Jane Austen Book Club: Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park (1814) was Quintessentially English's Jane Austen Book Club's novel for August. In previous months I have finished Jane Austen's novels long before month-end but with Mansfield Park I really struggled. I found it really hard to get interested in the story and once I put the book down, I would forget about it. Fanny Price might have been the paradigm of wholesome values in the 1800s, but for my modern perspective she is a timid goody-two-shoes!

Unlike Austen's previous heroines, I found it incredibly difficult to sympathise with Fanny, there is not one ounce of her character that I could take in a modern light. The most obvious example of her "goodness" is when she refuses to take part in the play as she believes the content is inappropriate (it contains adultery) and that her uncle, Sir Thomas, would not approve. Even her cousin, Edmund, who dreams of being a vicar agrees to take a role in play. True he only agrees after he finds out that Mary Crawford would play his love interest, but still, come on Fanny!

Billie Piper as Fanny Price in ITV's Mansfield Park (2007)
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Besides the fact that Mansfield Park has an annoying heroine, Jane Austen's third novel is also her most controversial. Like Jane Austen's early works, Mansfield Park is a social commentary on the gentry-class but what makes this novel controversial is it's illusion to slavery.

Sir Thomas Bertram, the wealthy owner of Mansfield Park, is also the owner of a sugar plantation in Antigua. Although not expressly mentioned in the novel, it is clear to readers that the estate of Mansfield Park was made possible through slave labour. When Sir Thomas leaves for a year to deal with the problems at the estate in Antigua, the rest of the characters seem perfectly oblivious to the situation. You would think considering their entire livelihoods rely on how things go in Antigua they would care a bit more.

To be truthful my favourite part of Mansfield Park was finally reading about the namesake of Harry Potter's Mrs. Norris. J.K. Rowling said she named Argus Filch's cat after Mansfield Park's Mrs. Norris because the cat "is similarly odious and is hanging around in the background a lot."[1]

Mrs. Norris with her owner, Argus Filch
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With Mansfield Park done and dusted, it's time to move on to Jane Austen's fourth book and fourth month in Quintessentially English's Jane Austen Book Club - Emma. I started reading it last night, three chapters in and I already prefer it to Mansfield Park!

Q: What did you think about Mansfield Park?

Erin x

Jane Austen Book Club: Pride and Prejudice

Welcome friends to the second installment of The Quintessentially English Jane Austen Book Club! We started in June by reading Jane Austen's first novel, Sense and Sensibility, and will be reading another Jane Austen novel each month until November when we finish with Persuasion.

Thanks to Bonnie Rose, Gina, Holly, and Lindsay for linking up their Sense and Sensibility blog posts last month. I enjoyed reading every single one of them! General consensus of Sense and Sensibility is that while everyone enjoyed the novel, it wasn't anyone's favourite.

For July, we read Jane Austen's second and probably most beloved novel - Pride and Prejudice. Published in 1813, this novel was one of the few that received recognition in Jane Austen's lifetime and continues to be a favourite in modern times. In 2003 when the BBC conducted a poll for the UK's Best-Loved Book, Pride and Prejudice came second, only losing out on the top spot to The Lord of the Rings.

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Modern interest in Pride and Prejudice has resulted in a number of adaptations, most notably the 1995 BBC television miniseries starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and 2005 feature film starring Keira Knightly as Elizabeth Bennet. Besides adaptations, Pride and Prejudice has also inspired other works which borrow characters and/or themes from the story.

When I sat down to write this month's Jane Austen post I decided rather than giving my thoughts on the story, characters, and themes, I would do something I bit different. I decided instead to explore the lasting impact of Pride and Prejudice in the stories it has inspired. There are hundreds, if not thousands, to choose from but these are my top 5 based on popularity or ingenuity.

5. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in a series of 2-8 minute videos on YouTube. The story enfolds in vlog (or video blog) told from the perspective of Lizzie Bennet (Ashley Clements) with appearances from most of the main characters.

It makes my list of top Pride and Prejudice-inspired stories because of its brilliant portrayal of a classic story in a modern format. Prior to beginning research for this post, I had not heard of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, but have since watched a couple of episodes and absolutely love it. It's cute and mindless, good for some lunch break viewing!

 4. Lost in Austen

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Lost in Austen is the story of Amanda Price (Jemima Rooper), a devoted Janeite, who finds herself transported to the world of Pride and Prejudice thanks to a portal in her bathroom. Elizabeth Bennet and Amanda switch lives, and it is up to Amanda to ensure the events of Pride and Prejudice unfold as they should.

Like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Lost in Austen takes a classic tale and adds modern insights to it with the added fun of a magical portal in a bathroom that will take you to the world of your favourite book. Could you imagine? My portal would definitely lead me to Wonderland, but I wouldn't mind spending some time lost in Austen!

3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a 2009 parody novel that combines Pride and Prejudice with elements of the modern zombie genre as popularised in films such as Shaun of the Dead. The plot is pretty similar to the original, the Bennet family live in a rural English village where their primary concerns are marrying off their five daughters and “defending themselves against wave after wave of the remorseless, relentless walking dead,” says author Seth Grahame-Smith.

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Well Seth Grahame-Smith you have my attention! Who wouldn’t want to read this literary mashup of 19th century manners and zombie horror? I’ve already added this, its sequel (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After) and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters have all been added to my GoodReads want-to-read shelf. Perhaps next year we’ll continue The Quintessentially English Jane Austen Book Club but instead of the traditional Jane Austen, we’ll read the parody novels. Is anyone up for it?

2. Death Comes to Pemberley

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Death Comes to Pemberley is a murder mystery novel based on Pride and Prejudice by P.D. James. The story begins six years after the plot of Jane Austen’s original novel. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are still married and living in Pemberley when, you guessed it, a murder occurs.

I debated between Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Death Comes to Pemberley for the second spot in my list and, as you can see, Death Comes to Pemberley won - the reason being that Death Comes to Pemberley does not simply add to the original plot but is a completely separate story borrowing only the characters. Death Comes to Pemberley has also been added to my alternative Jane Austen Book Club reading list.  

1. Bridget Jones's Diary

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Bridget Jones’s Diary is a 2001 film based on Helen Fielding’s novel of the same name and by far the most renowned interpretation of Pride and Prejudice.  Helen Fielding based her novel on Jane Austen’s original story and 1995 adaptation. There are several allusions to the original Pride and Prejudice in Bridget Jones’s Diary; 

1. The Darcy in both stories comes across as pompous in the beginning and almost loses the girl as a result. 
2. Mark insults Bridget to his mother within earshot of Bridget. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy insults Elizabeth to Mr. Bingley within earshot of Elizabeth.  
3. Daniel Cleaver lies to Bridget about a dispute between him and Mark, claiming that Mark stole his fiancée when, in fact, it was the other way around. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Wickham attempts to run away with Georgina Darcy and then lies about Mr. Darcy and the whole affair to Elizabeth. 
4. Bridget works at Pemberley Press, an obvious allusion to Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley. 
5. In the film Bridget says "It is a truth universally acknowledged that as soon as one part of your life starts looking up, another part falls to pieces." This is homage to the famous opening lines of Pride and Prejudice.

When it came to cast the updated Darcy, Helen Fielding only had one man in her mind – Colin Firth, who played Mr. Darcy in the 1995 adaptation. In fact, one of the screenwriters of Bridget Jones’s Diary, Andrew Davies, also wrote the BBC adaptation.

The Pride and Prejudice veterans in the film and the multiple parallels with the original novel make this the undisputed winner of top Pride and Prejudice inspired works.


Switching gears from Pride and Prejudice, it is now August and we are currently reading Mansfield Park. You can still join in on the fun so go and pick up a copy from your local library or Quintessentially English’s Amazon Associates Store! Be sure to join the #JaneAustenBookClub  conversation on Twitter (@essentialerin) and Facebook!

 Q: What did you think of Pride and Prejudice? Can you think of any other Pride and Prejudice inspired stories that should have made the list?

Erin x

Jane Austen Book Club: Sense and Sensibility

In 1811, Sense and Sensibility became the first published novel "by a lady" whom the world would come to know as Jane Austen (1775-1817). Perhaps to maintain her privacy, Austen published all her books anonymously and no one, apart from immediate family, would know who the "lady" was until after her death in 1817.

Today Sense and Sensibility is often overshadowed by Jane Austen's other works, such as Pride and Prejudice, which was published next and coincidentally is The Quintessentially English Jane Austen Book Club's book for July. However that doesn't mean Sense and Sensibility should be ignored. I found it a perfectly enjoyable read about two very different sisters and the social conventions of the time.

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Mr. Dashwood has died, leaving his wife and three daughters (Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret) with very little income. Inheritance went to the eldest son in those days and Mr. Dashwood hoped the son from his first marriage, John, would look after his stepmother and half-sisters. However, John Dashwood is a half-wit and is easily manipulated by his wife to believe his "family" will be perfectly fine without any contributions from him.

The Dashwoods are left to fend for themselves and  they find a little cottage at Barton Park, far away from their half-brother and the witch he's married to. This is not before they meet Edward Ferrars, their sister-in-law's brother. Elinor is quite taken with Edward and it is implied that he is with her, although you can't be sure because it's all looks and conversations about the weather. However his sister must see some sort of attraction between them because she is more than glad to see the back of Elinor, as Elinor is deemed not worthy of Edward's hand.

At Barton Park the Dashwoods are introduced to Colonel Brandon, a part played by Alan Rickman in the 1995 film adaptation - which I couldn't get out of my head! Colonel Brandon is an intelligent man in love with Marianne who is frankly young enough to be his daughter. They didn't care about that in those days though, then again they don't care much about it now, look at Hugh Hefner and his girls. I won't call them women as most of them have been too young to be classified as such.


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Sadly for Alan Rickman, sorry I mean Colonel Brandon, Marianne's heart is taken by John Willoughby, the dashing and more age-appropriate choice. Willoughby is equally attracted to Marianne, or so it seems, and the two flaunt their affection for a couple of chapters causing mild discomfort for Elinor. She is the more sensible of the pair and finds their obvious attraction too flamboyant.

In the end, Willoughby exhibits classic bad boy behaviour and departs for London where we later learn he has married a wealthy heiress and Marianne is left devastated. Around this time we are introduced to the Steele sisters, most notably Lucy Steele who decides that she and Elinor are going to become BFFs. However the whole thing is a facade, as Lucy actually befriends Elinor so she can chase away her love rival. For it turns out Lucy is engaged to Edward!

I first believed this to be a misunderstanding, that Lucy was actually engaged to Robert, Edward's brother, and that Elinor had misunderstood. Or that Lucy had decided to say Edward to disguise her true fiancé. Well I was kind of right because in the end Lucy ends up running off and marrying Robert anyway. In the meantime, it turns out Lucy truly is engaged to Edward and Elinor is saddened. She doesn't stop eating like Marianne does over the loss of Willoughby but like I said she has more sense or is she sensible? Oh it's all too confusing.

After spending months in London, which is where they find out that Willoughby married and it all comes out about Lucy being engaged to Edward, the sisters begin their journey home. But before they return to Barton Park, they stop at the home of some friends to stay. It is here that Marianne gets gravely ill, causing both Elinor and Colonel Brandon to fear the worst. Yes, Colonel Brandon is still around even though he appears to have no chance with Marianne.

Colonel Brandon has been a loyal and honourable friend to the Dashwoods throughout the novel, and he offers to fetch the girls' mother from Barton Park and bring her to the dying Marianne. One who has been less loyal and honourable, Willoughby, also makes an unexpected visit to check on Marianne. He begs Elinor for the chance to explain himself and his actions to Marianne. Willoughby admits to just playing with Marianne's affections at first, typical playboy behaviour, but in the end he truly came to care for her. He is devastated about the possibility of her dying and basically admits she is the only woman he will ever love.

© Jacqui Oakley

In the end it's all sunshine and roses, it comes out that Lucy has run off with Robert, so Edward and Elinor are free to marry. In the end Marianne marries Colonel Brandon as well, for what reason I couldn't possibly say. I'm with their brother John Dashwood on this one, it seems Colonel Brandon and Elinor would have made a much better match. But no, Colonel Brandon marries Marianne who until the last chapter still doesn't like him. Come on Austen, why did you put these two together? Marianne should always have been with Willoughby. If this novel were set in modern times Willoughby would be getting a divorce and a fat settlement from his heiress wife and running off with Marianne! It just makes more sense that way!

Which brings me to one final point, what was the point of Margaret? Margaret who you might justifiably ask. Margaret, the daughter I mentioned in one of the first paragraphs and never mentioned again. Pretty much exactly what Jane Austen did with Margaret but worse, because Austen forgot to write about her for pretty much the entire book. Oh I'm sorry, you're right, there was that one line at the end in which she states that Mrs. Jennings is happy because now Margaret is of marrying age. Congratulations Austen, you could have saved yourself some ink for all the use she was in Sense and Sensibility.

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Q: What did you think of Sense and Sensibility? Will you be joining us in July to read Pride and Prejudice?

Erin x

Moranthology - A Review

Caitlin Moran has been "writing the fuck out of shit since 1992", including not one but three award-winning columns for The Times. She also shares my last name and has a Twitter addiction that surpasses my own. Basically she is amazing and an all-around badass.

©  Casa Bevron Ltd 2012

This past weekend, I finished reading Moranthology - a collection of her writings from The Times ranging from serious political pieces to downright bizarre encounters. Usually I'm not one for anthology books because I find them difficult to keep my interest. Not Moranthology, I couldn't put it down! Once I was finished one article I was eager to start the next!

I decided to share five of my favourite articles from the book. I thought it would be easy, until I actually sat down to write this thing. I have little pencilled stars next to far more than five! How I narrowed it down in the end, I don't think I'll ever know but here they are:

1. Sherlock Review 2: The Frumious Cumberbatch. Until reading Caitlin Moran I had not seen a single episode of BBC's Sherlock. This review and the one before it (Sherlock Review 1: Like a Jaguar in a Cello) made me realise what an amazing show I was missing. I debated which of these I felt encouraged my prompt decision to go out and buy it. Since watching Series One and re-reading them, I have decided it was definitely the second. The reason, she asks the question that is on all English minds, "Why GOD are there only three episodes of Sherlock per series?"
2. We Only Had Two Transsexuals in Wolverhampton. Long story short, there was a bit of a kerfuffle after a ten-year-old boy returned from the school holidays as a girl. Parents were even going as far as saying that they should have been consulted before hand. Besides being consulted on all parenting matters, it appears the main goal of these parents was to keep their own children in the dark. A round of applause for these parents, putting a child that is already going through a difficult time under the public microscope. Yes, well done all of you. And you're the ones who you think should be consulted for parenting advice? Hmm. The message I took from this piece is anyone, not just children, should be allowed and encouraged to ask questions. Knowledge is power as Captain Planet would say!
3. Libraries: Cathedrals of Our Souls. As a book lover I've always thought of libraries as something to be respected and cherished. The sad truth is libraries are having to fight to stay open. In this digital age, libraries are no longer seen as necessary. More students are using the internet to do research for the term papers. Reading for fun? Why bother when they'll make a film about it in a few years. (Excuse me while I pause to cringe at humanity) For Caitlin libraries are so much more then that, they were a place where she could escape to and she makes a strong case for their continued purpose in society! And please tell me I'm not the only one who while reading this pictured 'little girl' Caitlin a bit like Roald Dahl's Matilda.
4. Unlike Most of the Coalition, I Was Raised on Benefits. This one might actually be my favourite of the entire book because it made me look at people on benefits in a different light. I try not to be too political on this blog, so I hope you can afford me a few sentences. I'll be honest, I looked at people on benefits with a bit of a sceptical eye. The image of council estates I had in my mind is just the tracksuit-wearing stereotype she described. When I saw 'chavs' (see glossary) with the latest gadget, all I could think about was that my hard-earned money had bought. And on top of all of this, I saw people on benefits as most likely fakers taking advantage of the system. This one made me realise that while some of those people are "dodgy, most of them are doing their best..." I'm not saying my entire outlook on the benefits system has changed because of this one article, but I won't be so quick to tar everyone on benefits with the shame brush.
5. The Best Royal Wedding Ever. I love the royal family. I don't go CRAZY for them like some, but I do love them! As such, I loved this piece. Not just because it was about the royal family but it brought back memories of a great day. My greatest regret of the day after reading this, watching it on the BBC instead of ITV1. Yes, the BBC's coverage was to thoughtful, perhaps even a bit subdued but it appears that ITV was just more amusing. Zooming up on Chelsy Davy's (Prince Harry's then girlfriend) tango-coloured face. Describing the Westminster Abbey as "It's very... pretty". Why did I miss this?! Thankfully, Caitlin Moran was able to summarise all of the coverage, including Twitter, in one brilliant column! Thanks Caitlin!

While I've followed @CaitlinMoran on Twitter for a while and read a few of her columns in The Times, this book really made me a fan! I would recommend this book to pretty much everyone, especially writers! At times I woke my sleeping husband because I was laughing out loud! I find her personality and writing style to be inspirational! Maybe she isn't everyone's cup of tea but she's definitely mine!  I'll be adding How To Be A Woman (2011) to my Goodreads 'to read' list, if I haven't done so already!

If you haven't read Caitlin Moran's Moranthology, you can purchase it by going to Quintessentially English's Amazon Affiliate Store or by clicking below! More importantly, if you HAVE read Moranthology, what were some of your favourite columns. Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @essentialerin!

 

Erin x

Skyfall (50 Years of James Bond)

2012 has been a momentous year in England. First we had the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June, followed by the Summer Olympic Games in London, but perhaps most importantly we celebrate 50 years of James Bond!

Queen Elizabeth II and James Bond at London 2012 Olympic Games

I do not think anyone in 1962 could have predicted that fifty years later not only would the Bond films continue to be so popular but they would also still be in production! Skyfall is the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise and upon viewing it is safe to say that Bond will not be leaving our screens anytime soon!  

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Casino Royale (2006) was supposed to be the rebirth of the Bond franchise, but Skyfall in my opinion is the true rebirth. To tell the truth, I was not that impressed with Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace (2008). I thought they were too violent and were not what James Bond was about. The books are considerably grittier than the earlier films and Daniel Craig's Bond was supposed to be returning to this. However, I missed the wit found in the films from the earlier days. Skyfall sees the return of the witty side of Bond while still keeping it realistic.

What did you expect, an exploding pen? - Q (Ben Whishaw)

This is the first time in the series' history, a James Bond film is being directed by an Academy Award winner in the form of Sam Mendes. The difference this has made to the film is substantial. With Mendes at the helm the producers were able to assemble an impressive cast and crew with 35 have Academy Award nominations and 5 wins between them. With those credentials it really is no wonder that Skyfall is being heralded as the best Bond film ever!

There are so many things to love about this film that it is hard to pick a favourite. The storyline is fantastic, don't worry I won't spoil it for you. Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem, is by far the best Bond villain ever! The cinematography is exquisite, perhaps owing a large part to the wide variety of amazing locations including; Turkey, China, Scotland, and London! This was my first time seeing a Bond film in the cinema, but if there was ever a film worthy of seeing in the cinema it is Skyfall.

Bond is well and truly back!

James Bond Car Chase Montage

Q:Who is your favourite James Bond actor? 

Erin x