Jane Austen and zombies...and sea monsters?

I frequent book shops a LOT, and usually go to the classics section first, searching for any new Jane Austen releases. I'm starting to see some scary sights though. Anyone heard of 'Pride & Prejudice and Zombies'? I don't know much about it except that it's like a mesh of P&P and the increasingly popular zombie fiction. But basically what I've heard is that all the characters and the plot is the same, except they're all monster/zombie hunters?? Strange thought and I seriously doubt that anything is going to tempt me to read it, but I wondered if anyone had?

Anyway, I thought it might just be a one of, but my last visit to my favourite bookstore showed me that I was wrong. It seems that we're going to see a lot more books featuring our beloved heroines fighting zombies and vampires, sea monsters and goodness knows what else? The latest one is Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, again taking the plot and characters but including sea monsters and mutated sea creatures - it's all a bit like Davy Jones and the Flying

Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean.

I'm disappointed to see Jane Austen's work being tampered with in this way. Yes there are scores of Jane Austen adaptations and 'sequels', only a handful of which I've read, but to be honest these have always been in the spirit of Jane's writing and the Regency period. Taking these beloved novels and turning them into genre-crossing, fantasy-horror stories, just because anything involving zombies or vampire is suddenly popular, really infuriates me.

Some people might argue, I suppose, that these books will help promote Jane Austen, but look at it this way; Jane Austen's REAL novels will always be read. She died almost 200 years ago and every generation turns to her books, finding the words wonderfully modern and fitting, even in the 21st century. She won't ever be forgotten, even without the movies and tv shows and spin-off novels, Jane will always be one of the most famous author's in history. Her books were published in the thousands, before tv screens and cinemas brought them to life.

So I think I'll leave these strange books and stick to the originals as they never fail to disappoint, time after time...after time, after time...

Pride & Prejudice - 1980 TV Series

The BBC seemed to go through a Jane Austen craze in the 1970's and 80's. All of Jane's novels were turned into a long mini-series, with the exception of Northanger Abbey which was made as a movie.

If you've watched any of these (I'm sure that like me, you have...) then you'll know that the costumes can sometimes be a bit off, the acting is a little forced and unbelievable in places and the filming is done almost entirely in sets, again with the exception of Northanger Abbey. But there's still something about them that's appealing. I don't know about you, but I find myself almost believing that I'm watching a snapshot of regency life.

This is sort of a carry-on from my earlier blog about the Greer Garson/ Lawrence Olivier P&P movie. I want to get around to all the major film/tv adaptations. So with Pride & Prejudice you now have four major adaptations. The first tv series was the 1980 Elizabeth Garvie (Lizzy) and David Rintoul (Darcy).

The things I didn't like: Lizzy is constantly making observations to herself which are produced by way of a voice over, mostly starting with "I am mortified" (she'd have to say it about 10 times!). The Bennett sisters, especially Kitty, are played by actresses who are WAY too old to be portraying teenage, regency girls. Georgiana is almost left out entirely, there's no Maria Lucas and Mr & Mrs Hurst should have been left out because they're portrayals are just pointless. Don't even get me started on Mr Collins...

But there were things I liked. I think Mrs Bennett in this adaptation is brilliant. Several times throughout the series you will find yourself actually laughing out loud at the things she either says and does. But it's great because she delivers them in a way I've not seen before. Mr Darcy is pretty good in this too and I wouldn't be surprised if Colin Firth watched this series to get some ideas. And lastly, I quite like Lady Catherine in this series too, she's shown to interfere in Charlotte's housekeeping constantly at Rosings and Charlotte's good humored reactions. Brilliant.

So all in all, whilst it's not the 1995 BBC series and never will be, I think it's still worth watching. Although that being said, you probably won't find me saying I hate any of the adaptations, but I do like to think critically about them all. I'd love to know if any of you have watched this series and what your thoughts are?

Next time, Pride and Prejudice, the 2005 movie.

Brand New BBC Emma - And that makes four

I've just heard that the BBC will be airing a brand new adaption of Emma this Autumn (Australian Spring). Romola Garai, Jonny Lee Miller, Michael Gambon, Tamsin Greig, Robert Bathurst and Jodhi May will star in Sandy Welch's four-part adaptation of Austen's comic masterpiece Emma, a BBC Drama Production for BBC One.

This will make Austen fans everywhere very happy. It's great to see Romola finally do an Austen as apparently, she was very close in casting for the 2005 Pride & Prejudice movie, Keira Knightley beating her.

I've managed to find a couple of pictures of what I believe to be a scenes from the series.

Johnny Lee Miller (Edmund from Mansfield Park movie) will play Mr Knightley and there are also a host of other well known period drama faces, but I won't give it all away. If your curiosity gets the better of you then you'll just have to look it out. However, I will let you know that you can view a short trailer for the series here. (just scroll across until you find Emma).

I'm just so glad to see a new series of Emma. The last one was made in the 1970's and as amusing as it is, it's always great to have a modern, updated version. So with this new adaptation hitting our TV screens shortly, that makes 4 Emma films or TV series.

Our DVD libraries just keep growing don't they??

There's something about Jane

I was fortunate enough to read 'The Jane Austen Book Club' just before the movie came out.

I say that because I hate watching a movie, THEN reading the book, it ruins your perspective of the original story.  I held off reading the book for a long time.  Even though I love Jane Austen (can you tell?) there was something about this book that wasn't sitting right with me.  Somehow from the description, I knew that the book would be loosely based on Jane Austen and her writing, but there was something else about it, I couldn't put my finger on it, until I finally read it.

I hate to say it, but I was terribly disappointed in the book, rather than following a strong storyline I felt that it deviated back into the characters past, delving into what happened to them years ago, rather than what was happening now, in the book club.  Jane Austen really has nothing to do with the characters or their lives, except for the fact that they sit around once a month discussing her books.  There is little to almost no interaction between the central characters.  In the end, I was so bored with these people's lives I just rushed through it, just to see what happened in the end, not that anything of significance happened.

Then came the movie.  After being so disappointed in the book, I didn't go to the cinema to see it as I could justify paying to watch this story on film.  But I did eventually get around to hiring it from Blockbuster and was pleasantly surprised.  Even though it was the typical chick-flick, it at least had a story-line, the characters had a reason for this book club, they interacted, they each had their own problems that they dealt with and the ending was pretty good overall.

But it's not a great movie, not the best and it's really a shame that Karen Joy Fowler ever felt the need to involve Jane Austen at all.  She's probably just a Jane Austen fan that tried to involve her two interests into one - Jane Austen and writing.  Well it was a bit pointless if you ask me.

I'd love to know what your thoughts on the movie or book or both are?

Jane Austen on Amazon.co.uk

Hi all, again I'm sorry for leaving it SO long between posts, I've been very busy and can't believe how long it's been since my last post.

But you'll be pleased to hear that I've still been busy with everything Austen.  I've added to my book collection with a few new purchases.  I've also been adding to my Austen DVD collection.  My latest purchase was the new BBC Sense and Sensibility from Amazon.co.uk for a great price.  Take my advice, if you're in Australia, then don't wait around for Australian releases of Austen adaptations, if you have the right DVD player that can play UK (Region 2) DVD's, then buy from Amazon.co.uk.  Some DVD's are as cheap as $10 and are nearly always in stock so shipping is fast.  

If there's one thing I hate it's how long DVD releases take, or more to the point, how long the ABC takes in showing these fantastic shows after they've first been shown in the UK.  Thanks to the internet, I now find out about new BBC Period Dramas before they're shown here in Australia.  Then I can purchase them off Amazon and watch them immediately!

So whenever I'm sick (often) or it's a rainy day outside (not as often) I've got a pile of Austen DVD's that I can loose myself in.

If you're in Melbourne

Hello friends, you've probably been wondering where I've been.  Sorry that I've not been updating the blog over the last month.

So let's get going again.

Good news for fans of Austen and for fans of historic costume and fashion (the two usually go hand-in-hand...they do for me anyway!!).  The National Gallery of Victoria, in Melbourne, will soon be opening a free exhibition "Persuasion: Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen".  This exhibition looks at the changes in fashion that occurred over Austen’s lifetime, with a focus on English women’s fashion during the first two decades of the nineteenth century. Drawing on work from the National Gallery of Victoria’s holdings of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century fashion, prints and drawings, decorative arts and paintings, and complemented by key works from other Australian institutions and private collections, Persuasion broadly surveys the years from the 1770s to around 1830, one of the most dynamic periods in fashion.  It is showing from 22 May until 8 November and has free admission.  So if you're near Melbourne or heading this way go check it out.  I'm certainly going at the next available opportunity. Check it out for yourselves here

Escape

Sometimes I think I would give my right arm to be Amanda Price and escape into Georgian England, into Jane's world.

If only fantasy could become reality...