listen to her observations about Cranford, filming the series, and her career.

Finty Williams, Judi's daughter, played Clara Smith.

Seen on The Blogosphere

Dressing Jane is a fabulous free quarterly e-newsletter containing news and articles about fashion in the Jane Austen era from 1775-1817. Click here to see the first issue. The next one is slated to come out in summer.


A Georgian Garden Reborn discusses the function of the private Georgian garden. The one described in this article is located in Bath


The reviews for Miss Austen Regrets keep coming in from across The Pond. One article says this is a drama that depicts a different Jane Austen; and the review from BBC thought it a delicious feast for the senses. This article from the Times Online discusses Jane's acceptance then rejection of Mr. Harris Bigg-Wither's proposal.

Musings from a Muddy Island posted a sensitive, well thought out review that offers a mild and reasoned rebuke to bloggers like myself. The author thinks that by and large we Americans view Jane from an unrealistic and romantic perspective. She cautions us to read more English history and Jane biography. As a gentle reminder, some of us do. Please check Jane Austen's World, my other blog. Also, not all of us are enamored with movies like Becoming Jane, nor do we crave a happy ending.

While I thought this production was excellent and intelligently written, and Olivia's acting was sensitive and finely drawn, I still firmly believe that a woman at the height of her creativity, one whose earnings were supplementing her fixed income to the extent that Jane's were beginning to do, would not have dwelled so much and so morosely on the past. I would have preferred to see more balance, with scenes showing Jane actively writing and thinking about her novels and plots, interspersed with those moments of regret (which, yes, are realistic). This woman, who wrote such astonishing work until two months before her death, had a powerful creative urge that would not stop, yet one is barely provided a glimpse in this production of Jane's urgent and insistent will to write.

Posted by Ms. Place

And the Winner of the Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict Contest is ....

Maggie, who will receive a new Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict paperback. Maggie, please send Laurie Viera Rigler your mailing address at laurie at janeaustenaddict dot com. Maggie's suggestion of writing a letter was so appropriate, but so were all the other comments. Thank you everyone for participating in Laurie's fun contest. Read comments here.

I am still waiting for the winner of Rita Abrams' and Josie Brown's CD of Pride and Prejudice the Musical to send me her mailing address. I will wait one more week, JaneEyre5381, and then will draw a new winner. Rita and Josie are still featuring a complete and fabulous song on their site each week.

Seen on the Blogosphere: Miss Austen Regrets

Reviews are starting to tumble in before BBC's broadcast of Miss Austen Regrets. In the past few days, The Daily Mail called Jane a serial flirt; the Manchester Evening News traced how Olivia Williams became Jane Austen; and The Independent offered up a biting commentary that will please as many as offend.

The London Paper adored this biopic, while several months back Maureen Ryan from the Chicago Tribune found it barely watchable.

I had mixed feelings about the film, loving its intelligent dialog and solid acting, and hating its gloomy subtext and atmosphere. Read my review here: Miss Austen Regrets Perhaps A Bit Too Much For My Taste. Laurel Ann's review sits here. It is telling that of the five new films shown during The Complete Jane Austen season on PBS, viewers ranked this new adaptation second lowest in my likability poll. Mansfield Park ranked last, which was no surprise. I will leave the poll up for another month to let our cousins across The Pond vote. Perhaps the numbers will change.

Click here for Masterpiece pictures of Miss Austen Regrets; and click here for my photos of the film.

Read more about Olivia Williams in NW Magazine. Greta Scacchi, who plays Cassandra, received her own interview in this Times Online article, though I did not think it was flattering.

Find all of this blog's Miss Austen Regrets posts in this link.

Posted by Ms. Place

Cranford

The highest rated BBC show last season was Cranford, written by Elisabeth Gaskell. With so many close degrees of separation from Jane Austen that we can't count them, we plan to review this series, to be show on PBS's Masterpiece Classic on May 4, 11, and 18th. The cast is sterling. Eileen Atkins (at right on left) received a BAFTA last week for her performance of Miss Deborah Jenkyns. Other notable actors include Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Julia Sawalha, Francesca Annis, Simon Woods, and Philip Glenister.

Mrs. Gaskell's tale is radically different from a typical Jane Austen plot, for in Cranford men are looked upon with suspicion and are generally regarded a nuisance. This premise sets up one situation after another among the town spinsters, or Amazons as Elisabeth described them. Some of the scenes are comical, as with the cat who swallowed the lace, while some are heartbreaking, as with Matty Jenkyns's love story. There are a host of coincidences and improbable plot twists in this sweetly told Victorian tale, but by the time we realize we are being manipulated, we don't care, for Elisabeth Gaskell and screenwriter Heidi Thomas have totally won us over with their unforgettable characters.

Cranford celebrates the strength of female bonds and loyalty to each other and family. Oh, some men are considered useful: the doctor, for instance, and the estate manager, but overall this is a film that celebrates women in a positive and heartfelt way. The female characters remind me of the strong, smart, non-simpering women portrayed by actresses in Hollywood during the 1930's and 1940's, such as Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, Mary Astor, Barbara Stanwyck, and Greta Garbo.

If you haven't read the novel, which is actually a compilation of stories that Elisabeth wrote for Household Words, a magazine written by Charles Dickens, click on the following link. You will find a lovely edition of Cranford, illustrated by Hugh Thompson, online. Better yet, run to your local bookstore and purchase a copy to read before the series begins. In order to truly prepare for this special event, you would have to read two other Elisabeth Haskell books: My Lady Ludlow, the story of Lady Ludlow played by Francesca Annis, and Mr. Harrison's Confessions, the story of the young doctor played by Simon Woods.
Posted by Ms. Place

Seen on the Blogosphere: Deviant Art Regency Dress Up Doll

Oh, look, here's another fun way of dressing up regency style. Savivi created this interactive doll on Deviant Art. You can dress her in a nightgown, day gown, outerwear, or ball gown, as I did. I placed the shawl on her, imagining her leaving the house for the Assembly Ball.

You also have a choice of accessories, shoes, cape and underwear. I found this link on the Oregon Regency Society Discussion Forum, a great new place to chat.

Posted by Ms. Place

Austen Quiz: Which Hero Would You Hook Up With?

Hmm? Could you live on nothing but love? Are you dangerous, practical or prissy. Do you value friendship first in a relationship, or crave the grand passion? Discover your suitability to Austen's heroes in this short quiz!

Click here to take it.

posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict Contest

Inquiring readers,

The "Ten Ways to Cope Without The Complete Jane Austen Series" contest is coming to an end. If you've got a suggestion to add to the list, please enter it as a comment. (Click on the link.)

I'll put all of your names in a hat and draw one at midnight EST on Saturday, April 26. On Sunday, April 27, the winner will be announced here.

I will send the winner a signed copy of the new paperback edition of my novel, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.

In the meantime, I've got another idea to add to #2 on my list: After you watch the Ang Lee/Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility, watch it again with the DVD commentary by Emma Thompson and Lindsay Doran, producer of the film. The fun starts when the Columbia logo comes up on the screen, and Emma Thompson says something to the effect of how tired her arms got holding up that torch for so long. I laughed a lot and learned a great deal about what went into making the film.

Thank you, Ms. Place, for reminding me of how much fun that DVD commentary is. Many thanks to everyone for your fabulous suggestions, and good luck to all!

- Laurie Viera Rigler

Rudyard Kipling, My Boy Jack, and the Janeite Connection

Spoiler alert. Plot discussed.

My Boy Jack is a powerful film that touched my heart in a way that no movie has in a long while. When I learned that this story about Rudyard Kipling’s son was true, my emotional reaction to the film felt all the more poignant. After the last credits rolled I sat in silence, contemplating the horrors of war and the sacrifices that are still being made by our soldiers and their families today. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

The cast of this film is sterling. David Haig, a character actor whose face was more familiar to me than his name, IS Rudyard Kipling. Not only is his resemblance to the author uncanny, but he worked for twenty-two years to adapt Kipling’s story to stage and screen. David plays Kipling with a fierce patriotic fervor that is both unlikeable (for the author places his son in harm’s way) and believable. The movie is a tragedy in a mythic sense: Kipling’s actions to help his son enlist despite the boy’s poor eyesight ended in Jack's death and haunted the author for the rest of his life.

The love Kipling felt for his son did not deter him from influencing Jack to join the army (images of Rudyard Kipling and Jack at left). This irony was not lost on David Haig, who described the author in this ITV interview: “…on one side you had the magical, inventive father, creator of the Just So Stories and The Jungle Books, providing a wonderful environment for a child to grow up in. And on the other side you had the apologist for the British Empire who tyrannically pursued his son’s joining of the army and his involvement in the fighting of the First World War.”

Young Daniel Radcliffe is outstanding as Jack, Kipling’s myopic 17-year old son. As this young actor matures, I hope he will succeed in breaking free from his Harry Potter persona to become an adult actor. His performance as young Jack Kipling is so believable, that one screams
internally “No!” when he leads the charge during battle. Daniel brings both strength and vulnerability to the role, especially in the scene in which, as Jack, he speaks for the last time to his father. Carrie Mulligan, whose acting career began in 2005, continues to grow and impress me as an actress (read her biography in the post below). She holds her own in this ensemble cast as Kipling’s independent daughter, Elsie. The only one of Kipling’s three children to live past the age of eighteen, Elsie, who married George Bambridge, died childless in 1976.

Kim Cattrall delivers a surprisingly restrained performance as Kipling’s American-born wife, Carrie (Caroline Balestier.) Better known for fluffier sex-kitten roles, Kim had to convince director Brian Kirk to consider her to play Kipling’s wife. After the series Sex in the City ended, Kim, who was born in Liverpool, moved to London to play a quadriplegic in the West End revival of Whose Life Is It Anyway? She followed this performance with a role in David Mamet's The Cryptogram. After Brian Kirk saw her serious work and awarded her the role as Carrie, Kim researched the part intensively. Carrie was neither liked by the public nor her in-laws, but Kim found a strength and quiet reserve that lent dignity to the part of the worried mother. She portrays Carrie as a strong person who fought the press and public so that Kipling could have the privacy he needed to write. Yet, despite her bold character, she was a woman of her time, deferring to her husband's wishes.

I’ve read several reviews in which potshots were taken at Kim’s portrayal of Carrie. However, I think it takes courage for an actress aged 50 - one who is known for her beauty and sensuality - to play a stodgy middle-aged Edwardian wife. In real life Carrie was in her 30’s before giving birth to Jack. Thus the 50-year-old Kim is not too old to play 17-year-old Jack’s mother, as some naysayers have suggested. (Image of the real Carrie at right.)




We now come to the Kipling/Janeite Connection. Rudyard Kipling’s admiration for Jane Austen is well documented.

“In March 1915, the Kiplings had visited Bath and he re-read the works of Jane Austen there. He wrote to a friend that “the more I read the more I admire and respect and do reverence… When she looks straight at a man or a woman she is greater than those who were alive with her - by a whole head… with a more delicate hand and a keener scalpel.”

In 1923, the author had completed writing The Janeites. The short story, begun the year before, was completed after Kipling’s discussion with critic George Saintsbury, who is credited with first using the term in an introduction to Pride and Prejudice.

“However, it was Rudyard Kipling's story 'The Janeites' which made the name famous. The story concerns a simple and uneducated soldier and mess waiter in the trenches who reads Jane Austen's novels so that he can join the 'secret society' of officers who read her. At first Humberst doesn't like her novels, but eventually he becomes a big fan. Ironically, after the war is over, reading Jane Austen reminds him of the comradeship and camaraderie that he found in the trenches. Humberst praises this soothing quality of JA: "There's no one to match Jane when you're in a tight place."”

In an interesting aside, after the first World War, shell shocked veterans were encouraged to read Jane’s novels to help them overcome the horrors they witnessed. After their son disappeared in battle, Rudyard Kipling and Carrie would read Jane’s words together, feeling some solace afterwards.

The fact that Kipling was instrumental in urging his son to fight despite his bad eyesight took its toll on him. Jack went to war in 1915, and was reported missing in the Battle of Loos a mere seven months later. After the war Kipling became obsessed with finding Jack’s remains. For years the author tried to trace him - interviewing survivors and carrying a description of the spectacles John wore on the battlefield. (Jack's grave.)

"Tonie Holt described how the author carried out hundreds of interviews with his late son's comrades, building up a detailed picture of his last moments. He believes that it is through this research that the claim that John's remains are in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission can be disproved. Not only is the rank on the gravestone wrong - Kipling's promotion to Lieutenant had yet to be announced in the London Gazette - but the remains were found some two miles from where he fell, at a feature called Chalk-Pit Wood.

The devastated father threw himself into his work, becoming a prominent member of the commission. He took part in the creation of the pristine rows of Portland stone graveyards, which now honour Britain's fallen, selecting the Biblical phrase "Their Name Liveth For Evermore" as a fitting epitaph." (My Boy Jack? The Search for Kipling's Only Son, A New 3rd Edition - 2007)

The tragic irony of Kipling's search for Jack was that by this time his career was in decline. “His work failed to strike a chord with a generation traumatised by the memory of the slaughter of the trenches.” He died in 1937, twenty-two years after Jack disappeared.

Watch My Boy Jack, Sunday, April 20th on Masterpiece Classic at 9:00 p.m. Click here for details.

“Have you news of my boy Jack?”

Not this tide.
“When d’you think that he’ll come back?”
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.
“Has any one else had word of him?”
Not this tide.
For what is sunk will hardly swim,
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

“Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?”
None this tide,
Nor any tide,
Except he did not shame his kind—
Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.

Then hold your head up all the more,
This tide,
And every tide;
Because he was the son you bore,
And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!

Update: This link leads to an MP3 file of a song recorded in 1917 and based on the poem.

Sources for this review:

• The Kipling Society
• Archives: Sussex
• Elsie Kipling Bambridge: Find a Grave
• David Haig: Official London Theatre Interview
• My Boy Jack, ITV
  
• Carrey Mulligan
• My Boy Jack: BBC
• Radio times Behind the Scenes
• My Boy Jack, Imperial War Museum Exhibition
• The Janeites, Lisa Lewis and Geoge Kieffer, 2003

Six Degree of Austen Adaptation Separation

David Haig as Rudyard Kipling enjoys several degrees of Austen adaptation separation:

• Two Degrees: Played as Bernard the Groom in Four Weddings and a Funeral, and as Sophie Thomspon’s (One Degree) husband. Sophie played Miss Bates and Maria Rushworth. Other actors included Anna Chancellor (One Degree, Caroline Bingley) andHugh Grant (One degree, Edward Ferrars)
  

• Three Degrees: David Haig played with Aileen Atkins (Two Degrees) in the Sea; she played opposite Kate Beckinsale in Cold Comfort Farm, and Kate played Emma (One degree). Aileen also costarred in Cranford with Judy Dench (One Degree, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.)
  

Kim Cattrall, Carrie Kipling

• Two Degrees: Stars with Carrie Mulligan who played Isabella Thorpe in Northanger Abbey.

• Three Degrees: Stars with Daniel Haig (see above) and Daniel Radcliffe, (see below.)

• Four Degrees: Starred with Cynthia Nixon in Sex and the City. Cynthia played a maid of all work for Mozart in Amadeus, and costarred with Simon Callow, Emanuel Shikaneder in the film. Simon played Mr. Beebe in 1986’s A Room With A View, costarring Maggie Smith(one degree); Gareth in Four Weddings and a Funeral, costarring David Haig and Sophie Thompson; and in Charles Dickens, costarring Kate Winslet.
  

Daniel Radcliffe, John Kipling

• Two Degrees: Through his Harry Potter costars - Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Daisy Haggard, Robert Hardy - all of whom played Austen characters.

• Three Degrees: Costarred with Geoffrey Rush in the Tailor of Panama; Geoffrey costarred in Shakespeare in Love (two degrees) with Gwyneth Paltrow (Emma, One degree.)
  

Carrie Mulligan, Elsie Kipling

• One degree, as Isabella Thorpe in Northanger Abbey. For other suggestions, read the post by Laurel Anne below.


Posted by Ms. Place

Austen Actress Carey Mulligan: A Passion to Perform

English actress Carey Mulligan wanted the part of Kitty Bennet in the 2005 production of Pride and Prejudice so passionately, that she contacted the director and pleaded her case. This was a bold move for a young stage actress who up until that point had not worked in film. Happily, her persuasive abilities and talent secured her the role as the fourth Bennet sister in the big-budget film adaptation of Jane Austen classic novel co-staring Keira Knightley as her sister Elizabeth, and Matthew McFadyen as Mr. Darcy.

Born Carey Hannah Mulligan in 1985 in London, Carey spent her early childhood in Germany until age 14. She credits her love of acting to her early experiences at Woldingham School, an indepentant Roman Catholic boarding and day school for girls in Surrey, whose previous famous students include actresses Vivien Leigh, Maureen O’Sullivan and Rachel Weisz. After graduation, her family doubted that she could succeed as a professional actress and planned a University education. Undeterred, she connected with actor Julian Fellowes who mentored her into an audition with Pride and Prejudice director Joe Wright.
As an aspiring young actress, being cast in Pride and Prejudice has “thrown her in the path” of other great acting opportunities. After filming wrapping up, she was cast as Hermia in Forty Winks at the Royal Court Theatre. Ms. Mulligan then won the plum role as Ada Clare, the impassioned ward of John Jarndyce in the BBC/Masterpiece Theater adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic, Bleak House. This performance earned her a nomination for "Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture of miniseries" for the OFTA television awards in 2005.
In 2006 she appeared in The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard, another drama for the BBC/Masterpiece Theater, as Emily the unruly young daughter of the newly elected Prime Minister of the UK. Ms. Mulligan showed great depth of character in her portrayal of a young woman thrown into the national spotlight with her family as her mother runs the nation. Other roles that year included Violet Willet in Mystery: Miss Marple, The Sittaford Mystery with Geraldine McEwan as Agatha Christie’s sleuth Miss Marple.

For a second time Ms. Mulligan had the chance to portray a Jane Austen character as Isabella Thorpe in the ITV/Masterpiece production of Northanger Abbey co-staring Felicity Jones as Catherine Morland and JJ Feild as Henry Tilney. Well suited for Regency finery and language, Ms. Mulligan excelled as the saucy and slippery Isabella, allowing us to enjoy her diversity and ingenuity as an actress.

In certain scenes in Northanger Abbey, I was struck by Ms. Mulligan’s remarkable resemblance to the famous British actress, Dame Wendy Hiller at the same age. But it is more than just her face that evokes the memory. Her carriage and diction harken back to an elegant and inspiring era of British stage and film actors, a style that we see less frequently as of late.

Dame Hiller excelled as the confident but confused heroine in my favorite film, I Know Where I am Going (1945). If some clever producer has the guts to remake this cinematic classic, please cast Ms. Mulligan as plunky Joan Webster. I have every confidence that she will not disappoint.
This weekend we have an opportunity to see Ms. Mulligan in another challenging role as Elsie Kipling in Masterpiece Classic’s presentation of My Boy Jack on Sunday, April 20 th at 9:00 pm on PBS. Set in pre-World War I England, Carrie stars as the fiesty sister of John (Jack) Kipling (Daniel Radcliffe) whose ferverently patriotic father, poet, author and national celebrity Rudyard Kipling (David Haig) is determined to send his son to war, even though he can not pass his army physical because of poor vision. Elsie and her mother Carrie Kipling (Kim Cattrall) are sanguine on the scheme, and some of the best scenes in the film show their passionate opposition to the men in their lives dogged determination to prevail, but true to the times, they are women and must watch and wait, and then grieve over the folly and loss. The script by David Haig who also stars as Kipling senior is excellent, so don’t miss the chance to see a polished cast, and a performance by Carrie Mulligan, a bright star with a passion to perform.

6 Degrees of Austen Actress Carey Mulligan Separation Triva quiz!

Ms. Mulligan had first degree Austen connections to all of these actors listed below. Can you name them, or the production that they were in?

• Actress Maureen O'Sullivan starred as which Jane Austen character?

• Vivien Leigh married which Mr. Darcy in real life?

• Julian Fellowes starred as the Prince Regent in which two productions?

• Anna Maxwell Martin starred with Carrie in Bleakhouse. Which Jane Austen relative did she portray in the movie Becoming Jane?

• Sylvestra Le Touzel starred with Carrie in The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard. What two Jane Austen characters has she portrayed?

• Laurence Fox starred with Carrie in Mystery: Miss Marple, The Sittaford Mystery, but he was also one of Jane Austen's love interests in which film?

If you know the answers, leave a comment, and add more connections!

Posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Seen on the Blogosphere: Paper Dolls

These Elizabeth Bennet paper dolls were created by Digne for her sister for Christmas. They are quite impressive for being non commercial. Click here to see the paper dolls.

Liana also draws paper dolls. Click here to see her Paper Doll blog, and here to view her journal archive. Many of her outfits, based on film and television costumes and characters in novels, include regency dresses.

More paper doll links are provided on our side bar under Jane Austen Toys and Dolls.

Posted by Ms. Place

Note: Yes, all the polls but one are gone! I will write a summary of the findings and post them. Thank you all for voting on The Complete Jane Austen series. There were a few surprises, but overall people's votes were similar to the reviews.

The Anna Chancellor/Jane Austen Connection

One of the biggest surprises I ran across this year, but no big secret, was when I learned that Anna Chancellor, Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, 1995 (at left in image), and "Duckface" in Four Weddings and a Funeral, was a descendant of Jane Austen.

I heard Anna speak of the connection in BBC's The Real Jane Austen (2002), which she hosted. IMBd mentions: "Her eight-times great aunt is author Jane Austen...Fanny Rice was herself the granddaughter maternally of one Edward Knight, of Chawton, Hants, and Godmersham, Kent, whose younger sister just happened to be one Jane Austen, novelist."

Fanny's mother was Elizabeth Rice (1800-1884), sister to Fanny Knight, Jane Austen's favorite niece, and here lies the connection between Anna Chancellor and Jane Austen. When I learned of the association, I realized that Anna has the same striking eyes as those that stare out of 19th century Austen portraits. I was thinking particularly of Cassandra's watercolour of Jane, and the painting of Jane's brother, Francis.

Anna's career has been steady and successful since her break out role in Four Weddings and a Funeral. Continuing the Six Degrees of Austen Adaptation Separation associations, Anna and Hugh Laurie starred in this 2003 film (see image at right). Hugh portrayed an unforgettable Mr. Palmer in 1996's Sense and Sensibility.

Learn more about Anna in these links:

• Anna Chancellor: Caroline Bingley

• The Big Interview: Anna Chancellor, March 2008
  

• 2002 Interview in the Telegraph.co.UK

• For more Photos of Hugh Laurie and Anna Chancellor in Fortysomething, click here
  

Posted by Ms. Place

Where Are They Now?: Jane Austen's Film Heroes - David Rintoul

After Sir Laurence Olivier, David Rintoul was the second Mr. Darcy I saw on screen. He has held a special place in my heart ever since he played opposite Elizabeth Garvie in the BBC 1980 mini series of Pride and Prejudice.

David is also known for his 1993 role as Dr. Finlay. He is currently a hugely popular voice actor, having narrated a host of audio books. (See links below.)

Looking at his most recent photos, I would say that this particular Mr. Darcy is aging in a most distinquished and handsome manner!

Learn more about David in the links below.

• David Rintoul: Audio Books
• Voices Squad: Listen to samples of David's work
• Biography of David Rintoul
• BBC America: Audio Books by David Rintoul

You Tube clip of David as Darcy

Posted by Ms. Place

Ten Ways to Cope Without The Complete Jane Austen Series

Inquiring Readers, Our fifth and last guest blogger for The Complete Jane Austen on Masterpiece Classic is Laurie Viera Rigler, author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. Laurie needs no introduction. She has written a best seller, was a guest blogger on Remotely Connected, and contributes timely and interesting posts to her own website. In this post, Laurie addresses the withdrawal symptoms we are all feeling now that the wildly successful PBS Jane Austen series is over. When you reach the bottom of this post, you will have an opportunity to win a paperback copy of Laurie's book. All you need to do is add you own ideas to this list! (Please note: Contest is over as of 4-26)

What? No more weekly doses of Austen on PBS? Fear not, my fellow addicts. Help is here. All you need to do is follow this ten-part program.

Re-reading Austen's six novels (or reading them for the first time) will of course play a big role in this program. Ah, but what accompanies each read will make your experience even sweeter.

1. Try Northanger Abbey for your first post-Masterpiece read. Why Northanger Abbey? One reason could be that it was the first of Austen's novels to be accepted by a publisher—who then couldn't be bothered to publish it. Idiot. Thumbing your nose at such stupidity is one reason to read it first. Another, even better reason, is that NA's a fun way to shake off the post-Masterpiece blues.

After you read the book, see what it's like to be Catherine Morland, the heroine of Northanger Abbey. How? Drive or walk around your city or town and pretend you are seeing it from the point of view of someone who has never been there and finds it fascinating and exciting. See? You're experiencing your world like Catherine experienced the city of Bath. If you're hard pressed to find something exciting or fascinating about your world, go into the nearest flower garden and learn to love a hyacinth. Or just think about how a young woman from the late eighteenth/early nineteenth century might respond to some of the modern technological wonders you take for granted. Like hot showers, for example. Flush toilets in every house. Mascara. Tampons.

Then, top off your newfound sense of wonder and appreciation for your world by firing up your DVD player with the 2007 adaptation of Northanger Abbey* starring J.J. Feild and Felicity Jones. There. Aren't you feeling better already?

*Ready for more? Try the 1986 adaptation of Northanger Abbey. Though it's unpopular with a lot of Janeites, you might, like me, find it entertaining.

2. Read Sense and Sensibility.

After you close the book on Elinor and Marianne, imagine what happens next. (We all know these characters are real and keep living their lives after the books end, don't we?) Here's a fun situation to ponder: What happens the first time Edward and Elinor go to London and have dinner at Edward's mother's house—and are sitting across the table from Lucy and Robert? What do they talk about? Imagine Elinor sitting in the drawing room after dinner with Mrs. Ferrars and Lucy. And here's another one to consider: Should Marianne, or Mrs. Dashwood, ever confront John Dashwood about his broken promise to help them financially? If you were to write that speech, what would you have Marianne say? Or should the Dashwood ladies let John's own guilty conscience do all the work?

Now that you've survived all those Dashwood/Ferrars family reunions, reward yourself with a screening of the Ang Lee/Emma Thompson Oscar-winning Sense and Sensibility (1995)* And while you're at it, order yourself a large pizza, chocolate cake, and/or a trough of margaritas. Yes. This program is definitely working.

3. Read Pride and Prejudice.

After you read the book, imagine that you are Elizabeth experiencing your first visit to Rosings as Mrs. Darcy. (Lady Catherine has cooled down by now and consoles herself by hoping that her nephew will be so fortunate as to become widowed at a young age and redeem himself by taking a second wife, i.e., Anne de Bourgh.) Amuse yourself by observing the gyrations of Mr. Collins when he and Charlotte join the Rosings party for dinner. As Elizabeth once said to Mr. Darcy, "Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can."


But wait, there's more. It's time to watch the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle P&P mini again (one can never watch it too many times), and/or the 2005 movie with Keira Knightley, depending on whether your idea of Mr. Darcy is Colin Firth or Matthew MacFadyen or both. The 1995 mini is a great excuse to have a pajama party (where I grew up, we called them slumber parties). And one is never too old to have a slumber party. Send the kids away for sleepovers and banish any curmudgeonly significant others. Then, bring in lots of goodies, because five hours of viewing requires a great deal of fuel. There's all that fencing and swimming and dancing and taking refreshing turns around the room. I'm getting exhausted just thinking about it. No matter which film you watch (or even if you watch both), be sure to buy the soundtrack of the 2005 film and play often. It's stunning.

4. Read Mansfield Park.

Even if you're a reader who can't quite warm up to Austen's heroine Fanny Price (I feel your pain, but do give her some time; she grew on me after awhile), you can have a lot of fun thinking about how this book could have ended but didn't. For me, that's the most fascinating, thought-provoking aspect of Mansfield Park. As Patricia Rozema, director of the controversial 1999 adaptation of Mansfield Park, put it in her screenplay, "It could have all turned out differently, I suppose. But it didn't." With that in mind, imagine what would have happened if Edmund had married Mary Crawford, and if Fanny had given in and married Henry Crawford. Happy marriages? Reformed rakes? Or a disaster?

As compensation for the lack of a truly satisfying Mansfield Park film (see below)*, you get to watch the lovely 2007 BBC mini of Sense and Sensibility instead. I know, it's Sense and Sensibility, not Mansfield Park, and you just saw it on TV, but who cares? It's worth seeing again. It'll make you feel good. And isn't that what this program is all about?

*I'm one of the minority of Janeites who liked the 1999 Patricia Rozema adaptation of Mansfield Park, but I liked it more as a story inspired by Mansfield Park than as an adaptation per se. Rozema's rendering of Fanny Price is more like the director's idea of a young Jane Austen than the protagonist Jane Austen wrote for Mansfield Park. And Rozema's vision of the story's subtext is pretty dark. But then again, the book itself is perhaps the least "light, and bright, and sparkling" of Austen's works. By the way, there is a fascinating article on this film by Kathi Groenendyk in JASNA's journal Persuasions. As for the latest adaptation that aired on PBS, it has such a truncated version of the story that one wonders how anyone who didn't read the book could figure out what's going on. Mrs. Norris, Fanny's main nemesis, has mysteriously turned into a bland creature. And Fanny Price looks entirely too 21st-century and wears cleavage-baring day dresses (none of this is the fault of the actors, but still). As for the 1983 BBC mini, the heroine is more faithful to the book than its companions. However, while the principal actors are unquestionably talented I couldn't quite see some of them in their roles. And it's got that static, video-on-a-stage feel of early BBC productions that I find challenging to watch.

5. Read Emma.

After you finish the book, play a little game called "Emma, Reformed Matchmaker." You'll need to play with a single friend (preferably a single friend who would like to be in a couple). Each of you sits down and writes a list of qualities that your friend's perfect, future mate should possess. Do not reveal what is on your lists until both of you are finished writing. Now share. You may be surprised to find that your lists differ greatly. When you read your friend's list, refrain from exclamations of horror unless one of the items on that list includes "must be incarcerated in a maximum security prison." Now, give your list to your friend to take home with her. Tell her she is free to cross out whatever she doesn't like on your list and keep whatever she does like. Or burn the whole thing. If she cares to share her final list with you, you may keep your eyes open for appropriate candidates and discreetly point them out to her. That's "point them out," not shove them in her face. Remember, you are "Emma, Reformed Matchmaker." If your friend doesn't care to share her final list, then graciously wish her all the best in finding her dream partner and promptly change the subject. Then, take her to Ford's (or local emporium of your choice) to buy a new dress. Or draw her picture. Without a potential mate watching the proceedings. See? You're a better, happier human being already.

Now that you've had a successful run at self-improvement, Jane Austen-style, you deserve to have an Emma film festival. That's three very clever films indeed: The Kate Beckinsale/Mark Strong-starrer, the Gwyneth Paltrow/Jeremy Northam movie, and the brilliant Clueless, starring Alicia Silverstone and directed by Amy Heckerling. Three fabulous films means you get to invite at least three friends over to have a viewing party or slumber party. And stock up on provisions, for a private screening of three films, without sitting down to supper, [would be] pronounced an infamous fraud upon the rights of men and women.



6. Read Persuasion.

After you finish the book, amuse yourself by imagining whether or not Mrs. Clay will indeed become the next Lady Eliot. If she does, will Anne and Frederick, or any of her family, ever visit Sir William and Lady Eliot? How will Mary's health survive it? Or Elizabeth's pride? Or on a pleasanter note, will Capt. Wentworth allow his wife on board his ship? If so, what exciting places will Anne visit?




Watch the lovely, 1995 adaptation of Persuasion starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. Optional: the 2007 version of Persuasion. Although Austen's story is compressed into a scant 93 minutes in the latest version, this one is also worth watching, particularly if you love Rupert Penry-Jones as much as I do. Besides, the DVD restores the small but significant bits that were cut from the PBS broadcast.

7. Join the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) and mingle with fellow Janeites at local and national meetings. I know what you're thinking, and yes, the rumors are all true. It's a cult. We have a secret handshake. We aim for total world domination. Okay, you can stop sweating now. I'm kidding. Really. JASNA is a community of warm, welcoming, fun-loving people who love Jane Austen and love getting together and talking about their favorite author with like-minded people. Like you. There are local reading groups (think Jane Austen Book Club, but usually with more than just the six Austen novels), regional get-togethers with fascinating speakers, entertainment, and delicious food, special screenings for members, and annual general meetings (AGMs) in a different city each year with talks and panels and workshops and English country dance lessons and a banquet and a Regency ball. At my first AGM I thought I'd died and gone to Austen heaven.

8. Watch a film that's so life-affirming and joyful that it merits a place of its own on this list: Bride and Prejudice, Gurinder Chadha's Bollywood-meets-Hollywood tribute to Pride and Prejudice. It's way better than a year's supply of antidepressants or a gallon of Absolut martinis. Hint: This one merits a party or at least inviting one friend over to watch with you. First, order in Indian food. Then, before popping in the DVD, unearth floaty scarves from your wardrobe or nearest accessory emporium, and keep them on hand to wave around while you dance along with the various musical numbers. Be sure to buy the soundtrack and play it in your car or on your iPod while commuting to work the next day. I feel better just thinking about it.

9. Now that you've got that Indian groove thang going, try English country dancing. Then you can watch all the movies set in Jane Austen's time again, and at the ballroom scenes you can dance along. There are many places to learn English country dancing, and from my experience, the people are friendly and welcome beginners, and there's no need to bring a partner with you. Some dance societies hold regular dances and even annual balls. In Southern California, check out Vintage Dance & History. Nationwide, go to the English Country Dance Webring and the Country Dance and Song Society.

10. Finally, take a trip back in time to Regency England. No, I haven't lost my mind. I have, however, written a novel that will transport you to 1813 England. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict is the story of a modern L.A. girl and Austen fan who wakes up one morning as an Englishwoman's in Austen's time. As of April 29, Confessions comes out in paperback, which means the fare to Jane Austen's world becomes even more affordable.

Win a free paperback copy of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict!
If you have another item or two to add to this list, the folks at Jane Austen Today and I would love to hear your suggestions, and I'm sure the readers of this blog will thank you. Just enter your suggestions as a comment below, and we'll enter you in a random drawing. The winner gets a copy of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.