Jane Austen TV

[Mini Mia]

I've seen the Keira Knightley "Pride & Prejudice" movie a few times now, and when I caught it again the other night I had an "Eureka!" moment. I should record or buy the Jane Austen movies to watch before I read the books. This way I'll know what the book is trying to say, and perhaps it will make more sense to me.

So ... what do you feel is the best movie/series adaptation of the books?

I enjoyed the Keira Knightley "Pride & Prejudice" movie. So far, it's my favorite, and will most likely be my favorite of the books, provided I ever finish reading it. I've seen the Emma Thompson "Sense & Sensibility" movie & the Gwyneth Paltrow "Emma" movie, but I don't recall if I've seen older versions of these same movies.

Anyhoo, that got me to wondering if other versions might be even better than these, so please do share if you feel there are others just as worthy to watch and record/buy.

Thanks.

[Phalon]

I have one to recommend, Joxie - although it's not a movie adapted from one of Austen's books. It's a movie about her: Becoming Jane.

Great movie all around, in my opinion - gorgeous period costumes, scenery, and rich dialogue. It'll give you some insight to the author, and perhaps you'll enjoy her books more.

www.imdb.com/title/tt0416508/

[Mini Mia]

It is a good movie, Phalon. I've already seen it. Alas, it's the way the stories are told that keep me from getting into the books. And I don't mean that they aren't well written, because they would not have lasted this long if they weren't. (Nor would the movies be entertaining.) It's just that the writing is done in such a manner that befuddles me to no end. I've not finished "The Scarlet Letter" for the same reason. And I don't read a lot or poetry for the same reasons. I can't seem to make heads or tails out of what it all means.

Perhaps I'm just illiterate when it comes to certain types of prose. Maybe there is a secret that I haven't yet uncovered, and once I do all old style books will suddenly make sense to me. I wish that were true, I'd love to suddenly be able to understand these books, when I do enjoy the movies. Now, if I didn't like the movies, I wouldn't care in the lest as to whether or not I could get into the books.

[Mini Mia]

I had noticed from all these movies that they read books out loud to one another, so I did wonder if reading the books out loud would help.

[Phalon]

Why don't you try getting books that are annotated, Joxie. I'm not a poetry reader either, but there were blurbs I had read of Horace's poetry that I liked, but parts of it I didn't understand. I found a wonderful annotated book at the library of his poetry, and it allowed me to enjoy his works without getting frustrated trying to decipher what he wrote.

I two-minute drilled: there's an annotated "Pride and Prejudice" version available. Here's Amazon's product description:

"This book represents the first annotated version ever of Jane Austen's most popular novel. It contains the complete text of the novel, along with more than 2300 annotations. These annotations provide historical background on the society and customs depicted in the novel, point out connections between its incidents and Jane Austen's own life, analyze the techniques and themes of the author, and define the many words in the novel that have become archaic or have shifted their meaning since the time it was published. The book also includes illustrations related to the period, as well as an introduction discussing the novel's overall structure, a chronology laying out the precise sequence of events in the story, and maps showing all the places mentioned in the text."

Oh, and in the two-minute drill, I found there's a "Jane Austen for Dummies" book too.

[Mini Mia]

Ooh, cool. Some time ago I did look for a more modern version of Jane's works, but never found anything. I guess it is considered sacrilege to mess with the prose of older works. Personally, if it would get the works read by those who wouldn't read it otherwise, why not?

[Mini Mia]

P&P: Video Read (12:20)