Posted in jane austen, Sense and Sensibility, tagged Laurie Viera Rigler, Margaret C. Sullivan, Masterpiece Classic, PBS Complete Jane Austen Series, PBS Movie Adaptation, Remotely Connected, Sense & Sensibility 2008 on March 28, 2008| 1 Comment »
Laurie Viera Rigler, author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and Margaret C. Sullivan, author of the Jane Austen Handbook, have just completed their thoughts about Sense and Sensibility 2008. Click on PBS’s Remotely Connected to read their views.
Then tune in on PBS Sunday night at 9 P.M. to watch the movie on Masterpiece Classic. The film will be show in two parts on March 30th and April 6th.
Posted in J.J. Feild, jane austen, Jane Austen Novels, Northanger Abbey, tagged Catherine Morland, Felicity Jones, Henry Tilney, jane austen blogs, Jane Austen's World, Masterpiece Classic, PBS Jane Austen, Remotely Connected on January 19, 2008| 2 Comments »
In Jane Austen’s words, Henry Tilney, the hero of Northanger Abbey, seemed to be about “four or five and twenty, was rather tall, had a pleasing countenance, a very intelligent and lively eye, and, if not quite handsome, was very near it.”
In addition he came from a respectable family in Gloucestershire. A second son, he had just recently been ordained. Even more attractive than his respectability are his sense of humor, his close relationship with his sister, and the fact that he can make such insightful statements as this one:
“Miss Morland, no one can think more highly of the understanding of women than I do. In my opinion, nature has given them so much that they never find it necessary to use more than half.”
Click here to read Oh, Henry, a wonderful post about Mr. Tilney. Austenprose also quotes our fabulous Henry. No wonder our young Catherine lost her heart to this charming but wise young man.
Catherine, NA’s heroine, is sweet, adorable, and unworldly. As she reads her favorite gothic novels, she can imagine herself in the same perilous situations as the fictional heroines. Her imagination is so vivid that her unsupported suspicions about Henry’s mother’s death places her in an awkward situation with the young man who has stolen her heart. Catherine’s infatuation with Henry is such that her flattery flatters his ego, and he starts to fall in love with her. When General Tilney boots Catherine unceremoniously out of Northanger Abbey, unchaperoned and in the middle of the night, Henry’s eyes are opened to his father’s unpardonable behavior. He sees that in one sense, Catherine was right about his father’s monstrous behavior.
As for Catherine, who in this world has not met a young coltish miss who suddenly grows up and fits this description by Jane?:
At fifteen, appearances were mending; she began to curl her hair and long for balls; her complexion improved, her features were softened by plumpness and colour, her eyes gained more animation, and her figure more consequence. Her love of dirt gave way to an inclination for finery, and she grew clean as she grew smart; she had now the pleasure of sometimes hearing her father and mother remark on her personal improvement. “Catherine grows quite a good-looking girl – she is almost pretty today,” were words which caught her ears now and then; and how welcome were the sounds! To look almost pretty is an acquisition of higher delight to a girl who has been looking plain the first fifteen years of her life than a beauty from her cradle can ever receive.
In fact, these two characters are so likable, that one tends to forget that Jane wrote Northanger Abbey as a spoof of the Gothic novel so wildly popular at the turn of the 19th century. For an excellent review of the upcoming Masterpiece Classic presentation this Sunday at 9 p.m. EST, visit Remotely Connected and read Heather Laurence’s and Natalie Zee Drieu’s excellent thoughts on this film adaptation.
Read my other Northanger Abbey posts here.
Update: Arti just reminded me of the Andrew Davies interview yesterday, which I forgot to include. Click here to enter Arti’s site, Ripple Effects, and read the interview. You can also find Mr. Davies NPR interview on Jane Austen Today. Click here to listen.
Technorati Tags: Jane Austen, Masterpiece Classic, Jane Austen Novels, Jane Austen Regency
Posted in jane austen, Jane Austen Novels, Northanger Abbey, Regency World, tagged jane austen blogs, Jane Austen's World, Masterpiece Classic, Remotely Connected, The Complete Jane Austen on January 15, 2008| 5 Comments »
“I never look at it,” said Catherine, as they walked along the side of the river, “without thinking of the south of France.”
“You have been abroad then?” said Henry, a little surprised.
“Oh! No, I only mean what I have read about. It always puts me in mind of the country that Emily and her father travelled through, in The Mysteries of Udolpho. But you never read novels, I dare say?”
“Why not?”
“Because they are not clever enough for you–gentlemen read better books.”
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid. I have read all Mrs. Radcliffe`s works, and most of them with great pleasure. The Mysteries of Udolpho, when I had once begun it, I could not lay down again; I remember finishing it in two days–my hair standing on end the whole time.”
This conversation between Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney occurred during a walk around Beechen Cliff near Bath, Northanger Abbey, Chapter 14. The ITV film adaptation is coming to PBS’s Masterpiece Classic, Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 9 p.m. EST and 8 p.m. Central. Will Henry say these immortal words to Catherine in the film? Stay tuned and find out.
Technorati Tags: northanger abbey, beechen cliff, masterpiece classic,pbs jane austen,the complete jane austen
Posted in Jane Austen Novels, tagged Masterpiece Classic, PBS Jane Austen, Persuasion, Remotely Connected on January 12, 2008| 1 Comment »
Update: First and foremost, I want to relate the exciting news that PBS’s blog, Remotely Connected, has published my thoughts about Persuasion. If you have any questions about the movie or book, please feel free to drop off a comment. I will be more than happy to address your opinions or questions.
Masterpiece Theatre Classics boasts a new interactive site. Click here to view it.
Laurel Ann from Austenprose, my co-blogger on Jane Austen Today, has included on her blog a short biography of all the bloggers and online personalities who have been offically asked by PBS to discuss the Jane Austen movies on Masterpiece Theatre.
In addition to all this fabulous news, find a full description of all the characters in Persuasion on Jane Austen Today.
Last, but certainly not least, Margaret Sullivan of Austenblog shares her opinion about The Complete Jane Austen series. What I love the most about the editrix of this fabulous blog is that she doesn’t mince words.
Tomorrow night PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre will kick off its 8-week The Complete Jane Austen Series. This Sunday, look for Persuasion, to be aired at 9 pm. EST on all PBS stations. And stay tuned to the PBS website for some fabulous features in the future!
Can’t wait to see the movie? Read my spoof of Persuasion here on Jane Austen Today.Technorati Tags: Remotely Connected,, The Complete Jane Austen,, Masterpiece Theatre,, Jane Austen’s Persuasion,, Persuasion
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The grave after restoration
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