Austen-itis

There are times when nothing but a Jane Austen adaptation is appropriate. After a day of waiting for my parents to arrive safely home and trying to keep the flood of tears at bay, and then pouring my heart out on mom about the latest emotional disaster...we wound up on the couch watching Emma together. It was unexpected, because we just made a cup of tea and were settling in to watch Harry Potter on ABC Family while waiting for the Supermoon's arrival. But instead, Emma had just begun and we switched over to that.

Quite British, actually, to drink a spot of tea and watch Jane Austen on the telly. (hear that in the best British accent you've got, cuz mine kind of stinks)I'd been stung by Jane Austen-itis lately - as I walked past my copy of Pride & Prejudice a few times, thinking "I'd love to watch that for the 758,645th time."* Something about being swept away into a period when relationships where clear, women dressed in lovely dresses, men wore beautiful suits and spoke with decorum, dinners were dressy occasions, dances were mysterious and choreographed, and vocabulary far exceeded "whar u b 2nite , lmbo @ bdubs eatin' wings w/da (insert various curse words along the way too)" - don't laugh, I've seen that text before - not on my phone, mind you, but I have. Ah...Jane Austen-world. Escapism for the romantic heart at its best.

It's interesting, most people who know me tell me they see me as Lizzie from P&P because of her sharp tongue and being so well read. Wishful thinking, I think. Anymore, I most identify with Emma because she's forever saying and doing things to others that she cares for that wreak havoc and hurt on said people. She is very soon after, very remorseful, and doubly tries to rectify her behaviors - which sometimes leads to even more comical mishaps. Yeah, I get that.

Perhaps even more ironic is that of the cadre of Jane Austen men, while I have incredible affection for Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy in the A&E/BBC miniseries from 1995, Mr. Knightly of Emma is my most beloved of all. He is gentle, loving, unswervingly kind, respectful, of impeccable character, tender towards to needs of others & sometimes brutally honest with Emma about her failings. He is a friend to Emma's family that is unmatched. Can you not see why he is my favorite? Let us not forget that the dashing Jeremy Northam plays him in the 1996 Douglas McGrath incarnation. Mr. Northam is handsome and commands his role so well. Regardless, I think perhaps Mr. Knightly is precisely the kind of gentleman I admire most because he is the epitome of Grace to those around him in every station and every way. And I am a woman in severe need of grace frequently.

Ah....now that I've written about this Jane Austen man I adore, now I feel compelled to watch Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion and whatever else I can get my hands on....oy vey.

Comments

  1. MMM...I could go for a lil S&S- bring on Hugh/Edward! This needs to be our next movie night pick!

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