Thursday, 23 October 2008
-
Currently Reading
Sense and Sensibility (Barnes & Noble Classics)
By Jane Austen
see relatedQuality time with Jane.
I've been really getting into Jane Austen lately. I plowed through Northanger Abbey and absolutely loved it. I recently watched the newest BBC production of it, and it's poorly done. If you have any affection for the novel, you'll not enjoy the film adaptation. I don't believe the actors in it could've made an "I want..." statement for their characters if their lives depended on it. They were very flat and cliche'. For instance, Mr. Tinley, the young man of interest, is supposed to be a charming character in the novel, whom Catherine is never certain until the very end of his intentions toward her. In the film, it was blatantly obvious from the get-go by his openly flirtateous smiles that he's "into" Catherine. So for the rest of the film, there's no mystery about his intentions, there's no discoveries to be made with regard to his feelings, and therefore no interest created by the romance, which is a major part of the story. Very flat characters. The directing was bad. I understood the director's intentions, but the follow-through was bad. He/she was trying to make it very stylized and bring out the "gothic novel" theme, but it wasn't consistent throughout the film and didn't weave or blend into the story. It felt like an afterthought.
Anyway, I'm almost through reading Sense & Sensibility for the first time. It's so brilliantly written. I've had to mature as a reader in order to fully appreciate Jane Austen. The language of her novels takes some getting used to. Only now can I fully understand her and just how clever each sentence is, and this is the fourth novel of hers I've read! And oh, does Jane love irony! I now understand the emphasis "Becoming Jane" put on Jane's love of irony. It never hit me so hard as it does in this one--she wrote lots of targets for her irony, I suppose. She must've been in a strange mood when she wrote it.
-
recommend
- recs 0
-
share
-
email
- sent 0
Post a Comment
- Back to Em_Brown's Xanga Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in Em_Brown's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
Comments (2)
Man, I have got to read that one! I loved Northanger Abbey and disliked the movie, as well. I miss you dear. Let's catch up soon!
Hey! Thanks for your comment on my blog. It is good to hear that someone reads my blog and actually enjoys it. I just hope that people will grow more and more hungry for God and His word. That is the purpose for me to write my blogs. I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying Jane Austen. I read Emma in college and enjoyed it. Maybe one of these days I'll pick up the others. Hope everything is going well for you. I'll keep you in my prayers as you continue. God Bless! With Love!
Josh