Posts Tagged ‘Austen’
Sourcebooks, the world’s leading publisher of Jane Austen fiction, is offering a unique deal to readers who want to celebrate Jane by reading special editions of all six of Austen’s beloved novels in a 21st century format.
Special e-book editions of Pride and Prejudice, Emma,Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion andMansfield Park will be available for free for one day only. These celebratory editions include the full novels, plus the legendary color illustrations of the Brock brothers, originally created to accompany the books in 1898.
On December 16 only, the following bestselling ebooks will be available free through our retail partners (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc):
Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, by Sharon Lathan
Eliza’s Daughter, by Joan Aiken
The Darcy’s & the Bingley’s, by Marsha Altman
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, by Linda Berdoll
What Would Jane Austen Do?, by Laurie Brown
The Pemberley Chronicles, by Rebecca Collins
The Other Mr. Darcy, by Monica Fairview
Mr. Darcy’s Diary, by Amanda Grange
Lydia Bennet’s Story, by Jane Odiwe
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, by Abigail Reynolds
But the party doesn’t stop there, because also for one day only, we are offering free illustrated ebook editions of all 6 of Austen’s novels. These special editions include the full novels plus the legendary color illustrations of the Brock brothers, originally created to accompany the books in 1898.
A special thanks to Austen Authors for giving me the heads up on the free books!
Today marks the 199th Anniversary of the publishing of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, while this was not the first novel Jane Austen wrote, it was the first novel she published. In celebration of all the wonderful literature and films that Jane Austen has brought us, today is designated as Official Talk Like Jane Austen Day. How does one go about speaking like Jane Austen you ask? Well, first you have to get rid of all contractions. No more “don’t”, “won’t”, “can’t” or “we’ll.” For today it is “do not”, “will not”, “cannot” and “we will.” Numbers need to reordered so instead of “twenty-four”, it is now “four and twenty.”
I personally am going to add the words “tremendous” and “drat” to my vocabulary for today. If you need further help you can visit Talklikejaneausten.com.
I love Sense and Sensibility, both the novel and the movie and you can read my Books-to-Movie Review here.
Jane Austen’s manuscripts have been digitally scanned and can be viewed here. Unlike her novels, which are all print, the manuscripts are Jane’s personal writings that you can read from letters she wrote as a child to the final draft of her manuscripts. The project is the combined efforts of private collections and public libraries in England and allows readers the unique opportunity to read and compare her writings at one time.
Hard to believe a month has already passed, it is that great time again, when we discuss the books-to-movie challenge for the month. This month was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Okay, I have to admit I am unable to choose a favorite between the two versions of the film, the 1995 BBC mini-series or the 2005 feature film version. I love them both for different reasons. The mini-series I love for its close following of the book and wonderful portrayal of the absurdities of all the characters; the film version for its sexual tension between Elizabeth and Darcy and the beautiful cinematography of the entire film. That being said, I love to discuss and compare the two versions, so let’s get started.
So the first thing to pay attention to, when reading and watching is the character Mr. Darcy, which actor/film has the better Darcy?
I have to admit that I am torn between the two Darcys. When ever someone mentions Mr.Darcy I immediately think of Colin Firth. The first time I saw the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice I was in high school, my mother had seen one section of the mini-series on television and immediately ordered the complete collection on VHS (yes, I realize this is dating me). I got the great idea that I would watch one section of the series each night for a week, at four am the morning of the first night I finished the last episode and was finally able to go to bed. I have found out that I am almost physically incapable of just watching one section of the series, if it is on TV I have to get my copy out to finish it before I can go to sleep. For this reason, Colin Firth and the BBC version will always hold a special place in my heart. That being said, I find Colin Firth’s Darcy
muchmore autocratic and lordly than I find Matthew Macfadyen’s Darcy. Matthew’s Darcy, in my opinion portrays the book’s Darcy better. Distant and standoffish because of shyness and an inability to be comfortable in society Matthew portrays the Darcy of the book better. All right readers, let me know who you vote for, Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen?!
The next question, which couple do you like better, Jane and Mr. Bingley or Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy?
When I first read the book I immediately loved Elizabeth and Darcy as a couple, their witty comments, their loving each other against their will and their eventual coming together I relished and relived time and again. Now, having watched and read the story so many times, I am coming to appreciate Jane and Bingley’s relationship more and more. Their quiet admiration for each other, their silent suffering because of other people’s actions and their final joy is the less obvious great love story to be found in Pride and Prejudice. Which couple do you like better?
Finally, and in my opinion the most important question, favorite scenes from each versions?
This one is a toughie for me, there are so many great scenes in both films, like when Darcy flexes his hand after assisting Elizabeth into the carriage in the film version, or when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth in the mini-series. But after careful deliberation (because obviously this very important question had to be answered) I decided on my favorite scene from each version.
In the mini-series version my favorite scene is when Elizabeth and Darcy run into each other at Pemberly, after Darcy has proposed and been rejected by Elizabeth and she has read the letter he wrote to her explaining his actions. The extreme awkwardness and embarrassment of both is so pivotal to breaking down the walls they have built between the two of them and leading to their eventual reconciliation.
In the film version my favorite scene is when Elizabeth and Darcy are dancing together, the scene begins with the
room full of people with Elizabeth and Darcy speaking in the middle of the dance floor. As the conversation progresses, all of a sudden it is only the two of them in the room, dancing alone and focused on each other. It feels as if the world has fallen away and there is only the two of them, an incredible visual reflection of their relationship, how it doesn’t matter what is going on around them (Lydia running away with Whickham and Lady Catherine De Bourgh’s disapproval) they only have eyes for each other. Do you have a favorite scene?
I could go on and on about what I love about both films and the secondary characters (the two Mr. Collins and Judi Dench as Lady Catherine De Bourgh) but I think I will leave it here. Let me know what you think and if there is something I absolutely should have mentioned and failed to comment on.
Where do I even start with this great book and film?! I first read the novel when I was in high school, when my mother handed me her copy and informed me that it was one of the greatest love stories ever written. The novel was
originally published in 1813 as Jane Austen’s second published work, after Sense and Sensibility. It was an immediate success and is still considered one of the best books to read. I have to admit that I personally own four copies of the book, one in a nice leather bound collection, two paperbacks and one in ebook form. Since obtaining my ereader, I check the Amazon.com bestseller list almost daily, in the year I have had it Pride and Prejudice has remained in the top 100.
Having read the book numerous times and I am not even going to start trying to count how many times I have seen the film (in any version), I have to agree with my mother’s assessment. Since most of us already familiar with this book and movie (honestly, I am just using this as an excuse to reread the books and watch the films) I thought we might try a different approach.
So the first thing to pay attention to, when reading and watching is Darcy, which actor/film has the better Darcy?
OR 
The next question, which couple do you like better, Jane and Mr. Bingley or Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy?
Finally, and most importantly, which film version do you like best, if you have seen both?
So get reading, watching and meet back here on the 23rd to discuss your thoughts.
