Quicklets: Entertaining Guides to Literature

I have recently come across Quicklets online and wondered what they are. These short eBooks are literary companions to great literature. Not quite like Cliff Notes or annotations in a book, these informative eBooks will enhance your reading pleasure.

Click here to sample a few pages of the Quicklet for Persuasion and you'll see what I mean. The book can be downloaded into your Kindle, iPad or Nook, or downloaded as a PDF document. Useful. Fun. And Quick.;

A Quicklet. 

Lyme's Literary Links

"Politely drew back and stopped to give them way." Persuasion illustration. Brock illustrates the moment Anne Elliot meets William Elliot on the Cobb in Lyme Regis.  Image @Wikimedia Commons

The Lyme Regis Museum now has a blog! One of its announcements might interest our friends across the Pond:

Thursday 26 May 2.30pm - LYME’S LITERARY LINKS: David Coates will talk about great literary figures who have been inspired by and lived and worked in Lyme. Jane Austen, who wrote about Lyme in Persuasion, and John Fowles in French Lieutenant’s Woman are the most notable, but also children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, who came to Lyme in 1904 and wrote about the town in Little Pig Robinson; J R R Tolkein, author of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, who regularly visited Lyme for his summer holidays between 1905 and 1910; Henry Fielding, novelist and playwright, who visited Lyme as a young man and tried to elope with a 15-year-old heiress; Francis Palgrave, poet and editor of the poetry anthology Golden Treasury; P G Wodehouse, G K Chesterton and Ivy Compton-Burnett.

Lyme Regis Museum

The Jane Austen Character I Most Identify With

Gentle Readers, Laurel Anne from Austenprose and I were chatting the other day about this, that, and the other, for we are both a bit Jane Austen nutty (if you haven't noticed.) As you continue reading, you will need to know only one thing:  we are just a wee bit longer in the tooth than Jane's young heroines:

LA: Vic and I were chatting on the phone today. Over the course of our three plus year Austen-inspired friendship we have mostly emailed, so this was a treat. She has the most infectious laugh which made me laugh too. Of course we were talking about our favorite author and she remarked that Austen excelled at humor and the amazing secondary characters she developed. Somehow it just popped out and I boldly asked her what Jane Austen character she most identified with. Without hesitation she replied, Lady Russell from Persuasion. “Lady Russell?” I replied in surprise! “Well, yes.”

Jane Rus.., er, Mrs. Russell

She then revealed that she is often wrong about the advice she gives people. At work she gathers the young-uns around her and freely offers opinions, whether they are solicited or not. When she gives wrong counsel - which she admits is more often than not - she torpedos herself in a most spectacular fashion. “The error of my ways does not go unnoticed by this unforgiving crowd. Unlike Lady Russell, I will own up to a misteak, er, mistake or two, and apologize for having interfered, but I hold the line at groveling.”

Another reason why she identifies with this character is her independence. Lady Russell is a widow with a healthy income and she has no intention of remarrying and being subjugated by a man. “I am a divorced woman who has discovered the joys of living singly on my own terms and by my own schedule. Ah, what total, selfish bliss!”

Vic further admitted that at a party, or when she lets her hair loose, she starts to resemble Mrs. Jennings. You know the type: a bit vulgar, out for a good time, giggling at precisely the wrong moments, and making those with a more composed nature feel uncomfortable with crass jokes and loud language. “Like Mrs. Jennings, I have a good heart. But I can be out there and in your face too. I might seem unseemly to a quieter person like Elinor, and be totally disliked by the likes of a Marianne, but my friends and family get me, and that’s what counts.”

Oh Vic! You are such a card. Lady Russell and Mrs. Jennings? She then turned the tables on me. “Now, who do you identify with in Jane’s novels? Are you like me, a bossy and interfering carouser? Or are your a bit more sedate and ladylike?”

Harriet Smith (Tony Collette) patiently poses for Emma

Vic: “Sedate. A total Harriet Smith,” LA replied. Many years ago a dear Janeite friend tagged her as a Harriet to her Emma. “It seemed appropriate since I was often asking for advice and was very mailable to change.” In her view, Harriet was a bit of a ditz and gullible which she has been accused of too. The thing she liked about being a Harriet is that Austen gave her such a great ending. She is resilient, and after being tossed about in love no less than three times in a year, Harriet gets the man she wanted in the first place and proves Emma, with her self-important airs, was totally clueless about the human heart. “I like having the last laugh, and being right.” ;-)

Sir John Middleton (Robert Hardy) and Mrs. Jennings (Elizabeth Spriggs)

Lately LA thinks she has evolved into Sir John Middleton from Sense and Sensibility. He was the Dashwood’s cousin and landlord of Barton Cottage. He is very gracious and likes to pop in and make sure his tenants are comfortable and entertained. He is a bit of a bore and talks too much about things that are not of interest to his young companions, but he likes dogs, has a good heart and loves to laugh. “As an enthusiastic bookseller, I like to inform customers of their choices and make suggestions. I am also a bit of an organizer and enjoy planning events on my blog, and orchestrating the 23 authors in my anthology. It is like herding cats, but I like being the boss of my own world!”

"One man's ways may be as good as another's, but we all like our own best." - Persuasion, Ch 13

Now our question. Which Jane Austen character do you, estimable viewer, most identify with, or which character are you afraid of becoming? Feel free to leave your comments!

Jane Austen Character Throwdown

Two of Jane Austen's heroines have been on my mind lately. Known for their restraint, they must bear their burdens silently before love comes knocking at their door.

Elinor Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility: Poor Elinor. Not only did she have to endure her sister, Marianne's, histrionic outpouring of grief over her loss of Willoughby, but she had to offer her support while keeping Edward Ferrar's engagement to Lucy Steele a secret. Lucy, a creepy and manipulative woman if ever there was one, targeted Elinor as her confidante on purpose, repeatedly pouring salt in the wound as she shared secrets that Elinor was honor bound to keep to herself. Not only did Elinor bear her sorrow silently as Marianne accused her of a lack of romantic feeling, but even her ally, Colonel Brandon, caused her great pain by asking her to inform Edward in person of Colonel Brandon's gift to him of a living at the parsonage at Delaford. While Elinor's heart was breaking, she had to tell Edward that he now had the means to marry Lucy.

Anne Elliot, Persuasion: Long-suffering Anne. For seven years she has regretted her decision to break off her relationship with Captain Wentworth at the urging of Lady Russell, who meant well. For seven years, her spirits have flagged, even as she lost her bloom. Suddenly he walks into her life, rich, successful, and handsome, and begins to court the Musgrove Sisters. Anne endures the situation in silence, not realizing that the Captain, while still mad with her, is in equal agony. With no one to turn to, not her selfish sister Mary, not her arrogant father and older sister Elizabeth, not even her good friend Lady Russell, Anne must endure the presence of the handsome captain, knowing she has lost him and that he will belong to someone else soon.

Gentle readers, for which lady does your heart ache more? Elinor or Anne?

For which Jane Austen heroine does your heart ache more?
	Long suffering Elinor Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility
	Long suffering Anne Elliot, Persuasion
pollcode.com free polls

Where Exactly Did Louisa Musgrove Fall?

When Alfred Tennyson visited Lyme Regis his friends wanted to show where in his rebellion in the 17th century, Monmouth had landed. But Lord Tennyson just wanted to know exactly where Louisa Musgrove had fallen:

"Don’t talk to me of the Duke of Monmouth; show me the exact spot where Louis[a] Musgrove fell."

To answer that question let's see what Jane Austen told us about Louisa's fall in Persuasion:

There was too much wind to make the high part of the new Cobb pleasant for the ladies, and they agreed to get down the steps to the lower, and all were contented to pass quietly and carefully down the steep flight, excepting Louisa; she must be jumped down them by Captain Wentworth. In all their walks, he had had to jump her from the stiles; the sensation was delightful to her. The hardness of the pavement for her feet, made him less willing upon the present occasion; he did it, however. She was safely down, and instantly, to show her enjoyment, ran up the steps to be jumped down again. He advised her against it, thought the jar too great; but no, he reasoned and talked in vain, she smiled and said, “I am determined I will:” he put out his hands; she was too precipitate by half a second, she fell on the pavement on the Lower Cobb, and was taken up lifeless! - Chapter 12

In the picture below we see the three movies with three versions of the different staircases.

Persuasion, the Fall – 1971, 1995 & 2007

When I read Persuasion for the first time I imagined a plain staircase and had no any idea of the shape of the Cobb. Finally, when I watched the 1995 and 2007 films I realized that the stairs were different, but certainly in the same place. The first, very rough, was made of steps embedded in the wall. The second wee finished in cement. I considered that the old staircase had been cemented at the time of filming in 2007, but then I realized that the steps were different and their positions were opposed.

Staircases - 1995 & 2007

Watching 1971's version, I saw the double staircase with woods in the background. I thought sincerely that they had filmed the scene in another place than the Cobb! I only believed that the locations were authentic when I discovered the Lyme Regis Pearl of Dorset's site and its webcam.

Staircases - 1971

Lyme Regis webcam screen shot

Now I changed the original question to: "From which of these three staircases did Louisa Musgrove fall?"

I believe I have found the answer in the book Jane Austen: Her Homes and Her Friends**, written by Constance Hill and illustrated by Ellen G. Hill (circa 1900), where the author describes her visit to Lyme Regis:

The Cobb lies on the further side of the harbour. It is a massive, semi-circular stone pier upon which are two broad causeways, on different levels, forming the Upper and the Lower Cobb. It has undergone many a repair since Miss Austen walked upon it in 1804 but, nevertheless, a considerable part of the old masonry still exists, which is marked by rough-hewn stones placed vertically. Against some of this old masonry, and about half way along the Cobb, are to be seen the identical “steep flight of steps” where the memorable scene of the accident in “Persuasion” is laid. [...]

The steps in question are formed of rough blocks of stone which project like the teeth of a rakefrom the wall behind. We can ourselves bear witness to the “hardness of the pavement” below, which Captain Wentworth feared would cause “too great a jar” when he urged the young lady to desist from the fatal leap.

Staircases by Ellen G. Hill

* Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892), 1st Baron Tennyson, much better known as "Alfred, Lord Tennyson," English poet. Among his most admired works are Idylls of the King and The Lady of Shalot.

** Jane Austen – Her Home & Her Friends by Constance Hill, illustrated by Ellen G. Hill. Richard Clay & Sons, Ltd., London, 1901.

- Submitted by Raquel Sallaberry, Jane Austen em Português

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

This week's question is merely one of preference. Which actress, to your mind, best represents Lady Russel in Persuasion? Lady Russel is Anne Elliot's surrogate mother and the person to whom she turns to for advice.


She was the best friend to Anne's beloved but deceased mother. A woman of birth and independent means, Lady Russell dispenses advise to the Elliots, most especially Anne. In the instance of Captain Wentworth, she advised Anne not to marry the penniless captain. Seven years after turning him down, Anne has come to regret her decision to follow Lady Russell's counsel, for the Captain has made his way in the world and become rich. Most importantly, she has never ceased to love him. She has come to understand that Lady Russell, while well-meaning, gave her bad advice.

Which actress do you like best in the role of Lady Russell? Alice Krige in the 2007 adaptation of Persuasion? (Top photo)

Or Susan Fleetwood in 1995's Persuasion?

It's a tough call, but I think you will have an opinion.

pollcode.com free polls

Best Lady Russell in Film

Alice Krige, 2007 Persuasion Susan Fleetwood, 1995 Persuasion

Ciarán Hinds Talks Up His Irish Side

An interview with Ciarán Hinds in the Orlando Sentinel reveals his Irish side. Best known to Janeites as the delectable Captain Wentworth in what many fans feel is the definitive movie adaptation of Persuasion, I have followed his career with much interest. He can play heroes and villains with ease, but mostly he portrays interesting characters. About his new film, Eclipse, he said:

“My soul is still Irish,” he says. The Eclipse not only would bring him home, to Cove in County Cork, but he’d be an Irish leading man — a grieving, troubled, would-be writer who sees ghosts and longs to start something with the fetching horror author visiting his town. Hinds won the best actor prize at the Tribeca Film Festival and glowing notices as “the wonderful and always underrated Ciarán Hinds” (Boxoffice Magazine) for the film, now opening in some U.S. cities.”

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

Don't you love the way Jane Austen's novels still inspire our modern perceptions of romance? Don't you just love Sandra Bullock and pre-botox Meg Ryan? I think our Jane would have approved of these two modern feisty, independent heroines. And the heroes are nothing to sneeze at either. Of the two choices this week, which film is the most romantically inspired by Jane Austen? Lake House or You've Got Mail? You decide. You tell us.

Most Romantic Jane Austen Inspired Film

The Lake House, loosely based on Persuasion

Caution: Hanky alert. This time travel movie is about second chances. As in Persuasion, the two characters yearn and long for someone who is out of reach. It is 2004 and Alex, played by Keanu Reeves, arrives at his new lake house. He begins to communicate with Kate (Sandra Bullock), who lived in the house in 2006. Through an unexplained alchemy, Kate and Alex discover that the Lake House's mailbox acts as a time travel communication channel through which they can correspond. As they exchange letters they fall hard for each other. Kate recalls the exact day and time she lost Persuasion on a commuter train. Using this information, she tries to meet Alex in real time. He finds the book but they miss each other by seconds. The final scene of this film is reminiscent of the pivotal scene in Persuasion, where Captain Wentworth informs Anne by letter that she pierces his soul. The passage that Alex marks for Kate in Persuasion is one of my favorites: “…there could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved." The film suffers from a lapse in logic, as most time travel tales do, but the pairing of Bullock and Reeves is irresistible and wholly romantic.

You've Got Mail, loosely based on Pride and Prejudice

I'll watch any film with Tom Hanks in it, even Turner and Hooch. In You've Got Mail he reteamed with Meg Ryan, playing the wily Mr. Fox to her feisty Kathleen. He is the owner/manager of a Barnes & Noble type chain store that opens just around the corner from a small book shop owned by Kathleen. She dislikes him on principle, knowing that these huge chain conglomerates put local book stores out of business. Joe in turn regards her as a shrill, royal pain in the arse. Though this engaging cinematic couple spar verbally whenever they meet, they unknowingly become email pals, where they express their true feelings and allow their personalities to shine. Kathleen has read Pride and Prejudice about a hundred times and each time worries that Elizabeth and Darcy are not going to get together. In the end, all is right with the world and Elizabeth and Darcy once again get together, as do Joe and Kathleen. This movie is a remake of that wonderful 1940 classic, The Shop Around the Corner. It also brought Ryan and Hanks together in multiple scenes, which Sleepless in Seattle failed to do.

Update: I forgot to add the poll! Here it is:

pollcode.com free polls

Most romantic jane austen inspired movie

The Lake House You've Got Mail

Persuasion: Fashion in the Age of Austen

This week the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia will feature a fashion show that I would give my eyeteeth to see - Persuasion: Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen, which will be shown in the Myer Fashion and Textiles Gallery and will run from May 22 to November 8th. Best of all, the show is free to the public. The exhibit will feature over 70 works, largely from the museum collection, and survey the period between1770 and 1830. Prints and drawings, decorative arts and paintings with a focus on English women’s dress from the early 19th century will be shown alongside these fabulous outfits, and key works from other Australian institutions and private collections will also be included. Many of the items in the NGV's holdings were collected in the 1960s and 70s by collectors Anne and Leo Schofield.

Jane Austen's fashionable characters in her novels, like Lucy Steele or Mrs. Allen, were portrayed as being rather silly. "It was not considered proper for anyone to talk endlessly about fashion," said Roger Leong, the NGV's curator of international fashion and textiles. "The characters who do talk at length about clothes are always the most idiotic." Yet Jane wrote about fashionable details in her letters to her family, and as Leong noted, "Austen's witty and perceptive comments about fashion mirrored the complex relationships within English society during her lifetime, especially between different classes and men and women."

Fashion changed dramatically during Jane Austen's lifetime. In 1775, the year of her birth, women wore constricting dresses with corsetry, hoops, or panniers. When Jane was in her 20's, the neoclassical influence had taken over. Women's clothes were high-waisted, streamlined, relatively unembellished, and made with soft muslin or diaphanous cottons. Towards the end of Jane's life in 1817, dresses were once more decorated with tucks, ruffles, and lace. Waists came down, the hour-glass silhouette returned, and stiffer fabrics and silk satins came into vogue again. "The variations of the waistline, upwards from the natural waist and then back again, were a distinctive characteristic of the time, one of the most dynamic periods in fashion," Leong said. The curator also observed that our knowledge of fashion during Jane's era comes largely from period films. He particularly admires "the costumes designed by Jenny Beavan and John Bright in Ang Lee's film Sense and Sensibility, which cited fashions from the 1790s, when Austen was writing the novel, rather than 1811, when it became her first published book."*

While empire dresses were popular for only a short period, they seem less cumbersome and restrictive to our modern eyes than the constricting fashions of the Georgian and Victorian eras. For modern fans, a costume worn by Colin Firth in 1995's Pride and Prejudice will be on display. (Rumor has it that it is a white shirt.)

• Announcement: ABC News
  
• NVG International
• *The Australian

Images:
1. Muslin dress, 1815-16
2. Detail of Pelisse, 1816, silk satin
3. Open robe, 1770
4. Carriage dress, 1830, silk
5. Round gown, 1802

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

12 Gifts of Christmas: Jane Austen's Birthday!

Inquiring readers, During this month of holiday celebrations, Laurel Ann and I will be offering the Twelve Gifts of Christmas. Some of the gifts will be giveaways, others will be free offerings online, and still others will be great gift ideas for you to give to others. Every gift will have a special relationship to this blog, us, or Jane Austen. Today in honor of Jane Austen’s Birthday we are happy to present gifts to our readers, all seven of Jane Austen’s major novels on unabridged audio by Naxos AudioBooks. Leave a comment stating why you enjoy reading or viewing Jane Austen by December 31st, and you will be eligible for a drawing for one of the following unabridged audios.

Gift Eight: Jane Austen Birthday Celebration Giveaways!

Sense and Sensibility: Read by Juliet Stevenson

When Mrs Dashwood is forced by an avaricious daughter-in-law to leave the family home in Sussex, she takes her three daughters to live in a modest cottage in Devon. For Elinor, the eldest daughter, the move means a painful separation from the man she loves, but her sister Marianne finds in Devon the romance and excitement which she longs for. The contrasting fortunes and temperaments of the two girls as they struggle to cope in their different ways with the cruel events which fate has in store for them are portrayed by Jane Austen with her usual irony, humour and profound sensibility. 11 CDs • Running Time: 11½ hours • ISBN: 978-9626343616

Pride and Prejudice: Read by Emilia Fox

Jane Austen’s most popular novel, originally published in 1813, some seventeen years after it was first written, presents the Bennet family of Longbourn. Against the background of gossipy Mrs Bennet and the detached Mr Bennet, the quest is on for husbands for the five daughters, beautiful Jane, witty Elizabeth, scholarly Mary, impressionable Kitty and wilful Lydia. The spotlight falls on Elizabeth, second eldest, who is courted by Mr Darcy though initially she is more concerned with the fate of her other sisters. This marvellous account of family life in Regency England is read with vigour and style by Emilia Fox. 11 CDs • Running Time: 15 hours • ISBN: 978-9626343562

Mansfield Park: Read by Juliet Stevenson

When timid, ten-year-old Fanny Price is plucked from her large, raucous and somewhat impoverished family in Portsmouth to live with wealthy relatives in Mansfield Park her life is changed for ever. Immediately forming a strong attraction for her cousin Edmund, she develops into a genteel and mature young woman, whose love for him remains undimmed despite the diversion brought into both their lives by the attractive but morally bankrupt Crawfords. With its suggestion of adultery, and written with all the wit and style of the mature Jane Austen, this is the work of a writer at the peak of her powers. It was published in 1814, and unlike its predecessors, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility which were revisions of her juvenile writing, Mansfield Park was completely original. Like its heroine Fanny Price, who develops during the course of the story to reach maturity, Jane Austen’s third published novel was a much more mature work from a writer of increasing experience. 14 CDs • Running Time: 17 hours • ISBN: 978-9626344675

Emma: Read by Juliet Stevenson

Arrogant, self-willed and egotistical, young Miss Emma Woodhouse is Jane Austen’s most unusual heroine. Her interfering ways and inveterate matchmaking are at once shocking and comic. She is ‘handsome, clever and rich’ and has ‘a disposition to think too well of herself’. When she decides to introduce the humble Harriet Smith, the natual daughter of who knows whom, to the delights of genteel society and to find her a suitable husband, she precipitates herself and her immediate circle into a web of misunderstanding, intrigue, and comedy from which no-one emerges unchanged. 13 CDs • Running Time: 16 hours • ISBN: 978-9626343944

Northanger Abbey: Read by Juliet Stevenson

When Catherine Morland, a country clergyman’s daughter, is invited to spend a season in Bath with the fashionable high society, little does she imagine the delights and perils that await her. Captivated and disconcerted by what she finds, and introduced to the joys of ‘Gothic novels’ by her new friend, Isabella, Catherine longs for mystery and romance. When she is invited to stay with the beguiling Henry Tilney and his family at Northanger Abbey, she expects mystery and intrigue at every turn. However, the truth turns out to be even stranger than fiction. 7 CDs • Running Time: 9 hours • ISBN: 978-9626344279

Persuasion: Read by Juliet Stevenson

Anne Elliot has grieved for seven years over the loss of her first and only love, Captain Frederick Wentworth. When their paths finally cross again, Anne finds herself slighted and all traces of their former intimacy gone. As the pair continue to share the same social circle, dramatic events in Lyme Regis, and later in Bath, conspire to unravel the knots of deceit and misunderstanding in this beguiling and gently comic story of love and fidelity. Juliet Stevenson reads this unabridged recording with her customary clarity and particular understanding for the words and world of Jane Austen. Running Time: 8½ hours • ISBN: 978-9626344361

Lady Susan: Read by Harriet Walter, Kim Hicks, Carole Boyd, and cast

Lady Susan was the first of Jane Austen’s novels to be completed. An epistolary novel in eighteenth-century style, it tells the story of the recently widowed Lady Susan Vernon, intelligent but highly manipulative, who is intent on gaining financially secure relationships for both herself and her wayward but shy teenage daughter Frederica. Less known than Austen’s six great later novels, it demonstrates the wit and sharp observations of Jane Austen – and is shown at its best in audiobook form, with different actresses presenting real characters as they read their letters. Featuring nineteenth-century chamber music. 2 CDs • Running Time: 2½ hours • ISBN: 978-9626342282

Both Vic (Ms. Place) and Laurel Ann adore audio books and know that each of the winners will be thrilled to listen to one of these quality recordings. You can visit the Naxos AudioBooks web site for detailed information on each of the audio recordings and listen to previews.



Happy Birthday Jane Austen! Pass on the celebration by sharing the news of this giveaway with your friends. A big thank you to the folks at Naxos AudioBooks USA for their generous support in our celebration of Jane Austen’s Birthday.

Happy Holidays from Vic(Jane Austen's World) & Laurel Ann (Austenprose)

Author Philippa Gregory “in bed” with Jane Austen

In the November newsletter from Good Reads, historical fiction author Philippa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl) was recently interviewed about her new novel, The Other Queen, the story of Mary, Queen of Scots. When asked what she liked to read before tucking into bed at night, top on her list was a very worthy choice, Jane Austen’s final novel Persuasion.

"Not her best-known work, but her most subtle and thoughtful. The romantic tension is terrific, and the great author is working out whether a woman should allow herself to be conventional and persuaded, or follow her own opinion."

I thoroughly concur with her great recommendation of Persuasion, and agree that it should make its way to the top of your beside table.

Other books listed as her favorites were:

Middlemarch by George Elliot
The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
History Play: The Lives and Afterlife of Christopher Marlowe by Rodney Bolt
The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch

Five great books recommended by one the best selling historical fiction authors today. What a great inspiration!

Watch an interview of Philippa Gregory as she discusses The Other Queen

Sign up to receive your own monthly newsletter from Good Reads by becoming a member.

I recommend the new Oxford World's Classic edition of Persuasion for your reading pleasure.

posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Watch Austen Adaptations Instantly

Want your dose of Jane Austen instantly? For Netflix subscribers, that wish is a reality.

Recently, I discovered this fabulous instant viewing feature that is available through my subscription, and I was able to select from a huge list of titles and watch a streaming video on my computer. My first choice to view was the 1980 miniseries of Pride and Prejudice, staring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul, and what a pleasure it was, again!

There are three other Jane Austen adaptations available for instant viewing; - all produced by the BBC and filmed from the 1970’s and early 1980’s. They are now Austen classics, and worthy of your consideration and enjoyment.

Emma (1972) directed by John Glenister, adaptation by Dennis Constanduros, staring Doran Godwin as Emma Woodhouse, John Carson as Mr. Knightley, Donald Eccles as Mr. Woodhouse, Debbie Bowen as Harriet Smith, Timothy Peters as Mr. Elton, Robert East as Frank Churchill, Fiona Walker as Mrs. Elton, and Ania Marson as Jane Fairfax. This version of Emma is quite extensive being close to five hours long, so much of Jane Austen's language is included in the script. Fiona Walker rules the roost as Mrs. Elton! Doran Godwin's Emma is a bit stiff, and very vexing, but we still love her in the end. 270 minutes

Pride and Prejudice (1980) directed by Cyril Coke, adaptation by Fay Weldon, staring Elizabeth Garvie as Elizabeth Bennet, David Rintoul as Mr. Darcy, Sabina Franklyn as Jane Bennet, Marsha Fitzalan as Caroline Bingley, Judy Parfit as Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Clare Higgins as Kitty Bennet. Others say that this is the truest version to Jane Austen's novel, but I beg to differ. It runs a close second to P&P (1995) for the use of Jane Austen's laguage in a script. Miss Garvie is the definitive Elizabeth Bennet. Some say that Mr. Rintoul as Darcy is wooden, but read the book again folks. Rintoul plays Darcy as Austen intended! 265 minutes.

Sense and Sensibility (1981) directed by Rodney Bennett, adapted by Alexander Baron, staring Irene Richard as Elinor Dashwood, Tracey Childs as Marianne Dashwood, Diana Fairfax as Mrs. Dashwood, Peter Woodward as John Willoughby, Bosco Hogan as Edward Ferrars and Robert Swann as Colonel Brandon. At close to three hours, this version is longer than some, but not quite enough Austen to satisfy my appetite. The Dashwood sisters are as engaging as ever, but the male trio of co-leads, Willoughby, Ferrars and Brandon are unconvincing. It is still a worthy production, and merits a viewing to round out your Austen adaptation experience. 176 minutes.

Mansfield Park (1983) directed by David Giles, adaptation by Ken Taylor, staring Sylvestra Le Touzel as Fanny Price, Nicholas Farrell as Edmund Bertram, Bernard Hepton as Sir Thomas Bertram, Robert Burbage as Henry Crawford, Anna Massey as Aunt Norris, Jackie Smith-Wood as Mary Crawford and Anglea Pleasence as Lady Bertram. At over five hours in length, this version is more than an ample serving of Mansfield Park, ahem! As one of Austen's most perplexing heroines, Sylvestra Le Touzel's interpretation of dear Fanny Price is at times as annoying as her character in the book, and a great testament to honoring an author's original intensions. Her reaction when she is prevailed upon to accept Henry Crawford's proposal of marriage is brilliant. Nicholas Farrell as Edmund is ok. Just about the same doormat as in the novel. 312 minutes.

In addition, all of these productions are included in the six film collectors DVD set, Jane Austen – Complete Collection, which is available for purchase online from Barnes & Noble booksellers. The set also includes Persuasion (1971) staring Anne Firbank as Anne Elliot, and Northanger Abbey (1986) staring Katharine Schlesinger as Catherine Morland.

After viewing Pride and Prejudice (1980) again, I truly believe that Elizabeth Garvie’s performance as Elizabeth Bennet is as close to perfection as a Janeite could hope for!

Posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

What Did You Think of Miss Austen Regrets?

Be sure to cast your vote on our Miss Austen Regrets poll in the left hand column, and then check the latest results. So far, it looks like 33% of our readers really enjoyed the new biopic on Jane Austen's life.

Would you like your own copy of Miss Austen Regrets for your DVD library? If so, then you're in luck. It will be included as an additional feature with the new BBC mini-series Sense and Sensibilty DVD. Both productions are available together for pre-orders and will be released for sale on April 8th.


All of the adaptations in The Complete Jane Austen series that have previously aired on PBS are available for purchase at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and the PBS Shop online. Persuasion, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park can be purchased separately. Their is also a Collector's set of Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility and Miss Austen Regrets available for pre-order, and will also be released on April 8th.

It will be interesting to see if those good folks at PBS combine all the productions in The Complete Jane Austen as a Collector's set in the future. That would be the ultimate Austenpalooza weekend!

Posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Persuasion, A Question: What Are Your Thoughts?

Gentle Readers,

Some weeks ago my online friend Eric asked me a simple question: Which Jane Austen book would I recommend? He had already read Pride and Prejudice and seen the movie. First, I was so excited that a man wanted to read a Jane Austen novel, so without hesitation I replied: Persuasion.

Eric is 2/3 of the way through the book, and he has a few questions. For the fun of it I thought I would solicit the Janeites to help answer them. Here are his observations:

By the way, I'm two thirds of the way through Persuasion. It's an odd book compared to Pride and Prejudice. Austen mocks people for their excessive class pride but she seems so class conscious herself it seems a little hypocritical. And Ann seems a little confused, too. She's embarrassed that her family was forced to rent the manor and move to Bath but her original idea was to rent the manor and move into a cottage in their own village? That's such a bizarre idea. I tend to wonder why they didn't move to Bath sooner; the father and sister seem to be perfectly suited for that lifestyle.

And I had forgotten that the sisters were quite as old as they are. Still on the market in their late 20s? Shocking! I know Elizabeth's age is made into a joke (she doesn't seem to understand how she has gotten so old). But Ann is certainly piling on the suiters, isn't she? Anyway, I'm enjoying it. Looking forward to seeing the movie! Eric

So, readers. Please feel free to make a comment and share your well-informed thoughts with Eric. I will mull his points over and make comments as well.

Ms. Place

The Cob at Lyme Regis: Persuasion

Ah, England. One of the chilliest periods I ever spent in my life was April in London.

Be that as it may, when I saw this scene in Persuasion 2007, I realized how much the settings added to the drama in this film adaptation. The Cob seemed cold and forbidding, and the waves were ominous. Considering the state of Captain Wentworth's and Anne's feelings, and their anxiety (or fearfulness) of being rejected by the other, this scene was quite apropos.

Jane Austen's Lyme Regis (Think Persuasion)

"[Jane] delighted in the scenery around Charmouth with 'its sweet retired bay backed by dark cliffs, where fragments of low rock among the sands make it the happiest spot for watching the flow of the tide, for sitting in unwearied contemplation.'" A Portrait of Jane Austen, David Cecil, p. 104

"In the Autumn of 1804 Miss Jane Austen, together with her father and mother, spent some weeks at Lyme Regis. As they drove to that place from Bath, they would probably go by way of Shepton Mallet, Somerton and Crewkerne, and, leaving Axminster a couple of miles to their right, would join the Lyme Road where an old inn called "The Hunter's Lodge" stands. Then passing through the "cheerful village of Uplyme" they would descend the long hill towards Lyme itself, and pass down its quaint main street, which seems to be "almost hurrying into the water" as Miss Austen says. Half way down the street the chaise would turn into a lane, which, running westward, finally makes a precipitous descent to the harbour. At the end of the little parade or "walk" nearest to the harbour on a grassy hillside there stands a long, rambling, white cottage, [Page 134] and it is in this cottage that tradition declares the Austens to have stayed." From:
Jane Austen: Her Home and Her Friends

Also read: Jane Austen in Lyme Regis


Lyme Regis Assembly Ball Room during Jane Austen's time.

The Cobb as described in Persuasion.

Lyme Regis Today:

Photos of Lyme Regis, Dorset Coast (Click here)
Photos of Lyme Regis (Click here)







Click here to see costumes from the movie, Persuasion.

House in which Jane Austen lodged (see drawing above.) And a Lyme Regis holiday cottage today.