My Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Conspiracy Theory Continues

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Gentle Reader, I have caught the Oliver Stone bug of seeing a conspiracy wherever I look. Take Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, for instance. I wrote a paranoid post about this film, thinking that it will probably never be made, for all the published reports about changes in actors and directors reeked of publicity and promo. The latest news is that Craig Gillespie will direct this film and that he is "close to signing on the dotted line." Well, this article seems to confirms that he will direct Pride and Prejudice and zombies.

The announcement totally kills my conspiracy theory. I have mentioned that the publicists are quite careful in promoting the pre-publicity of this film, and have included using such qualifiers such as “possible”, “rumored”, “battling for”, “may tackle”, “under consideration”. "Close to signing" is another gem in this PR lexicon.

Craig Gillespie, director?

So, will Craig actually direct this film? Or is this another way of keeping the franchise of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in the public eye? Does the following statement from MovieWeb contain qualifiers? I would say yes - at least two. "It isn't clear', and "seems they are ramping up."

"It isn't clear when production will begin on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, although with a director finally locked in, it seems they are ramping up to start filming soon."

Sense and Sensibility: Two hundred years this year

Gentle readers, frequent contributor Tony Grant wrote this post for Raquel Sallaberry's blog, Jane Austen em Português. Raquel has generously agreed to let me publish this post, which Tony sent in English.

This year is the two hundredth anniversary of the publication of Sense and Sensibility. Jane Austen started writing this novel of youth and naivity when she was nineteen years of age. It is an exploration of a teenagers emotional pain and mistakes made.

Castle Square today

I first became aware of Jane Austen at an early age. I was born and brought up in Southampton on the south coast of England. Southampton was the town Jane lived in with her mother, her best friend Martha Lloyd and her brother frank’s wife , Mary. They moved into a house in Castle Square during the year of 1806. It had a high position behind the ancient medieval walls of the town overlooking a great bay where centuries before Henry V and his troops had set sail from for France and victory at Agincourt. They had a magnificent view of the New Forest in the distance.

18th century white house is Tony's school

When I was a little boy my grandmother pointed out the pub called the Juniper Berry and now called the Bosuns Locker which is on the sight of the house where Jane lived with her family. I also went to school in Bitterne and attended St Mary’s College which is situated on a hill overlooking a valley with the Portsmouth Road running through it. On the other side of the valley used to be the estate of a family called the Lances.

Little Lance's Hill on part of the Lance's estate

Jane Austen became friends with the Lances while living in Southampton, attended balls at the Dolphin Hotel in the high street with the Lance daughters and visited their house for tea and admired Mrs Lance’s pianoforte. From my classroom I could look out on Lances Hill on the opposite side of the valley and was told on more than one occasion by my English teacher that Jane Austen had been there. So from a very early age I was aware of Jane Austen.

The Dolphin Hotel

I didn’t read any of her novels until in 1975 I was doing a degree in English literature. One of my units was a course on the 19th century novel and we had to read Mansfield Park. I loved getting to grips with the structure of Mansfield Park and the meanings in the novel. As the years went by I visited Winchester many times. I got to know Chawton well, paying homage to Jane, and adding, over the years, layer after layer of knowledge and developing responses to our Jane.

It wasn’t until about five years ago I set about reading all of Jane’s novels including Sanditon, getting to grips with her letters and reading Claire Tomlin’s excellent biography of Jane.

Chesil House, the home of the Lances

Sense and Sensibility is of special importance to me because I think, one of the things Jane enables us to do in all her novels is hold a mirror up to ourselves. Her novels help us reflect on ourselves. Sense and Sensibility does this especially for me through the character of Willoughby. He reminds me of my dissolute youth, perhaps drinking too much , looking out for a good time always, and seeing attractive women merely as a good lay. I too was superficial. I empathise with his pain as maturity and knowledge of his true love dawns on him. Willoughby was unlucky because he made too many fatal mistakes and lost Marianne. I was far luckier. I met my wife, Marilyn, and she changed me. It felt, just right, deep down when I met her. We made a connection. It is still right 29 years and four children later. The superficiality of my early relationships, often as exciting as exploding fireworks, were no more than that, a bright sparkling explosion and then nothing.

Carried her down the hill. Brock image @Molland's

Thank you Jane for writing Sense and Sensibility and thank you Willoughby for reminding me what could have happened. All men should read Sense and Sensibility for their own good.

Royal Weddings by Emily Brand: A Review and Poll

It is a fact not universally known that Westminster Abbey became the regular setting for royal British weddings in 1919 and 1922, when Princess Patricia of Connaught (granddaughter of Queen Victoria) and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon were respectively married to commoner Alexander Ramsay and the future King George VI. The enormous interior of that magnificent edifice allowed the two couples to invite an impressive number of guests to witness their nuptials.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in Westminster Abbey. Image @CBC News

Young Queen Victoria settled on the more traditional but cramped setting of St. James's Palace, since prior to the 20th century, royal weddings were consider private affairs.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

In a few weeks, Westminster Abbey will host a royal wedding for the 38th time. Royal wedding fever has gripped the world, as evidenced by the proliferating number of merchants seeking to make a profit with souvenirs of questionable taste. These tacky tchotchkes have been around for a long time - as early as 1625, when profile portraits of Charles I and Henrietta Maria were set on tokens to commemorate their wedding.

Excellent example of a tchotchke

In honor of Will's and Kate's most splendid (and expensive) occasion on April 29th, Shire Library has released Royal Weddings by Emily Brand. This short but tasteful, 56-page book is crammed with useful information and images (some quite rare) that explain the evolution of royal marriages from those that united the children of Britain's ruling families for princely gain, not personal satisfaction – to the modern era, where quite a few personal choices based on love led disastrously to divorce.

George V and Mary of Teck on their wedding day in featured in The Illustrated London News, 15 July, 1983

Emily Brand is a writer and historian with a special interest in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century England. In Royal Weddings she chronicles the pomp and splendour of royal marriages since 1066 in a slim and sleek 56 page book that is generously enhanced with 60 full-color pieces of rare art and images of elaborate decorations, feasts and wedding cakes; ornate jewelry; commemorative medallions; evolving wedding fashions; marriage announcements; and menu card. Many juicy historical tidbits are sprinkled throughout the book, but for the sake of brevity, I shall concentrate on trivia from the Georgian era:

When not in the mood, close your eyes and think of England! The prolific George III and Charlotte.

While Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was far from attractive, George III remained loyal to her and did not take a mistress for the entirety of their marriage. Alehouses advertised Mecklenburg purl and Coronation porter in honor of the event.

Gillray's cartoon of the bridal night. 1797.Wedding night of Charlotte Augusta Matilda, Princess Royal and Prince Frederick William Charles of Wurtemberg; Duke of York, Clarence and Gloucester

The Prince Regent (future George IV) was quite drunk during the marriage ceremony, and had to be supported as he walked down the aisle. Despising his bride, Princess Caroline of Mecklenburg, on sight, he spent his wedding night inebriated and unconscious. Nevertheless, he performed his duty early, for nine months later, Caroline gave birth to their only child, Princess Charlotte.He was never to enter their marital bed again. The above cartoon depicts the lack of privacy royals enjoyed on their wedding night.

Princess Charlotte's marriage to Prince Leopold was short but happy. After her death he sincerely grieved for her.

Princess Charlotte managed to be happy in her marriage to Prince Leopold, but their wedded bliss lasted less than two years when she died in agony giving birth to a stillborn son. Her death sparked a flurry of weddings in which the King's bachelor brothers married in hopes of producing an heir. While King George III and Queen Charlotte were prolific, their fifteen children were not. It was the Duke of Kent's daugher, Victoria, who would ascend to the throne.

"The cartoon above shows Princess Charlotteon her wedding night in her bed, throwing her stocking to the four old maid aunts (the daughters of George III). Her husband, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, is impatiently peeping round the door. The depicted aunts were kept unmarried first by their father, then by their mother to buffer her from their father in his "madness". Kew Palace became renowned for being home to these sisters, unmarried against their will." - From Culture 24 - Exhibit at Kew Palace 

I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to anyone who has been smitten with Royal Wedding fever. Order the book here from Random House.

My question to you, gentle reader, is this: “Will you be one of the one billion people to watch the nuptials on television?”

Will you watch the royal wedding on TV April 29th?
	Yes
	No
	Perhaps
pollcode.com free polls

More on the topic:

• Regency wedding dresses and later developments
• The Strange Marriage of the Prince Regent and Princess Caroline of Brunswick
• Wedding of Princess Elizabeth
• Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold
• A Triple Tragedy: How Princess Charlotte's Death in 1817 Changed Obstetrics
• French Fashions in London

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!

Peeps and Prejudice and S'mores

Since the Washington Post held its first Peeps Diorama Contest in 2007, thousands of sweet and sticky entries looking for the true masters of the mallow medium have been submitted. The finalists of the fifth annual Peeps Diorama Contest were announced today. Click here to vote for your favorite peeps diorama.  Meanwhile, enjoy two of last year's finalists and a semi-finalist.

Peeps and Prejudice and Zombies, Semi-Finalist in Peeps Show IV

Dioramists Dayle Cristinzio of Silver Spring, MD and Kasey Gillette of the District depict a ballroom scene with traditional dancing and zombie mayhem in "Peeps and Prejudice and Zombies." Complete with period costumes, an original peep oil painging and a working chandelier, how can one not fall in love with this Easter dramatization of a most beloved Jane Austen/Seth Grahame-Smith mashup.

Where the Wild Peeps Are by Margaret Cooney and Adam Matuszeski

Creating a Masterpeeps by Phyllis Mayes

From Washington Post Lifestyle: Last Year's Fourth Annual Peeps Show

The Dashwood Sisters Tell All, by Beth Pattillo: A Review

The Dashwood Sisters Tell All is Beth Pattillo's third novel about the modern day world of Jane Austen. Three years ago, Beth's first novel, Jane Austen Ruined My Life, introduced us to Mrs. Parrot and the Formidables, the secret society that protected Jane Austen's private letters. Her second novel, Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart, followed the formula, as does this most recent book.

The Dashwood Sisters Tell All was obviously written to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Sense and Sensibility, for Mimi and Ellen Dodge are the modern counterparts to Marianne and Elinor Dashwood. At the time of their mother's death, they are estranged. Only the conditions of her will unite the two sisters, who are different in temperament and ambitions. They are to participate in a Jane Austen themed walking tour and agree on an appropriate place to scatter her ashes. Once this happens, the two sisters will receive their inheritance. This turns out to be Cassandra Austen's priceless diary, which had the following words written on the fly leaf:

Private property of Miss Cassandra Austen

Do Not Read.

That Means You, Jane.

As the Mimi and Ellen read the passages, they note that certain worlds are underlined, leading to riddles that the sisters feel they can solve. (Shades of Emma!) Then the diary goes missing, and the sisters immediately suspect Mrs. Parrot. Add to this mix a good description of the Jane Austen tour, three men who resemble Colonel Brandon, Willoughby, and Edward Ferrars, and you have a satisfying read.

My only quibble was how Beth used the first person point of view for both sisters, for I felt that their “voices” were too similar. The only clues as to who was telling the story were the events they thought about and their particular habits, for I did not realize for several chapters that Mimi and Ellen were both telling the story. I would have given the sisters unique vocabulary preferences and thought quirks to make their voices truly distinctive.

Beth Patillo fans will not be disappointed with this third Formidable tale. A newcomer to the series might be a bit confused, for the Formidables are not as well described as in her first two books. Still, the tale is well crafted. The mystery of the missing diary is finally solved (easily, for the culprit is obvious), but the twist at the very end came as a surprise.

I give The Dashwood Sisters Tell All three out of three Regency fans.Order the book here.

PBS Movie Throwdown

PBS aired the first episode of Upstairs Downstairs tonight. This week's throwdown asks a simple question: How well does this series stack up against Downton Abbey? Curious minds want to know.

Servants in Upstairs Downstairs

Upstairs Downstairs vs Downton Abbey
	UpDown is better
	Downton is better
	I like them both
	No opinion
pollcode.com free polls

Servants in Downton Abbey

Jane Eyre 2011: A Review by Two

Inquiring readers, Jean from Delightful Repast and I exchanged our thoughts about the new Jane Eyre film adaptation. I thought you might be interested in our discussion, which began with Jean's question about what I thought of the film.

Jean, rarely do I see a film on opening day, but I rushed to see Jane Eyre. Others did too, for our local art house theatre was full. My initial reaction was that the first half of the film was missing. We meet St.John and his sisters first, but without proper introduction, so that the viewer who had not read the book would be totally mystified and were probably left wondering for the rest of the film: who were these people and why should I care? What did you think about the film's structure?

Vic, what structure? Did it have structure? "Mystified" is a good word for what the people in my group were who had not read the book or seen other versions. I saw the film with five friends with varying degrees of familiarity with the story. Two of us had seen nearly every version ever made.

You see, I had already started a Jane Eyre "festival" of my own when I heard a new version would be coming out in March. A friend who had only seen the William Hurt version (and loved it) discovered that I was a lifelong Jane Eyre aficionado and wanted to see it with me. When I told her about the other versions, she wanted to see those as well. So through fall and winter we did just that. My husband called us The Eyre-heads! So the two of us were in a position to know how a Jane Eyre film should be "structured"!

Wow, Jean, you are a true fan! While I have seen all the Jane Eyre film adaptations (I loved the 2006 version with Toby Stevens and Ruth Wilson), I did not prepare myself as thoroughly as your group. I thought the costumes and sets were gorgeous, and found the acting more than adequate (who can quibble with Judi Dench as housekeeper? Michael Fassbender as a hunky Rochester? and Mia Wasikowska as a not so very plain Jane?), but I was totally flummoxed by the choppiness of the script. So very little introduction was provided to explain the characters' actions, that I was glad I had read the book more than once. Woe betide those who expected a coherent story.

I first read the book when I was seven and read it many times after that. This film, sad to say, bore no resemblance to the book. We went in prepared to love it, but just couldn't. The acting was good, yes, but there was just something "off," something missing. I liked Michael Fassbender--I'm sure I would like him very much in other things--but he was not Mr. Rochester. Mia Wasikowska, though a fine actor, was not Jane. I love Judi Dench, but she was not Mrs. Fairfax. I wasn't sure what to blame for this disappointing production.  Direction? Script? Both?

The ending was so abrupt in this short film (90 minutes) that half the audience sniggered in disbelief when the house lights came on. I doubt that director Cary Joji Fukunaga was going for this end result. Focus Features' website proudly states: “Jane Eyre, director Cary Joji Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) and screenwriter Moira Buffini (Tamara Drewe) infuse a contemporary immediacy into Charlotte Brontë’s timeless, classic story.” Frankly, I think this team threw the baby out with the bath water.

Are you kidding me? It was only 90 minutes long? I thought it would never end! And when a Jane Eyre audience goes to see Jane Eyre, they are not looking for "contemporary immediacy," thank you veddy much! I don't mean to sound harsh, but I think perhaps that pretty phrase is something they came up with after the fact to explain away the choppiness.

When I returned home after the show I drowned my disappointment in a glass of wine. What comfort food would you suggest for a couple who shelled out $20 to see this film?

Fortunately, my group of six planned ahead. We had afternoon tea at home after the matinee. It was all set before we left for the movie (drove 75 miles round trip to see it!). We just had to put the kettle on, pull the two kinds of sandwiches out of the fridge and warm the scones. Most comforting! We had hoped to simply enjoy discussing the wonderful movie over tea but, as it turned out, we needed the comfort! Here's a link to my recipe for Tea and Scones.

Jean, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. My companion at the theatre was equally as disappointed, and from the murmurs in the crowd, Jane Eyre did not wow Richmond last night.

Question: What is your favorite Jane Eyre film adaptation? Inquiring minds want to know.

Correction: IMBD says that the film is 120 minutes long. I must have slept through a half hour.- Vic

Follow Friday

The husband of a Jane Austen reader of my blog, Jane Austen's World, wrote to say that " She found it funny that another person had the same - if not better - idea for that banner, although mine is still a work in progress."

Jane Austen's World banner

I hurried over to his blog, Vague Rant, and found his re-interpretation of the misty scene to be ironic and original. I wrote back to say that Jane would have found this situation funny, which is why I am such a big fan of hers. He agreed. Both banners evoke what our blogs are about.

Vague Rant banner

Another blog had changed the same generic scene into a GIF image with branches swaying in the wind and leaves falling. I was unable to reproduce that image (or recall which blog had made the change.) Upon seeing it three years ago, I realized that I could alter the banner to suit the theme of my blog.

Generic blog banner

Have you noticed similar alterations? Inquiring minds want to know.

Muslin Gown: Regency Fashion

Kent State University Museum: 19th Century Gallery features this breathtaking 1800's white muslin gown (in four views). I want one.

1800 Round gown, muslin. Image @Kent State University Museum

The sheerness of 19th century muslin is demonstrated in this photograph by Madame Guillotine, whose blog offered two posts with images of the most luscious gowns from the Fashion Museum in Bath.

Muslin dress. Image @Madame Guillotine

Definition of Muslin:
Muslin: 1. plain woven, bleached or gray, soft finished cotton fabric, in a great variety; ranging from the finest Dacca muslin, to coarse fabrics used for dresses, aprons, sheets, shirts ,the latter often having warp stripes; 2. a very light, loose plain woven cotton fabric ,considerably stiffened in the finish, used for foundations in dresses.

The white muslin cloth was made in India in Dhaka (now Bangladesh), and grown from a variety of cotton plant made in the region. Muslin of such sheerness and fine quality is hard to find today.

Colin Firth, The Biography

Out now in the U.K. is Colin Firth's first biography by Alison Maloney, which

"reveals: his early life in Nigeria; the secrets of his escape to Canada with actress Meg Tilly, the birth of their first son and his heartbreak as the relationship floundered; the passionate affair with "Pride and Prejudice" co-star Jennifer Ehle; and his whirlwind romance with his Italian wife, Livia. Fascinating, revelatory and suffused with Firth's own dry wit, this is a must-read book on the man of the moment."

Order the book from Waterstones.com (delivery is free in the UK) or on Amazon.co.uk

Submitted by Raquel Sallaberry, Jane Austen em Portugues

Regency Fashion: Dumpy Lady

Cabrio4 from eBay always sells the nicest Regency fashion plates. Her description of this lady and her companion made me laugh.

"Here we have two delightfully dumpy ladies in Morning Dresses from February."

This image is only a detail of the Ladies Monthly Museum plate featured. Click here to see the entire illustration.

Jane Austen's Novels: Beautiful Emma Cover

Penguin Books has an illustrious design history, and to reinforce its dedication to well-designed covers, it has tapped illustrator Jillian Tamaki to embroider several classics for the publisher’s Threads series. 

You can look at the other beautiful book covers in this link.

Jane Austen Fashion Throwdown

It's April! Bonnet time. Which of the two 1816 bonnets would you choose to wear on a fine spring day? They were both featured in La Belle Assemblée.

Bonnet A

Bonnet B.

The La Belle Assemblee bonnet I prefer:
	Bonnet A
	Bonnet B
pollcode.com free polls

Pocket Posh: A Jane Austen Puzzle book

Coming this month is this book from the Puzzle Society™ with crossword puzzles, trivia quetions, and word scrambles. This pretty book, small enough to fit inside your coat pocket or purse, will test your knowledge about Jane Austen's characters, stories and life. Why not be the first Janeite in your group to own one?

Coming to stores in mid-April.

Friday Fabulousness: And the Winner of The Jane Austen Handbook Is ...

This is no April Fool's joke! For once the random number generator landed on among the last of the names entered and (after taking away the duplicates and my own comment) the winner of The Jane Austen Handbook is ....

TA Dah! ... Treasa!

Please contact me (see the contact email) and send me your mailing address.

Thank you all for entering the contest. You have asked a number of questions that I shall try to address at Jane Austen's World over the next year.  Now, I wonder if the number generator will ever land on the top five comments?