#i also need to write up a dissertation proposal but eh

[misscrawfords]

Rose! How do you feel about Emma and its various adaptations?

Sorry for the delay in answering - blame the school trip!

I love Emma. I wrote my dissertation partly on it (also on Northanger Abbey, Rob Roy and St Ronan’s Well) and while I loved it before I loved it even more after studying it. All of Austen’s novels are extremely well plotted, but Emma might just be the best. It’s like a detective novel in that respect (and has been described as such on multiple occasions) because you can pick up on clues to what’s really going on all the way through but on a first read, you don’t see them. Miss Bates unintentionally reveals details that can be explained by Frank and Jane’s secret relationship but they are hidden in her verbal overloading. Emma’s own thoughts betray her unknown interest in Mr. Knightley, and his actions point to his love for Emma. And so on. 

Jane Austen is also being radical in her use of literary conventions and genre in Emma (as she is in basically all her novels). She has the tightest mystery plot ever written at this point hidden directly inside a novel that sticks strictly to the conventions of romantic comedy. She even goes overboard with it - successfully navigating three couples to appropriate happy endings. However, within that solid structure, she plays with expectations and conventions in a subtle way and this is where I get really excited.

First we have Emma herself, a heroine “nobody but myself will like”. Austen clearly loved questioning and pushing conventions of who was allowed to be a heroine. Her previous novel, Mansfield Park, gave us Fanny who most people at the time found disappointing after Elizabeth Bennet and modern readers (unjustly IMO) hate, and she followed Emma with Anne Elliot who was far too old to be a romantic heroine according to contemporary standards. In the middle we have Emma Woodhouse, a meddling snob. She’s got a lot in common with Mr. Darcy actually and her character development in terms of recognising the bad behaviour she is guilty of and the prejudice she feels towards those of a lower social status is pretty similar. But while Darcy and his character development is held up as beautiful and heroic and romantic, Emma is frequently condemned as dislikable. I do wonder why that could be… Personally, I love Emma. She’s clever and shrewd and funny and, honestly, is there anyone who doesn’t think Miss Bates is annoying and doesn’t want to throw a tantrum at the prospect of being upstaged by Mrs. Elton? Are you, dear reader, such a paragon of rational enlightenment and charitable feeling? Would you instantly see through Frank Churchill and resist his flirtations? Would you be best friends with Jane Fairfax and not be just a little bit jealous of her and how much Mr. Knightley everyone seems to admire her? Have you never said something cutting and regretted it? Are you perfect, reader, ARE YOU? Come on. Emma is one of us. She messes up, she judges badly, she says cringeworthy stuff in inappropriate situations, she gives bad advice - she’s human. And she deals with it without losing her positive outlook and she does grow, enough to “deserve” her happy ending (though that’s a loaded concept) but not so much it’s unrealistic. And what makes her likeable through it all are that her intentions are good. Emma is not a bad person who has to become good and “be redeemed”. She is a fundamentally warm and caring person who needs to have some bad habits of thought and action corrected by guidance and experience. Emma’s intentions and understanding are good from the beginning.

Emma’s also interesting because, yes, she does change, but if you put her in the context of the genre she inhabits, she also gets to keep a lot. Basically, in another novel, Emma would have to pay significant penance for her bad behaviour before she would be allowed to marry Mr. Knightley and she would have to prove that she is a changed woman and is absolutely not going to continue meddling and will be a good and submissive wife. Usually this also involves giving up the dangerous reading of novels which have led her astray. Several points. Firstly, Emma is not a novel reader, she is a novel writer. Emma is described by various critics as “an avatar of Austen the author” and if you read the novel through the prism of Emma being an author, things become really fascinating. Beautiful, illegitimate Harriet Smith is the heroine of Emma’s novel and obviously Emma-as-author wants to discover that she is really the long lost daughter of Somebody and give her a socially advantageous marriage. Emma’s matchmaking attempts are the workings of a novelist plotting with characters. Emma is creating her own world. This is radical stuff, in a society where female novelists were looked down upon. Emma has the means and independence and cleverness to write a story of her own - and she is comically bad at it. This is one way in which Austen plays with genre. Secondly, it is not at all clear that Emma does give up her matchmaking at the end of the novel. Austen is coy when she floats this suggestion about Mrs. Weston’s daughter: “[Emma] would not acknowledge that it was with any view of making a match for her, hereafter, with either of Isabella’s sons”. Does this suggest that maybe Emma isn’t as cured as she should be? Thanks to Austen’s levels of irony it’s impossible to tell, which is the point. Thirdly, Emma is the only Austen heroine to have real financial and social clout. Emma really does rule Highbury and at the end of the novel, instead of being subsumed into her husband’s world, he in fact moves in with her (however temporarily). This is practically the Regency equivalent of her keeping her name after marriage. She and Mr. Knightley are social equals and she does not leave her home or her sphere of influence when she marries. The only other heroine this would be true of is, interestingly enough, Fanny Price. But Mansfield Park is notoriously inward looking and Fanny’s ending allows her to truly become a Bertram which is what she wanted all along for better or worse. And Fanny and Edmund’s social status and influence are much less significant that Knightley and Emma’s are.

Something else to bear in mind when thinking about Emma’s character is that, despite her social power and wealth, she also lives an extremely confined and limited life. She is essentially a carer for her stultifying and claustrophobic father. She has never left the environs of Highbury. She is surrounded by people who jump to her every command and shower her in praise, both deserved and undeserved. The only person who criticises her is also in love with her. The only eligible men in her world before the arrival of Frank Churchill are her brother-in-law who is 16 years older than her, and the obsequious vicar. Yes, she can remain a spinster but even a rich spinster cannot maintain the sort of power she currently holds when faced with a married woman like Mrs. Elton (who is a real threat to her), but her alternatives are bleak. A woman of her rank and fortune should be having a London season and meeting other young people of her rank and forming external connections. Because of her father’s passive control over her, Emma has none of these opportunities. Even Fanny Price travels more and meets more people than Emma does. Yes, Emma Woodhouse is handsome, rich and clever and has had very little to vex her, but I suspect that is probably Emma’s own view of her life and it is not necessarily accurate.

Okay, this post is already far too long so I’ll end my discussion of the novel here. There’s also a lot that could be said about Jane and Frank, Emma and Mr. Knightley’s relationship and more, but Emma is clearly the most important and, honestly, the most in need of defence!

Onto the adaptations, and I’ll try to be brief:

1. The Gwyneth Paltrow film. Jeremy Northan is divine though his hair could be better and he’s not my favourite Mr. Knightley, even if I do have a massive crush on JN. Harriet Smith is a not particularly attractive redhead which is… weird. Frank Churchill is Ewan McGregor but he has appalling hair so IDK what was going on there - such a missed opportunity. Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma is a casting disgrace and I honestly can’t bear to watch this film because every time she is on screen I cringe. The producers were more interested in the aesthetic than making a good adaptation. My grandma hated it. Enough said.

2. The Kate Beckinsale film. Honestly, I don’t dislike anything about this except that I wish it were a mini-series and the proposal scene is a bit… eh. But I think it manages to stay true to the book in a feature film and I love Kate Beckinsale’s Emma. She has the right mix of liveliness and arrogance for me. Mark Strong is a stern Mr. Knightley but he’s not too handsome. Frank Churchill is perfect in this adaptation. Controversially, this is my favourite period adaptation.

3. The Romola Garai miniseries. I love lots about this mainly because the length allows everything to be expanded suitably. Johnny Lee Miller is the best Knightley by far. The Eltons are fabulous. Frank and Jane’s relationship gets more time dedicated to it. The Westons and Bateses are great. Harriet Smith is dumbed down too much - she’s naive and not too bright but this adaptation makes her practically an idiot, almost as much a disservice as the 2005 P&P film’s character assassination of Bingley, though physically the actress is perfect and she’s very likeable. And I really do appreciate what they were trying to do with Emma. It was clearly an informed choice to make her bubbly and often silly and a chosen interpretation of the text and I respect that - better that than wilful misinterpretation which some adaptations go in for. I fundamentally disagree with it - whatever her faults, I don’t think Emma is silly and giggly and I struggle to believe this Emma is a 21 year old woman secure in her position as a social leader. Her mannerisms often come across very modern - her little waves, giggles and posture and this is very irritating because Romola Garai has done some fantastic period acting (Daniel Deronda, The Hour etc.) and these mannerisms aren’t consistent across the cast. I love Romola Garai and I think it’s an interesting choice of direction, but not one that rings true to how I see the character though.

4. Clueless. Clearly the best adaptation of Emma ever made. We all know it.

5. Emma Approved. Only seen a bit of it and didn’t warm to it. Should probably give it another go. Why did they change Knightley’s name to Alex? What the hell is wrong with George!?!?

Anyway, here are my thoughts on Emma. Hope they’re at least somewhat interesting. There is nothing I like better than rambling on about Jane Austen! :-) Thank you for giving me the opportunity!

[chekovsphaser]

Got a list of shit to do tomorrow, beginning with house cleaning and grocery shopping and cooking and just generally getting out of my depression funk so wish me luck

[thedunkirkgang]

The Gang. Chapter 1: The One That’s Not a First Date

A/N: Here it is folks! We started working on this idea about three weeks ago but wanted to make sure it was a fleshed out, well rounded story. Consequently we have spent the last three weeks writing and brainstorming ideas, we even had a ‘part two’ planned before we ever posted any writing. We are so excited to introduce you to our original characters, Addison and Ella. Each is loosely based on one of us and we love them dearly. Please let us know what you think!  Lex was the main writer on this chapter and Adrienne beta’d.

XX Lex ( @lexilulove ) & Adrienne ( @adriennelenoir )

Next Part    Masterlist

Word Count: 2,253

August, 2016. London

Addison sat at her table in the corner of her favorite coffee shop. It was a small local place equidistant between home and work. There was a pile of books sat next to her and she was nursing her third cup. Deeply engrossed in her writing, she hardly even registered the bell on the front door ring, signaling the entrance of another patron. Addy was currently paging through one of the books for that certain quote that would support the argument she was trying to make.

Aneurin walked in the first door he could find. No one had expected it to rain that day. He did not have an umbrella, nor was he appropriately dressed for the flash shower. The heavens dumped water with such enthusiasm that in less than a minute, he was soaked. As he looked around the interior of the building he had blindly entered, he found himself in the center of a quaint coffee shop. The small room was packed, many having sought shelter from the rain same as him. He placed an order at the counter and spied a young woman at a table in the corner. It was a one of the only tables with only one occupant, however the entire surface was covered. She had a laptop, a couple of notebooks and a large stack of books. He hated the thought of disturbing her, however, hers was the only table with enough seats unoccupied. Timidly he walked over to her, finding the confidence to ask if he might share the space.

“Excuse me miss…” A soft melodic voice pulled her out of her deep concentration. She glanced up to see a man standing before her. He was average height. Taller than her she reckoned, but at 5’2 it was hard not to be. He had dark curly hair that was drenched. In fact, as she took in his appearance, she saw that he was soaking wet from head to toe. She glanced out the window next to her surprised. When she came inside it had been a beautiful sunny day. She hadn’t even noticed it had started raining, but as she looked out into the street, it was pouring.

“Hi…” She said. A little confused by why this stranger was talking to her. Then she looked around the shop. The surprise rain storm had pushed people in off the street and there were no more tables left.

“Would you mind if I share your table? Just until the rain lets up” The man asked. She was intrigued by his accent.  He was definitely from the British Isles, but she couldn’t quite place the specific part of the country.

“No not at all,” she responded “Here, just let me move some of these books.” She reached across the table and slid the large stack into the chair next to her. American, eh? Aneurin could hear it in her accent.

Aneurin thanked her and sat down pulling a book out of his bag and sipping from his steaming cup. Addison quickly reverted back into her state of deep concentration, not registering the goings on around her. This also means she didn’t notice the way the man opposite her kept looking up from his book to study her. At first it was just quick glances. But after a few minutes he abandoned his book all together in favor of watching her. She had her hair tied up in a large, hastily thrown up top knot, it was brown, a deep chocolate color. And her skin was soft and pale, her lips a dark pink. She almost reminded him of Snow White. He couldn’t put his finger on why, but something about watching her was enthralling. The way she bit her lip in thought. The way she furrowed her brow while paging through the books piled up beside her. At one point, she stopped typing for an extended period. She sat quietly staring at her laptop screen, she almost looked like she was disappointed in her computer. Then all of the sudden she gasped, her eyes lighting up and her fingers resuming their typing with renewed fervor. At that, Aneurin had to bite back a laugh. He decided he needed to talk to her.

“Excuse me, but can I ask what your working on?” She looked up at him a little startled. “Um… sure. It’s just a proposal for my dissertation.” She said it like it was not a big deal. Like it was an everyday occurrence for her. But, Aneurin supposed, that if she was sitting here writing a dissertation, then it was indeed an everyday occurrence in her life.

“Dissertation?” Aneurin responded, hoping his tone conveyed how impressed he felt.

“Yeah, I’m about to begin working on my PhD in art history at a university here in London.” she responded casually. Again, Aneurin felt like she wasn’t giving herself enough credit. Getting your PhD was a truly impressive accomplishment.

“What is your proposal about?” Aneurin questioned further. “I’m Aneurin by the way. Aneurin Barnard” He added, and as an afterthought “Most of my friends call me Ni.”

She finally glanced up from her work, truly looking at him for the first time.

“Addison Meyers. Most people call me Addy.” She smiled at the parallel. “Are you sure you want to hear? If I get started, I’m might not stop. Its a bad habit I have” She smirked slightly to herself, remembering those times her roommate, Ella, would make comments like “Oh here she goes again” any time Addison would start talking about her work.

“Well, seeing as it doesn’t look like this rain will let up any time soon, I’ve got more than enough time.” At this point Aneurin was ready to beg her to talk to him. He didn’t know why, but he just wanted to hear her voice.

Addison considered him for a moment. She was slightly taken aback by the intensity with which he looked at her.  She had just assumed he was questioning her to be polite, but looking at him now, she thought he might truly be interested.

She sighed, hitting save on her laptop and closing the lid. “Alright man” she chuckled, “you asked for it. So, I’m a modernist specializing in 19th century Europe. France specifically. Do you know what Haussmannization is?” She paused to allow him to answer. Ni shook his head. “Well basically in the mid 19th century a guy named Georges Haussmann completely renovated the city of Paris. Paris as we see it today has only looked that way for 150 years, give or take. And then in the midst of the renovation….”

Ni did his best to pay attention to what she was saying. Mentally taking down questions to ask later. She was currently saying something about the psychological side effects of Haussmannization and how the Impressionist painters of the time depicted the changes in the city. If he was being completely honest, he didn’t quite understand most of what she was saying. He just knew that watching her talk was even better than watching her work.  The longer she talked, the more animated she became. Her speech became faster, her hands started gesturing, seemingly of their own accord. It was like she was so excited to be sharing this information that she no longer had control over her extremities. And her eyes. Her beautiful hazel eyes sparkled. Every once in awhile she would laugh at herself and her eyes would adorably scrunch up, the sound leaving her mouth pure joy. In the midst of her speech her hands reached up and pulled at the band keeping her hair in place. Aneurin watched as what must be nearly two feet of hair fell from atop her head and fanned over her. From where he was sitting he could tell it reached all the way down to her lower back. He wanted to touch it. It looked so thick, it had a beautiful shine and a gentle wave. It looked so soft! Stop it Ni! You don’t even know this girl, you can’t touch her!! Now pay attention! He berated himself.

Before he knew it, her tone signaled the end to her speech. “So that’s basically it.” She paused, gauging his reaction. “And you are probably regretting asking me about it. That’s five minutes of your life that you are never gonna get back.”

“No, no, no,” Ni immediately hated the way she put herself down like that. She was captivating, and she needed to know that, he needed to tell her that. “That was incredible. I’ve never met anyone who was so passionate about their work. Or at least work like this. How do you remember all of that information? It’s incredible!!” He was trying to control his outburst, not wanting to scare her off.

His compliments were causing her to retreat into herself, she never knew how to respond when people showered her with praise. “Well thank you. I don’t know how I remember it all. But I have dedicated nearly a decade of my life to the subject so…�� She let her sentence hang, hoping he would let up on the compliments.

Ni could tell that she was trying to end the conversation. He wanted to keep her talking, he needed to get to know her more. “Well Addy, clearly you are not from around here. What brought you across the pond?”

She laughed at his phrasing. She sat quiet for a minute, studying him. Half of her brain was telling her to be careful. She didn’t know this man. He was a total stranger, she should be careful not to give away too much information. But the other half? The other half was telling her about the undeniable connection she felt with him, and reassuring her that the look on his face portrayed his intentions to be innocent and genuine. The later half was screaming louder and eventually won out.

She started telling him about her childhood best friend Ella. The two had always dreamed of moving to London together. After they finished their undergraduate degrees, Ella started working at the English Embassy in the US and Addy had gotten her Masters degree in Art History. After finishing her Masters, Addy was looking at PhD programs in London. She started seriously considering applying, and in turn encouraged Ella to see if there were any jobs she could work in London.

“And it was just like the stars aligned. Ella’s transfer to the London office got approved, and I got accepted to the PhD program. So we took the big leap and made the move. We’ve been here for about two and a half months. She started her job right away and is crushing it! I’ve spent the summer preparing for my TA position. I’m going to teach while working on my PhD so I’ve been writing syllabi all summer.”

Ni was about to ask her what courses she was teaching when Addy’s phone dinged. She glanced down at it and mumbled a quiet “oh crap”. She looked up saying “Sorry I have to go, Ella and I planned a girl’s night and I’m late.”

She started hurriedly packing up her stuff when she paused. “I feel so guilty, I spent this entire time talking about myself. I know nothing about you”

Inside, Aneurin was practically dancing with joy. The fact that she felt bad about monopolizing the conversation hopefully meant that she was at least slightly interested in him. Outwardly, he kept it cool. He decided to take a risk. “Don’t feel bad about it. We can just talk about me on our second date”

She stopped dead in her tracks. “Second?…” She look confused.

Ni sent her the cheekiest grin he could muster. “Oh come on, corner table of a quiet coffee shop, romantic rainy day. This was definitely a date.” He winked at her, hoping that would convey his joking, yet serious intention.

She was quiet for a second, and then with a coy smile she exclaimed “Nu-uh!! This does not count, that’s not fair!! It can’t be a first date unless both parties agree that it is a date in advance of the meeting. You can’t just spring that on a girl!!”

“So does that mean if I asked you on a date, you would say yes?” Ni asked hopefully.

He adored the slight blush that crept up on her face. “It might. But I haven’t decided for sure yet.” She responded.

“Well can I have your number? I can’t ask you out if I have no way to contact you.” She took his phone and input her number, texting herself so she could get his as well.

She finished packing up her stuff and stood. Aneurin straightened up with her, realizing for the first time just how many inches he had on her. She stuck her hand out, “Well Ni, it has been a pleasure” she said smiling. “Yes Addy, it has” He took her hand, knowing she expected a platonic hand shake, and instead, turned it, bending down to place a chaste kiss on the back of her hand.

Slightly flustered, Addy withdrew her hand and muttered a quick ‘bye’. She walked out of the coffeeshop leaving Ni behind her grinning like a fool. He knew she would definitely say yes.

Addy meanwhile waited until she was just out of sight of the shop, and then began sprinting home. She could not wait to tell Ella all about the charming boy she had just met.

A/N: For the first couple chapters we will tag a bunch of our friends and followers so y’all see that we’ve updated. Once we figure out what our posting schedule will be like, we will let you know!

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