Book Review- Edmund Bertram's Diary

For the Shelf Love challenge and Mount TBR challenge I read Amanda Grange's novel Edmund Bertram's Diary.

Synopsis from Goodreads: The retelling of Jane Austen?s novel Mansfield Park from the point of view of Edmund Bertram. At ten years of age, Fanny Price came to live with Edmund Bertram and his family at Mansfield Park. Far from the brat Edmund expected, Fanny became his closest confidante and dearest friend. But when the fashionable Crawford siblings? Henry and Mary come to town, they captivate the Bertram family. Henry embarks on a scandalous flirtation with Edmund's sister, who is already betrothed to another, while Edmund is enchanted by Mary's beauty and wit. But when it appears that Mary is not all she seems to be, Edmund will turn to the one woman who has always been at his side to find the happiness he deserves Fanny.

Edmund Bertram always frustrated me as a hero but I always did like him. This book kind of helped solidify that liking. Sure I'm still frustrated he liked Mary but I will admit she is cleverly deceptive and quite charming. But you should still have seen through her Edmund! I guess though Lizzie didn't see through Wickham....
I digress though.
One of my favorite parts of this book was how it pointed out the repercussions of the play. At face value the play might not seem like such a bad thing... especially in the present day. However the book shows clearly how because of the plan the characters were all tempted into various sins. Sure you can't blame the play for it all but facilitated the sin. I'm actually surprised Edmund didn't write to his father.... that's what I would have done in that situation I think. But maybe that commentary belongs in a review of Mansfield Park. ;)
Overall I enjoyed it quite a bit. I was just glad when Edmund woke up and realized he loved Fanny...... like duh! ;)

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Jane Austen Week 2015- Tag Answers

It's Jane Austen Week over at Wonderland Creek!!!!! Go check it out and join in the fun! Today I'll be answering her tag answers!!!!

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a Jane Austen fan do you consider yourself? 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Obviously!!!!!!!
2. If "they" would make a new Jane Austen Movie, and you would be able to be cast in it, which Jane Austen character would you most like to play? Catherine Morland.... because I'm the most like her. But I also think it would be fun to play a goofy character so when I'm older I think it would be such fun to play Mrs. Bennett!
3. Is there any felicity in the world superior to a walk? READING!!!! Duh! ;) But a walk is quite amazing I'll admit.
4. Who's your favourite Jane Austen 'villain'? (As in 'villain' meaning 'the bad guy.') I hate them all!!!!!!!!!! Who do I love to hate the most? Mrs. Noriss from Mansfield Park probably. Who do I think is the "best" of the bad guys? Maybe Frank Churchill though he annoys me to no end also.
5. What/Who introduced you to Jane Austen? I grew up on Jane Austen. Both my mom and my dad are big fans. We grew up watching Jane Austen movies, especially the 1995 Pride and Prejudice and when I was around ten I read Pride and Prejudice. The rest is history. ;)
6. Did you love/enjoy Jane Austen immediately, or has there been a time when you hated (um, prejudged) it? I've always loved it!
7. Who, in your opinion, is the funniest Jane Austen character? That's hard! Maybe Mr. Bennet or Mrs. Bennet but Mr. Collins cracks me up too!
8. Do you quote Jane Austen randomly in public? Yes! I quote Jane Austen randomly wherever I go! There are people who don't? ;)
9. Are children allowed to eat cake on weddings? Their health! My goodness! What would Dr. Perry say? ;)
10. What is your reaction when you hear that an aquaintance (e.g. A lady at Church) of yours loves Jane Austen? Instant friendship!!!!!!! If it's a guy..... instant marriage!!!!!! ;) Just kidding. ;)
11. Who writes better letters, Mr Darcy or Captain Wentworth? (If you forgot what the letters were, shame on you, instead tell me if you prefer Strawberries to Chocolate or not.) Well they wrote different kinds of letters so I'm not sure it's fair to compare them. Captain Wentworth does write a beautiful proposal/love letter though so I guess I'll chose him. :)
12. Which Jane Austen heroine do you relate the least to? Emma Woodhouse. She's grown on me as a character but I don't relate to her.
13. What's your favourite Jane Austen house (from one of the movies)? Pemberly!
14. What's your favourite Jane Austen dress (from one of the movies)? Hard question! Let me peruse some pictures. I love all of Lizzie's dresses but I think my favorite is her dress at the Neverfield dance. I do NOT like Miss Bingley's dress. 

15. Can you turn off lit candles with your fingers? I've never tried to because I've been too afraid but I've always wanted to since I was a child since Mr. Darcy can! 

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Top Ten Tuesday- Freebie

This week's Top Ten Tuesday theme is a freebie so I'm going with my Top Ten Literary Couples! :)
When I'm reading a book or watching a movie a lot of what I look for in a couple is respect and a great sense of humor. :) I think that is reflected in this list. :)
Obviously I couldn't just stop at ten! So here you go in on particular order!

1. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
2. Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
3. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
4. Eowyn and Faramir from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
5. Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey
6. Mr. Knightley and Emma Wodehouse from Jane Austen's Emma
7. Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park
8. Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth from Jane Austen's Persuasion
9. Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferris from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility
10. Marianne Dashwood and Colonel Brandon from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility
11. Molly Gibson and Roger Hamley from Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughers
12. Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables and others
13. Arthur Clenham and Amy Dorrit from Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit
14. Mr. Thornton and Margaret Hale from Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South
15. Beatrice and Benedict from William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
16. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series
17. Sir Percival Blakeney and Marguerite St. Just from Emmuska Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel 

And for the fun of it.... movie and TV show favorites as well! 

1. Parker and Hardison from the TV show Leverage
2. Amy and Rory from the TV show Doctor. Who
3. The Doctor and River Song from the TV show Doctor. Who
4. Martha and Mickey from the TV show Doctor. Who
5. Nick and Nora from the Thin Man movies
6. Han Solo and Princess Leia from the Star Wars movies
7. G.W. McLintock and Katy McLintock from the movie McLintock
8. Patty and Canoe from the movie That Darn Cat
9. Marjorie Winfield and Bill Sherman from the movies On Moonlight Bay and By the Light of the Silvery Moon.
10. Dr. Bradford and Paula Bradford in the movie The Ex-Mrs. Bradford

I'm sure I missed some great ones so comment and remind me! 

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The Classics Booktag

I saw this book tag over at Fly but it originally came from It's a Book World. I love tags and I love classics so I'm going to fill it out! :)

An overhyped classic you didn't really like

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald- I hope to re-read it sometime and see if maybe my opinion has changed with time. 

Favorite time period to read about

Whatever the Pride and Prejudice time period is. ;)

Favorite fairy tale

Hmmm. Good question. I'm partial to Beauty and the Beast but that might be because of the Disney film. 

What is the most embarrassing classic you haven't read yet

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Top five classics you'd like to read soon

1. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
3. Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens
4. The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde
5. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Favorite Modern book/series based on a classic

Beauty by Robin McKinley 

Favorite movie version /TV-series based on a classic

1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice obviously!!!

Worst classic to movie adaptation

The 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and the 2007 adaptation of Mansfield Park are tied. I've heard the 1999 adaptation of Mansfield Park is pretty bad but I haven't bothered with it.

Favorite editions you'd like to collect more classics from

Hmmm. I don't normally pay attention to additions but let me think. I'd say the Barnes and Noble collectibles are very nice indeed and I'd love to have more of them. :)

An under hyped classic I'd recommend to everyone

I feel like Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey don't get the credit Jane Austen's other novels do so I'd say those two. Also, Our Mutual Friend, Little Dorrit and Hard Times are three Dickens novels I read last year that I don't hear as much about either that are awesome! 

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Top Ten Favorite Heroines from Literature

For Broke and Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday meme, this week's theme is my Top Ten Favorite Heroiens from literature. Choosing favorites is always hard but here goes in no particular order. :)

1. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. Fanny Price from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
3. Anne Elliot from Persuasion by Jane Austen
4. Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
5. Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
6. Amy Dorrit from Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
7. Lady Jane Grey from Coronation of Glory by Deborah Meroff- Kind of cheating because she is a real historical figure that I admire but there's a book about her so there! 
8. Molly Gipson from Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
9. Precious Ramotswe from The No. One Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
10. Luna Lovegood from The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling- I know she isn't exactly the heroine of the story but I actually kind of prefer her to Hermione. 

You may notice a Jane Austen theme here and I do not apologize. ;) She is my favorite author. :)
P.S. If you haven't already be sure to check out my newest project: The 1000 Book List!

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Janeite Tag

Ashley from the blog A to Z did a Janeite Tag, tagging anyone who felt the urge to do it. Well being a Janeite myself (though I'm not sure I'm in love that term) I think I'll join in. :)

1. Why do you like Jane Austen? Where to start. What's not to like? Honestly. She has good meaningful stories that look at life and character while at the same time being witty. That's what I love in a story, one that makes me think and laugh all in one. I think also, that Austen really has a way of creating characters to be very lifelike. She doesn't describe much about how they look, she describes their character, and she does that by letting them talk (or not talk). 
2. What is your favorite book? Without a doubt, Pride and Prejudice. I grew up with the movie and as soon as I could I read the book and I've been re-reading it ever since. ;) I love all of her books but probably after Pride and Prejudice it would be Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park. 
3. Have you ever studied her life? Yes. A little. I did a speech on her and her books a few years ago for 4-H. 
4. What is your opinion of Fanny? In my opinion Fanny is the perfect heroine. She makes pretty much no mistakes, is always good and kind and does not think of herself. I'm given to understand that some people dislike her and I really wonder why. At a guess I would say that it would be because they think she is too boring and doesn't make mistakes. They want someone with more spirit like Lizzy or Emma because they can relate to their flawed nature. However, I love Fanny for her meekness and selflessness and if there is any heroine from Austen that I wish I could be like, it would be her. Because of her reserved and discerning nature, and thinking before she opens her mouth she manages to avoid the perils of Austen's story such as Henry Crawford and Mrs. Norris by boldly and simply sticking to her boring beliefs.  This is convincing as I find myself and many others too often desert our "boring beliefs" and prove ourselves to be cowards consequently. 
5. Do you like Knightley and Emma together? Yes. Emma needs Knightley... though I'm not sure he needs her. Okay, to be fair, she has lots of good qualities but she just needs to be reigned in at times and he provides that reign. I guess if I think about it, he does benefit from her wit and cheerfulness. All in all they are happy together and that is what counts. :)
6. Who do you ship Mary Bennet with? Never really thought about it much except that Mr. Collins should have chosen her but as he didn't I can't think of anyone else for her. 
7. Which books haven't you read? None. I've read them all, even her unfinished works and her novella. 

My 7 questions (I'm going to steal some of Ashley's and the person who tagged her before's questions) 

1. Why do you like Jane Austen?
2. What is your favorite of Austen's novels?
3. What's your favorite film adaptation of Austen's novels?
4. Which is your favorite major couple?
5. Which is your favorite minor couple?
6. Favorite heroine?
7. Favorite hero?

If you want to join just jump in! I'm not feeling invigorated about tagging people but I know I have plenty of other Jane Austen fans following the blog so feel free to join. :)

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Top Ten Favorite Classic Books

Between not having Wifi during the week while I'm at work on the pig farm and going on my mission trip to Costa Rica I haven't really been churning out blog posts. Don't worry, this trend shouldn't continue once the summer is over. :) So for today I'm giving you a top ten tuesday and the theme is my favorite classic books. :)

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- Duh!
2. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien- Again... duh!
3. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
4. Persuasion by Jane Austen
5. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
6. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
7. Leave it Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse
8. Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens
9. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
10. The Golf Omnibus by P.G. Wodehouse

Except the first two these books aren't in any specific order. I was kind of in a hurry making the list so don't sue me over the books I chose. These were just the favorites that first came to mind. :) I love most every classic work of literature these are just my favorites. 

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Top Ten Books about Friendship

This should be a fun list!

1. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling- I think some of the greatest books about friendship written in my honest opinion. I'm not an obsessed fan about Harry Potter but there are several great points to them and this is one of them. 
2. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien- Through thick and thin Frodo and Sam... You know what I mean. There's also Legolas and Gimli. The whole fellowship though is just a great picture of friendship. You know, I might take my above statement about the Harry Potter series back. I'm not sure. 
3. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery- Bosom friends! 
4. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis- I love Bree and Shasta and their fun and crazy friendship. This is my favorite of C.S. Lewis's novels. 
5. Poroit series by Agatha Christie- Poroit and Captain Hastings are such a fun duo! I also like Poroit and Inspector Japp. :) 
6. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak- I enjoy the friendships that Liesel has with Rudy and Max. 
7. Redwall series by Brain Jacques- There are always fun and touching friendships in Jacques's books that I have always enjoyed. 
8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- There are a lot of friendships I enjoy in this novel and they are all familial. Lizzy and her father is one of my favorite relationships/friendships in all of literature. I also love Lizzy and Jane's friendship. 
9. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen- Fanny and Edmund's friendship is another great relationship and I appreciate that they ended up SPOILER getting married in the end. END SPOILER. The book shows a beautiful transition from friendship to marriage. In my opinion, friendship is a good start to entering into a romantic relationship. 
10. Emma by Jane Austen- Knightley and Emma's friendship is another relationship that SPOILER resulted in marriage. END SPOILER. It is a lot like a brother-sister friendship, which I love.

What friendships do you enjoy in literature? I would have included more Austen but I don't want to completely override all of my lists with my obsessions so I just included my favorites. ;)
Linking up with The Broke and the Bookish. 

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Top Ten (secondary) Characters Who I Enjoy in Austen Novels

I can't get around it! I either have to be writing about Austen or Tolkien. ;) This week Broke and Bookish's Top Ten Tuesdays theme is "Top Ten Characters Who..."
So everyone knows the main characters from Jane Austen's novels but it's the side characters that in some ways really make the stories. Some of them are unique in that they are excessively annoying (Mrs. Norriss) or stupid but therefore humorous (Mr. Collins) or there are those that are genuinely great people (Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner). So here are my top secondary characters from Austen novels. :)

1. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner (Pride and Prejudice)... Some of my favorite characters in all of Austen's novels and my favorite secondary characters in terms of people I'd want to be like. 

2. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett (Pride and Prejudice) .. I have always loved Mr. Bennett. He isn't a great father at all but he is such a hilariously sardonic character that I can't help but like. :) Mrs. Bennettt is just wow! I would hate for her to be my mother and I think Jane and Elizabeth turned out amazingly despite her and I am always impressed with the amount of respect they still treat her with is a good judge of their character. 

3. Mr. Collins (Pride and Prejudice)... Probably my favorite annoying secondary character because he isn't annoying enough that he makes me mad (that would be Mrs. Norriss). What he says, how he acts, everything about him just cracks me up. One of Austen's best secondary characters for sure. 

4. Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Pride and Prejudice)... Proud, domineering and rude but in the process sometimes humorous for it. I love the portrayal of her in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice.

5. Miss Bingley (Pride and Prejudice)... She thinks she's so clever and that by always agreeing and complimenting Mr. Darcy she's endearing herself to him. Little does she understand. Her attempts make me laugh and one of my favorite parts from Pride and Prejudice is this exchange between Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley.

``I remember, when we first knew her in Hertfordshire how amazed we all were to find that she was a reputed beauty; and I particularly recollect your saying one night, after they had been dining at Neverfield, "She a beauty! -- I should as soon call her mother a wit." But afterwards she seemed to improve on you, and I believe you thought her rather pretty at one time.''

``Yes,'' replied Darcy, who could contain himself no longer, ``but that was only when I first knew her, for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.''

6. Mr. Woodhouse (Emma)... The first hyperchondriac. ;) Frustrating and lovable all in one. :)
7. Mrs. Elton (Emma)... Another amazing side character that is excessively annoying and just to the point that she makes me mad. In Peter Leithart's book Miniatures and Morals he says that Mrs. Elton is the foil for Emma. In a lot of ways Mrs. Elton and Emma are very similar in how they try to control people's lives and if it wasn't for Mrs. Elton being as bad as she is you wouldn't like Emma nearly as much.
8. Miss Bates (Emma)... A very complicated character that you really have to learn along with Emma to love. I think all of us have a Miss Bates in our lives in one form or another that we have to learn to respect and love anyways.
9. Mrs. Allen and Mr. Allen (Northanger Abbey)... Mrs. Allen especially makes me laugh. She cares for little more than fashion and because Mr. Tilney happens to know about muslin he is immediately in her good books and quite the gentlemen.
10. Mrs. Norriss (Mansfield Park)... Probably my least favorite character in all of Austen. That, though, is why she is such a great secondary character. Her hypocrisy, her cruelty, everything about her just frustrates me to no end and I'm so glad when she gets sent off at the end by Lord Bertram. :)

So those are my favorite secondary characters of Austen. Half of them came from Pride and Prejudice but is because it is the best partially because it has such great secondary characters. :)

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Movie Review- Mansfield Park (2007)

The things I do for my blog! Next time you want to know if a Jane Austen adaptation is good you might as well look here because unfortunately I've just about watched them all… the good, the bad, and the ugly. The 2007 version of Mansfield Park was the ugly. I almost disliked it as much as the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice… and you guys know how much I hate that movie. I really don't know where to start on my review of it… there was so much done wrong and then there was parts that were done right and wrong. It was a mess!
First off, let me state that this was an hour and a half long movie and obviously with that time limit justice can not eve nearly be done to the book. A lot of things were left out therefore including the Grants, Fanny's visit to her family, the visit to Sotherton and Mr. Yates.

Characters

A lot was done wrong here… a lot. Mistake #1… casting Billie Piper as Fanny Price. What? Not only was it a miscast but the whole screenwriting for Fanny was just wrong anyways. Fanny comes off in the movie not meek, kind, and selfless as in the book but more outgoing, opinionated at times, and not selfless. Fanny also practically flirts with Edmund on several occasions, which she would not have done! The character of Fanny alone ruins the movie. Edmund was okay… but really not. The actor was fine for the part, but again the screenwriting messed him up. Lady Bertram was not shown as the selfish almost invalid character that she is in the book but she is far more alert and actually encourages the match of Fanny and Edmund. Mrs. Norris is not really explained at all, she is just there at Mansfield Park. She wasn't the best cast but I think with more screen time and better writing she might have done the part justice. Sir Thomas was far too grouchy and apparently, according to Fanny in the movie, there was a cloud lifted from Mansfield when he left on his trip to Antigua. That is NOT how it is in the book. The Crawfords, Tom, and the Bertram sisters were cast well I think and did there parts as much justice as the screenwriting and time constraints allowed. I would have been interested in seeing them with a better script and more time. As with Mrs. Norris, the Crawfords were kind of just dropped in the story and never really explained. 

Screenwriting

As I mentioned multiple times above, the screenwriting left a lot to be desired. The time constraints were ridiculous so that obviously made the screenwriting harder but really? I think even I could have written a better screenplay for an hour and a half version of Manfield Park… though I wouldn't… I would make it much longer than that! What was left out; the Grants, Fany's visit to her family, the visit to Sotherton, and Mr. Yates, was I think left out necessarily with the time constraints but not very smoothly. One thing I don't think they should have left out was Sotherton. A lot happens there that is important in my opinion. Pretty much all of Fanny's lines were not right for her character and the same goes for several other of the characters. 

The Play

One of the pivotal parts of the story is the play, Lover's Vows, which they decide to put on while Sir Thomas is in Antigua. It is NOT pulled off well and not enough time (once again) is given to it. Mary Crawford really goads Edmund into taking the part, which was shocking and I'm surprised that Edmund took it after that. Also, the way the movie portrayed it, it seemed as if he was only taking it so he could make love to her in the play. What irks me the most though about the play was the fact that Fanny does agree to act in it! That just blows my mind. They missed the whole point doing that! 

Other

It was too romancy. Way too much! Edmund and Mary Crawford almost kiss when rehearsing their lines for the play and (now this really upsets me too) Fanny and Mr. Crawford almost kiss! What?

The more I think about it the more this movie upsets me. It will go down in my memory as one of the worst Jane Austen film adaptations I've ever seen. It actually really made me appreciate the 1983 version and I think that you should all just go read the book and then if you want an okay movie version to watch then watch that one and do not ever waste an hour and a half (as I did) on this atrocious movie! 

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Movie Review- Mansfield Park (1983)

Mansfield Park is probably my third favorite of Jane Austen's novels behind Pride and Prejudice, and Persuasion. The heroine in it is very quiet, very sweet, very humble, very selfless and very ill-used for it. As far as Austen's character goes that I most wish I could be like, it wouldn't be Lizzy Bennett, it would be Fanny Price. Realistically, I think I have a better chance of being like any other of Austen's characters, but if I could be like any of her characters, it would be Fanny. Fanny's reserved qualities make her very hard to portray on screen and really I am not sure if it should be attempted. There are two other adaptations that I know of besides this one which in short neither are good. This one is better, but still fails in some aspects.

Characters

The casting was good. Not great, but good. The Fanny was okay, but really I don't think her's is a character that can be portrayed on screen correctly. The Edmund was good but too old I think. I really liked the Mrs. Norris, in that I thoroughly detested her as you are supposed to and I also that Lady Bertram was done quite well. The rest of the casting was adequate. 

Other

The storyline was pulled off well enough. It was a BBC drama and I have a lot of the same complaints about it as I do with the 1980 Pride and Prejudice BBC drama. The scenery is too dark, production quality less than good, scenes somewhat disjointed, and the lines more quoted than acted. 

It's hard to put into words how I felt about this version. It is the better version to watch. It's not as exciting as the other versions but it's truer to the book. However, the long and short of it is that I do not think there will ever be a good film version of Mansfield Park, it just isn't meant to be a film. It is an amazing book though so I recommend you to read it and then try this film out. 

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Not Romance

I know this has been bothering you for a long time. It probably haunts you at night and most certainly infests your daydreams. At first it wasn't too bad. You only occasionally woke up in a cold sweat screaming "Austen... romance?" Then it got worse. Every time you blinked your eyes the image of Pride and Prejudice came closer... and closer.
That is why I write this blog post, that is why you are here. To alleviate all of your deeply set worries once and for all. Jane Austen's novels are NOT, and NEVER will be romance novels.
Granted, there is romance in the novels and they are kind of a running theme in each of her books but they aren't the only theme. At this point I'd also like to say that I don't mind a little romance.  However, when it comes to Jane Austen I believe that there is a lot more than a romantic theme running through her books or else they wouldn't be what they are.  What I first think of are the witty lines and overall great writing.  Everything about how Austen writes is amazing (almost inconceivable)! With her words she paints such incredible characters that you will come to love, hate, or there are sometimes those characters that you really aren't sure about your feelings toward them (Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Jennings, Miss Bates and Lady Bertram come to mind).  I guess that sentence kind of transcended into my next thought about the great characters in Austen's novels. Some of my favorite literary characters come from Austen's novels: Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Knightley, Henry Tilney, Anne Elliot, Fanny Price, Colonel Brandon, Mr. Darcy and then moving on to secondary characters that I also love: Mr. Bennett (despite his failings), Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Eleanor Tilney, Anne Taylor and even though I don't like him he will forever crack me up- Mr. Collins. When it comes to Austen there is also the morals that she brings into every story. Her heroes and heroines are not perfect and spotless; they struggled with the same things you and I do. They have flaws they must work on: prejudiceness, micro-managing, naiveness, ect. Her "good" minor characters all interesting in that while there some of them that just aren't your favorite you still somewhat like them because of their uniqueness.  Here again I am thinking of Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Jennings, Miss Bates and Lady Bertram.  It seems that Austen crafted each of her character with such precision. I think she must have had a lot of fun creating some of them (Mr. Collins).
I was talking to my mother about this and she made a great point that if Jane Austen's novels were just romance novels, they wouldn't have lasted this long and been remade into movies over and over and over again. There is a lot more to them than romance.

Did you catch my three movie/TV show references/quotes I made? Comment below and let me know!

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

All about Jane Austen- Her books, film adaptations, ect.

I have read and re-read Jane Austen's novels so many times its ridiculous... some of them far more than others (Pride and Prejudice).  Over Spring break and afterwards I went back and re-read them again. There were a lot of things I noticed this time through that I hadn't noticed before and a lot of thoughts I had on certain characters. Maybe I've matured more... that could always be a possibly. ;) So here are just a few thoughts on each of them. At the end of each I have included my movie recommendations or condemnations.

Pride and Prejudice

My all time favorite book. The characters and lines are some of the best that have ever been written.  For this book I didn't noticed quite as much that I hadn't ever seen before... probably because I've just read it so many more times. However there were a few things. Lizzy's Aunt Gardiner had to warn her to be careful not to show too much interest in Wickham as she knew quite well she could not marry him. I don't know why but I never noticed it before and somehow had autocorrected that.  I think it shows a lack of judgement in Lizzy's character that I maybe didn't expect in her and it makes me slightly disappointed in her. That also makes me love her Aunt Gardiner even more though.  The Gardiners are some of my favorite characters in the books.  They are so loving and kind, ready to assist in every way they can and Aunt Gardiner is wise and gives helpful advice to Lizzy several times.
Another thought I had was about Lizzy was that after she finds out about Lydia and realizes that at the moment when she really loves Mr. Darcy she knows that he will never have her now.  She contemplates that he really was the only man she could have married because he was someone she could respect and they complemented each other so well.  I don't know why but I don't remember reading that scene before, I don't remember it being in the movie but I could be mistaken.  I like that scene though because Lizzy thinking through her feelings and realizing that she loves Mr. Darcy but also the reasons why... it's not just all lovey dovey, but they would actually work well together.
Movie recommendations and condemnations: Pride and Prejudice (1995) is the BEST VERSION EVER!!! The 1940 version is also good but not incredibly true to the story line. My family still likes it though. You'll have to watch it to understand. DO NOT watch the 2005 version. Want to know why? Read my earlier post about it. I seriously think it will kill your brain cells. I recently watched via YouTube the 1980 version. It was tolerable I suppose but not amazing enough to tempt me. Meaning it was okay, I definitely liked it better than the 2005 version but still, there were certain things that just weren't right. I haven't written a full review which you can read here.

Sense and Sensibility

I had a lot of thoughts about this one.  One of my main complaints, having re-read the book is that the love stories of both Elinor and Marianne is not developed enough.  You are told, but you don't see it play out.  This is especially with Marianne.  The movie does that very well though and because of that I never really recognized that the book didn't. I was disappointed in that but it doesn't completely ruin the book for me. Another thought that entered my mind when reading this was that Marianne was about the same age as Lydia Bennett and in some ways (but obviously not all) she acts like her in her relationship with Willoughby. I just never really thought about that before. One doesn't normally draw parallels between those two but I think there is one that can be made.

Movie recommendations and condemnations: I love the 1995 movie version of this book with Emma Thompson. While of course it isn't as long as to give the book full justice, it is as good as it gets I think.  The only other version I have seen is the 2008 version, which is okay. I really like the Elinor and the Colonel Brandon was good as well, however  I think that even though it is roughly two and a half hours, it doesn't tell the story as well as the 1995 version.

Mansfield Park

I have heard that the heroine of this story was Jane Austen's favorites and one doesn't have to wonder why. Fanny Price is sweet and selfless, unasking of attention or thanks but always deserving them. One thought as I read this book was I was surprised that Edmund did not see through Henry Crawford.  I have always been disappointed he didn't see through Mary, though to a point he did, but Henry I felt like he more should have. In many ways Edmund is a dissatisfying hero because even though he know Mary has certain faults and does not see the clergy as she should he still falls in love with her. However, when you read the conversations he has with Fanny and sometimes with Mary you see that his mind and heart are in the right place, though he was lead astray by Mary.  His thoughts on the duties of a pastor are incredible and that is what forgives him in my mind.

Movie recommendations and condemnations: Because of Fanny Price being shy and reserved, I think she is a hard heroine for filmmakers to portray... which is why they end up butchering her I suppose. I have only seen one version of this movie and I didn't even get to finish it, it was that bad. seen two versions of Mansfield Park. The first version I saw was the 2007 version with Billie Piper in the lead roll, which is quite bad in my opinion. My full review is here.  The only decent version of Mansfield Park that I have seen is the 1983 version. You can read my full review here. 

Emma

This hasn't ever been my favorite to read but I have always loved watching the movie. So let's just cut to the movies shall we? :)
Movie Reccomendations and Condemnations: I grew up watching the Kate Beckinsdale 1996 version, which to me is thee version. I know others really love the 2009 version with Romolai Garai. I think it has its good points but there are several things that I dislike about the film. You can read my full review here. I probably was too harsh in that review but it is pretty much how I feel about it. I have also seen the Gwenyth Paltrow version that I thought was an enjoyable version. 

Northanger Abbey

I can't think of anything new I noticed reading it through again. I still loved it a lot. Mr. Tilney is so great and, as I have mentioned before, my mom has compared me to Catherine Morland, which I'm still not exactly sure how to take.
Movie Reccomendations and Condemnations: The only film version I have seen of this is the 2007 version. I have reviewed it before but here are a few brief thoughts on it but you should just go read my longer review here. I do like this movie version, however there are a couple scenes I don't appreciate. I think it captures pretty well the spirit of the novel and the casting is incredible! I recommend it, but cautiously 

Persuasion

Anne Elliot is just about my favorite heroine. In many ways she is like Fanny, only more outgoing. I really didn't think many new thoughts when reading this. I found Elizabeth Elliot annoying, as usual, but a character that I found more aggravating than normal was Mary Elliot. In some ways I dislike her more than Elizabeth, even though Elizabeth is worse.
Movie recommendations and condemnations: The 1995 version is good, though if you haven't read the book you might have trouble following it. I have also watched the 2007 version, which was good, though I disliked the ending. 

Lady Susan

Lady Susan is a novelette written in the form of letters that I did review more than a year ago. You can read the review here. It is really excellently written and I enjoyed reading it. It takes a little bit to get into the flow of it but once you're in, you're hooked!
Movie recommendations and condemnations: There have never been any film adaptations made of Lady Susan.

The Watsons

I just finished this one recently. It is one of Austen's two unfinished novels. To be short, I liked it a lot and I'm sorry that Austen didn't finish it. When I was reading it though, I did have the feeling that I had read it before, meaning it read very much like Austen's other books. I don't suppose I ever thought about all of her books sounding the same as I practically grew up with them. Several authors have completed it before, but I've never read any of those and I really couldn't say if they're good or not. If after reading it you want to know a rough idea of how Austen planned on it ending, just go look at the Wikipedia article. 

Movie recommendations and condemnations: There have never been any film adaptations made of The Watsons

Sandition

This is the other of Austen's unfinished novels. I didn't enjoy it as much as The Watsons. In this book, Austen delves into to some different aspects then she did in her other books. Probably that is why I didn't like it as much. It has been complete many time by various other authors as well. 

Movie recommendations and condemnations: There have never been any film adaptations made of Sandition

So I'm sorry that this post took me so long to complete. I have had it as a draft for a long time now and almost forgot that I hadn't already posted it. But here it is! 

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Why I Love Jane Austen's Novels: Favorite Characters, Favorite Lines, and Favorite Everything!

     Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors.  I could almost say she is my favorite but there are so many other great authors it seems wrong to.  She did write my favorite book though, Pride and Prejudice.  As she is one my favorite authors, I thought it only appropiate to dedicate a blog post to her.  First off, I don't look at Jane Austen's novels as romance novels.  Wanted to clear that up first.  I don't read romance novels, and if her novels were I wouldn't read them.  Jane Austen's novels have a lot more to them then romance.  They have wit and wisdom, good and evil, and important Christian values ingrained into them that make them so much more then romance novels. 

       With that in mind, I would like to add that Jane Austen's novels are not just for girls.  Boys can and do read Austen's novels.  Peter Leithart Ph.D. says in his book Minitures and Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen, "Real men read Austen."  I have brothers who enjoy Austen, my dad enjoys Austen, and I know of other men who do as well, Peter Leithart Ph.D. being one of them.  "Real men read Austen."

       So let's talk a little about the characters of Austen's books.  Austen's novels have many well crafted characters, some good some evil, that will always be remembered.  It is so hard to select a favorite hero or heroine, Austen has created such unforgetable charecters in all her books.  I love all of her heros and heroines.  Heros that really stand out to me though would be Mr. Knightely from Emma, Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility, and Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey.   I think Jane Austen created her heros and heroines to complement each other, which I think is done perfectly in the examples of these three men.  Mr. Knightely's wisdom is just what Emma Woodhouse needed to curb her domineering and impulsive ways. Colonel Brandon's age and experience is just what Marianne Dashwood needed to complement her youth and inexperience.  Henry Tilney's discernment is exactly what naive Catherine Morland needed to guide her.  My ideal husband would be some combination of those three men, especially Mr. Knightley.  My favorite heroines are Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, Anne Elliot from Persuasion, Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility, and Fanny Price from Mansfield Park.  A combination of those women is what I would so want to be.  I want Elizabeth Bennett's wit, but not prejudiceness, Anne Elliot's patience and kindness, Elinor Dashwood's forebarance and patience, and Fanny Price's sweetness and kindness.

       There are a million and one favorite lines from Austen I have.  My family and I quote them incessently.  A lot of them happen to be from Pride and Prejudice, which is probably because we watch and read that one the most.  Let me note here that we watch the five hour BBC Pride and Prejudice  and would NEVER watch the newer two hour version because it makes a romance story out of it and you just CAN'T cram that long of a book into two hours and make a good movie.  One of my brother's favorite lines from Pride and Prejudice is when Elizabeth Bennett says, "I am happier even then Jane; She only only smiles, I laugh."  A favorite quote for my mother is when Mr. Bennett (Pride and Preujdice again) says, "I am going into my study and I'm not to be disturbed."  Wonder why that would be her favorite line. :)  My favorite quote from Jane Austen's novels is the opening line from Pride and Prejudice, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in a possesion of a large fortune must be in want of a wife."  Classic, enough said. 

       So that is why I love Jane Austen's novels.  Why do you?

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.