I must be honest. I have never had any interest whatsoever in pursuing anything Jane Austen. Jane Austen to me meant a couple things- boring, hard to read, and inapplicable to me as a woman in 2008. After all, what do I have in common with an upper class woman living in the Georgian/Victorian Age? Jane Austen lived during a time when women stayed indoors, looked prim and proper, and prayed to be married to a rich man because they weren't supposed to be employed otherwise. Despite the vast differences between Jane's lifestyle and my life today, Jane and I appreciate a good, mushy love story. Love transcends all.Many women are very fond of Jane Austen and this book in particular. Just look at all the positive and glowing remarks the 200 year old book gets on Good Reads. My girlfriend from college always says that Pride and Prejudice is one of her favorite books of all time. A friend of my husband's family is so enamored by Pride and Prejudice that she has several copies of the book lying around her house and reads different chapters here and there.
It used to surprise me that a person could be so in love with one book. Now, I find my summer is looking a lot like the one I had 10 years ago, but just swapping out the Matthew Broderick for Pride and Prejudice. I really love being immersed in this book. This isn't to say that I thought it was the best book ever. There are some really slow parts and you do have to reread certain passages here and there. However, I discover myself being more and more attached to the book as time goes on because it is romantic and timeless. It is a story of the independent Elizabeth Bennett and the rich Mr. Darcy- two seemingly very different people, but continuously involved characters. Our lovable Ms. Bennett keeps thinking of Mr. Darcy as horrible because of her own prejudice. And, (did you guess it?) our Mr. Darcy keeps hiding his true self because of his pride. Once they overcome their pride and prejudice, the story ends with a happy ending.
One activity I did before reading the book was to watch the 2005 movie starring Keira Knightely and Matthew MacFadyen.
The movie happened to be playing on Oxygen and I recorded it by chance. Little did I know that I would have a Jane spell cast upon me. The movie is beautiful- the scenes, outdoor gardens, and estates used to film the movie are breathtaking (and now I'm inspired to do a British Isle trip next summer).
I love movies that take me to foreign lands...I dream of visiting these places. The movie is also very easy to follow and, most of all, eased me into the society and language of the time, which helped when reading the book. It has some really nice artistic elements giving it a more modern feel without being too abruptly stylish. Pride and Prejudice received four Oscar nominations, including one for Best Actress.I must warn you that books are always better than the movie unless you watch the movie first and then read the book. Books obviously have more detail enabling you to get into the characters. So, die-hard Jane fans may not be such a big fan of this movie. In addition, the screenplay for the movie had some very different scenes than what is found in the book. Rather than being disappointed, I welcomed the changes as a nice surprise.
I'm still feeling the warmth of the book having just finished it. Does this mean that I will have 5 copies of P & P around the house and will start quoting it? No, but I will be on the 3rd viewing of this movie within 2 months and I'm very inspired to take up Emma or Sense and Sensibility in the future (after first having watched the movie, of course :)
2 comments:
I agree with you 99% on the book vs. movie comment. But one maybe exception: The Princess Bride. The movie and the book don't ruin each other. But yeah, usually you're totally right.
But Starship Troopers more than makes up for the 1% left due to the Princess Bride. Trust me. I've checked my math, and that movie is awful.
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