#Austen

[mysunfreckle]

I am continually going through Gutenberg’s version of Pride and Prejudice for the fic and the illustrations

Look at these!

Mr. Collins “extending an olive branch” to Mr. Bennet:

Lizzie trying to make up her mind about Darcy vs Whickham after reading Darcy’s letter:

Lydia’s dreams of staying at the camp in Brighton:

Darcy, Caroline and Louisa attempting to drag Bringley away from Jane, and three cupids trying to prevent them:

Lady Catherine going full Lady Catherine: 

They’re by Hugh Thomson, please go look at the others. There’s a list with page links at the start

[boltlightning]

persuasion (1995) dir. roger michell

[haridraws]

Fanart of the really good tree from Pride and Prejudice (2005)

[laurasimonsdaughter]

When Mr. Charles Bingley rode into Hertfordshire to acquaint himself with Netherfield Park it was on a purely accidental recommendation. The solicitor who took it upon himself to advocate for Netherfield could certainly not be blamed for seeing a very desirable tenant in him. Bingley was at that time not yet two years of age, and unmarried, but he had the sort of good-humoured and generous character that must recommend him to almost anybody. The same could not be said for his closest friend…

Conceit and Conciliation is a full, canon compliant retelling of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”, told from the perspectives of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Charles Bingley.

It was written with a lot of love and a lot of help from my sister, and you can download it right now for free (ePub, Mobi or PDF) on my website laurasimons.com!

[shifa-kazi]

The fact that captain Wentworth's letter, you know, THE letter captures exactly what Anne has been feeling throughout the book... He's kinda flirting with the Miss. Musgroves- agony but he notices she's in pain - hope; he is taking a pre breakfast walk with Louisa but a few moments later looks at her as if remembering the old her; he seems heartbroken over Louisa's fall but praises Anne as the most suitable one to nurse her; Louisa is marrying someone else but is he okay or does he feel betrayed... Ahh, the poetry of it alll

[wronghands1]

[m-a-salter]

Period Drama Appreciation Week 2023 | Day 1: Favorite adaptation | Sense and Sensibility (1995), directed by Ang Lee, screenplay by Emma Thompson

[thatgirlonstage]

Henry Tilney, excellent at reading social interactions to the point of being almost jaded and frequently sarcastic about people, meets a girl without a manipulative bone in her body and a near-dangerous obliviousness to dishonesty and is so fucking soft for her immediately. The absolute wonder of finding someone who for once isn’t trying to get a leg up on you or use you for a social prop while you can see straight through them, but just actually and genuinely enjoys your company, and she’s funny and she likes the same novels you do and she actually cares about being your friend. This is Northanger Abbey propaganda everyone go read my favorite Austen novel.

[lunaoblonsky]

Anya Taylor-Joy in a deleted scene of Emma. (2020)

[mysunfreckle]

When it comes to adaptations of Pride & Prejudice, especially modernised versions, it's always quite clear that Jane Austen is a lot harsher towards Lydia Bennet than we are generally comfortable with nowadays. She's barely sixteen and yet is held fully responsible for all of her actions and thereby deserving of how she ends up (with Wickham).

But there's something else that I think is integral to Lydia's character and her treatment in the narrative: she is not sorry and she is not miserable. And while her gleeful "Lydia was Lydia still" attitude just after she got married could be just another piece of evidence that she's simply too unprincipled to feel any sort of shame, all the information we get about her future implies that she pretty much stays that way:

Whenever [Lydia and Wickham] changed their quarters, either Jane or [Elizabeth] were sure of being applied to for some little assistance towards discharging their bills. Their manner of living, even when the restoration of peace dismissed them to a home, was unsettled in the extreme. They were always moving from place to place in quest of a cheap situation, and always spending more than they ought. His affection for her soon sunk into indifference: hers lasted a little longer; and, in spite of her youth and her manners, she retained all the claims to reputation which her marriage had given her. Though Darcy could never receive him at Pemberley, yet, for Elizabeth’s sake, he assisted him further in his profession. Lydia was occasionally a visitor there, when her husband was gone to enjoy himself in London or Bath; and with the Bingleys they both of them frequently stayed so long, that even Bingley’s good-humour was overcome, and he proceeded so far as to talk of giving them a hint to be gone.

It is very likely Lydia does not enjoy being poor, but she has no qualms about asking her sisters for money. And while I presume Wickham isn't faithful to her (especially not when "enjoying himself" in London or Bath), it says in the text that her affection for him only lasts "a little longer" than his for her.

It is remarked upon that Wickham and Lydia's characters "suffered no revolution from the marriage of her sisters" and, although she is always refused, she keeps trying to get Kitty to visit her with the promise of balls and young men.

Compare this to how Maria Betram's future is sketched at the end of Mansfield Park:

It ended in Mrs. Norris’s resolving to quit Mansfield and devote herself to her unfortunate Maria, and in an establishment being formed for them in another country, remote and private, where, shut up together with little society, on one side no affection, on the other no judgment, it may be reasonably supposed that their tempers became their mutual punishment.

No such promise of punishment for Lydia! If she really stays "Lydia still; untamed, unabashed, wild, noisy, and fearless", perhaps she is allowed to skip through her unsatisfactory marriage with the same energy she skipped into it: flirting left and right, spending all her money, and thinking only of her own enjoyment.

Which is probably the kindest ending the story can give her, considering she insisted on marrying Wickham.

[bat0nchick]

[lit-rants]

Why I Love Northanger Abbey.

Northanger Abbey is my favorite Jane Austen novel and believe me this is a conclusion that I have come to with much deliberation. The novel is a wonderful coming of age novel and is a parody of the gothic novels that were extremely popular. Catherine Morland, the naive seventeen year old heroine is an avid reader with a vivid imagination, so much so that her imagination distorts her sense of reality. The novel follows her while she embarks on her own adventures and meets the Tilney’s whose character and residence become a subject of great fascination for her. 

What set Catherine apart from the other heroines that Austen wrote is that she was simply an ordinary girl. She didn't have the wit and humor of Elizabeth or the faultlessness of Fanny or the beauty of Emma. She was simply a country girl who craved adventure and was too innocent for her own good. She wasn't worldly, she was clumsy and scatterbrained. She wears her heart on her sleeves and is terrible at hiding her honest feelings towards something. But in spite of her flaws she is charming and has good intentions. She stands up against peer pressure and is not afraid to apologize when she knows she has done wrong or stand up for herself and her loved ones.  

Let's talk about the hero though. Henry Tilney is my favorite Jane Austen hero. He is witty, funny and sarcastic and can make jokes. His lightheartedness makes him so endearing and charming and lets not forget his impressive skill in understanding muslin. He is so attentive to Catherine and makes her laugh. He knows when to indulge her in her fanatical ideas and when to ground her when she lets her overactive imagination get the better of her. When John Thorpe dismisses her hobby of reading novels, Henry shows genuine interest in what she reads and even gives his opinion without ridiculing or patronizing her. 

I loved the relationship between Catherine and Henry Tilney. I loved how open Catherine is about her feelings and so devoid of intrigues and mind games in order to attract his attention which is a stark contrast to Isabella. Moreover I think Austen did an amazing job at challenging the general convention of her time where the man is supposed to be the pursuer and the woman is supposed to play hard to get. Catherines transparency and innocence about her feelings is  refreshing and also the reason which makes Henry fall for her. 

I loved hating John Thorpe. Right from the start he is rude, manipulative, and a terrible conversationalist. He is probably the worst character Austen has written in the “men who cannot take a hint” trope (which includes Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice and Henry Crawford from Mansfield Park and such). He is boastful and only talks about his carriage and horses and has nothing to recommend him as a good partner. He manipulates and misleads General Tilney into believing that Catherine has a good fortune which when later proven to be false gets Catherine into trouble for no fault of hers.  There is a certain pleasure in knowing that he got what he deserved in the end.

[dimsilver]

btw I’m obsessed with the way the 1995 persuasion handles Anne and Wentworth’s proposal scene because the whole circus randomly goes by and yet it’s like they’re the only two people in the world. they create for each other an oasis of peace and quiet and understanding. they are each other’s safe harbor.

[vronskies]

emma (2020)

[silverystardustt]

there's just something about two bodies conforming to each other as much as physically possible while kissing that's just-