"Janeites," Unite!

[ConnieAnnKirk]

Are you a big Jane Austen fan, a "Janeite?"  What is it about this author and her work (and even its time period) that keeps you coming back for more?  Have you ever acted on your passion for Jane Austen by visiting her environs in England or joining a Jane Austen club?  If you are a fan, in what ways has your appreciation for this remarkable author manifested itself?

[dulcinea3]

I do love Jane Austen.  I love 19th-century British novels in general, including the Brontes and Dickens.  Like with Dickens, I just love her sense of humor!  I've never visited Austen locations or joined a fan club, though.  I do collect movies/miniseries of her works.  I have the complete BBC productions, the A&E productions of Pride & Prejudice and Emma, the Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds version of Persuasion, and the old Greer Garson/Laurence Olivier version of Pride & Prejudice.  I recently watched the PBS presentation of four new productions of Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion, so I will have to be on the look-out for those DVDs, as well.  I even have the Jane Austen tarot!  I don't have the 'action figure', though, although I know someone who does.

[Everyman]

I am by no means a certified Janeite, but I do love Austen. I love her sly humor, her deep (and sometimes cynical!) understanding of human nature, her civilized approach to life. And I find that while on the surface these seem like simple romance stories, underneath there is a great deal of social commentary and insight into the society in which she lived. There is much more to these books than meets the casual eye.

[ConnieAnnKirk]

The "action figure," Denise?  Ha.    Do you mean the bobber-head doll thing?

~ConnieK

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dulcinea3 wrote:

I do love Jane Austen.  I love 19th-century British novels in general, including the Brontes and Dickens.  Like with Dickens, I just love her sense of humor!  I've never visited Austen locations or joined a fan club, though.  I do collect movies/miniseries of her works.  I have the complete BBC productions, the A&E productions of Pride & Prejudice and Emma, the Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds version of Persuasion, and the old Greer Garson/Laurence Olivier version of Pride & Prejudice.  I recently watched the PBS presentation of four new productions of Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion, so I will have to be on the look-out for those DVDs, as well.  I even have the Jane Austen tarot!  I don't have the 'action figure', though, although I know someone who does.

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[dulcinea3]

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ConnieK wrote:

The "action figure," Denise?  Ha.    Do you mean the bobber-head doll thing?

~ConnieK

No, it's not a bobble-head.  I wish we could post pictures here!  She comes with a small book (Pride & Prejudice), and a writing-desk with removable quill pen.

Here's a link to one site that has her:

http://www.shakespearesden.com/11513.html

I see (on that site) there is also a Jane Austen finger puppet!I think I've seen the Jane Austen doll before.

The company that does the action figure also has a librarian action figure.  Wow, they have a lot of action figures on that site, including one of Marie Antoinette with an ejectable head!!!

Message Edited by dulcinea3 on 05-05-2008 02:50 PM

[awashburn]

I posted this on a separate thread, but can you give me your opinion of the PBS DVDs?  I'm assuming they must be well done if you purchased them, but I'm really desperate to see the new Persuasion...that's by far her most underrated text.

[Laurel]

I watched the new Persuasion twice and liked it a little bit better the second time, but it was far too short for development of the conflict. In my opinion, the best Persuasion production ever is the older one with Ciaran Hinds. Oh, yes, Amanda Root is in it, too.

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awashburn wrote:

I posted this on a separate thread, but can you give me your opinion of the PBS DVDs? I'm assuming they must be well done if you purchased them, but I'm really desperate to see the new Persuasion...that's by far her most underrated text.

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[dulcinea3]

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Laurel wrote:
I watched the new Persuasion twice and liked it a little bit better the second time, but it was far too short for development of the conflict. In my opinion, the best Persuasion production ever is the older one with Ciaran Hinds. Oh, yes, Amanda Root is in it, too.

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awashburn wrote:

I posted this on a separate thread, but can you give me your opinion of the PBS DVDs? I'm assuming they must be well done if you purchased them, but I'm really desperate to see the new Persuasion...that's by far her most underrated text.

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I think you were responding to my post, but I do not have the PBS productions yet.  However, for Pride and Prejudice and Emma, they used the A&E productions, which I already had.  I'm sure that I will eventually buy the DVDs of the new ones.

I did respond on the other thread.  I liked Persuasion, but not as much as the version with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds.  Sense and Sensibility was a two-parter, so they were able to do a better job of it, and I quite liked that one.  It's been quite a while since I saw the Emma Thompson version, so I can't compare them.  I was most excited to see a new version of Northanger Abbey, since I was only familiar with the old BBC version.  Most people seemed to think this new one was inferior, but I found that it actually stuck to the novel a bit better.

[awashburn]

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dulcinea3 wrote:

I do love Jane Austen.  I love 19th-century British novels in general, including the Brontes and Dickens.  Like with Dickens, I just love her sense of humor!  I've never visited Austen locations or joined a fan club, though.  I do collect movies/miniseries of her works.  I have the complete BBC productions, the A&E productions of Pride & Prejudice and Emma, the Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds version of Persuasion, and the old Greer Garson/Laurence Olivier version of Pride & Prejudice.  I recently watched the PBS presentation of four new productions of Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion, so I will have to be on the look-out for those DVDs, as well.  I even have the Jane Austen tarot!  I don't have the 'action figure', though, although I know someone who does.

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If you are a Bronte fan...I recommend Wide Sargasso Sea...it's the prequel to Jane Eyre...and it's fascinating.

[dulcinea3]

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awashburn wrote:

If you are a Bronte fan...I recommend Wide Sargasso Sea...it's the prequel to Jane Eyre...and it's fascinating.

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Thanks.  I've heard that it is very good, but I've never read it.  I'll have to get around to it someday (maybe once I get through my dozens of TBR books that I already have!).

[Peppermill]

Ashley -- wish you had been around when we read WSS on the Women's Lit Board! The notes are still up if you are interested. Pepper

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dulcinea3 wrote:

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awashburn wrote:

If you are a Bronte fan...I recommend Wide Sargasso Sea...it's the prequel to Jane Eyre...and it's fascinating.

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Thanks. I've heard that it is very good, but I've never read it. I'll have to get around to it someday (maybe once I get through my dozens of TBR books that I already have!).

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[Everyman]

There were mixed feelings about it during the discussion here a few months ago. Personally, I found it minimally interesting and not well written, but that's only my opinion, no better (and no worse) than yours.

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awashburn wrote:
If you are a Bronte fan...I recommend Wide Sargasso Sea...it's the prequel to Jane Eyre...and it's fascinating.

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[awashburn]

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Everyman wrote:
There were mixed feelings about it during the discussion here a few months ago. Personally, I found it minimally interesting and not well written, but that's only my opinion, no better (and no worse) than yours.

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awashburn wrote:
If you are a Bronte fan...I recommend Wide Sargasso Sea...it's the prequel to Jane Eyre...and it's fascinating.

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I think it is a controversial read because it is so closely juxtaposed with a traditional favorite.  I don't know that I was enticed by the style of writing so much as the idea that a reader could interpret Rochester so differently than I had.  I also had great appreciation for the fact that Rhys chose to give a voice to the mad woman/Bertha/Antoinette who otherwise is flat and little more than vehicle for plot development.

But I do understand that it is an acquired taste.

[APenForYourTho…]

Jane Austen is by far one of my favorite writers.  Her work is brimming with wisdom and emotion and wit, creating a harmonious blend of everything good literature should be.  She manages to entertain us, pull us in and cause us to experience what the characters are experiencing, and instruct us in the process.  It is truly remarkable how far ahead of her time she was, recognizing the potential dangers of her society's social system and creating a moral order based on self-knowledge rather than wealth and rank.  Her novels are so meaningful and masterfully constructed, and absolutely beautiful as well.  Austen is amazing, to say the least.   

I agree with whoever said that Persuasion is her most underrated novel; it and Pride and Prejudice are my two favorites.  I think Persuasion is in many ways her most mature and poetic work, and it definitely deserves a great deal more attention than it receives.  The Masterpiece Theatre version of Persuasion wasn't bad, but you will almost certainly be disappointed after having read the novel (as can almost be expected).  It's not entirely faithful to the original novel, and I think it somewhat alters the tone Austen established, but it still has its merits.     

[ConnieAnnKirk]

APen and others--How would you defend Austen against critics who say her novels do a disservice to women by focusing so much on the courtship rituals of her day?

~ConnieK

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APenForYourThoughts wrote:

Jane Austen is by far one of my favorite writers.  Her work is brimming with wisdom and emotion and wit, creating a harmonious blend of everything good literature should be.  She manages to entertain us, pull us in and cause us to experience what the characters are experiencing, and instruct us in the process.  It is truly remarkable how far ahead of her time she was, recognizing the potential dangers of her society's social system and creating a moral order based on self-knowledge rather than wealth and rank.  Her novels are so meaningful and masterfully constructed, and absolutely beautiful as well.  Austen is amazing, to say the least.   

I agree with whoever said that Persuasion is her most underrated novel; it and Pride and Prejudice are my two favorites.  I think Persuasion is in many ways her most mature and poetic work, and it definitely deserves a great deal more attention than it receives.  The Masterpiece Theatre version of Persuasion wasn't bad, but you will almost certainly be disappointed after having read the novel (as can almost be expected).  It's not entirely faithful to the original novel, and I think it somewhat alters the tone Austen established, but it still has its merits.     

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[Melissa_W Moderator]

Pen!  Haven't seen you on here in a while.  We'll be reading Persuasion for Literature by Women in June.  I'd love to have you with us if you can

Oh, about the Masterpiece/IPTV Persuasion - when I was at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath they had a display of costumes from that production.  The most interesting thing was the comment by the costume designer - apparently they didn't have a very large clothes budget so the first things to get cut were all the Navy uniforms.

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APenForYourThoughts wrote:

Jane Austen is by far one of my favorite writers.  Her work is brimming with wisdom and emotion and wit, creating a harmonious blend of everything good literature should be.  She manages to entertain us, pull us in and cause us to experience what the characters are experiencing, and instruct us in the process.  It is truly remarkable how far ahead of her time she was, recognizing the potential dangers of her society's social system and creating a moral order based on self-knowledge rather than wealth and rank.  Her novels are so meaningful and masterfully constructed, and absolutely beautiful as well.  Austen is amazing, to say the least.   

I agree with whoever said that Persuasion is her most underrated novel; it and Pride and Prejudice are my two favorites.  I think Persuasion is in many ways her most mature and poetic work, and it definitely deserves a great deal more attention than it receives.  The Masterpiece Theatre version of Persuasion wasn't bad, but you will almost certainly be disappointed after having read the novel (as can almost be expected).  It's not entirely faithful to the original novel, and I think it somewhat alters the tone Austen established, but it still has its merits.     

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[PEGSmom]

I do consider myself a Janeite. Although I'm not a full fledged card carrying member. (But I'm planning to visit a meeting later this summer, so we'll see ?) I read all her novels over and over. In fact I just re-started Pride and Prejudice again and I have all her novels plus Lady Susan, The Watson's, Sandition  and The History of England on the mp3 player. I love the adaptations and I seem to watch those ....well probably too much and I visit a ton of JA related websites/blogs daily! I just accquired a Jane Austen action figure this past weekend she looks wonderful on my bookshelf right in front of all her lovely novels.

So I guess Jane Austen and her novels, the time period she lived in and her life are quite an obsession passion for me. I just can't get enough and I 'm so sorry that she had such a short life!

[Laurel]

You sound like JANESmom!

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PEGSmom wrote:

I do consider myself a Janeite. Although I'm not a full fledged card carrying member. (But I'm planning to visit a meeting later this summer, so we'll see ?) I read all her novels over and over. In fact I just re-started Pride and Prejudice again and I have all her novels plus Lady Susan, The Watson's, Sandition and The History of England on the mp3 player. I love the adaptations and I seem to watch those ....well probably too much and I visit a ton of JA related websites/blogs daily! I just accquired a Jane Austen action figure this past weekend she looks wonderful on my bookshelf right in front of all her lovely novels.

So I guess Jane Austen and her novels, the time period she lived in and her life are quite an obsession passion for me. I just can't get enough and I 'm so sorry that she had such a short life!

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[PEGSmom]

giggle..

Thanks for not calling me CRAZYmom!

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Laurel wrote:
You sound like JANESmom!

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PEGSmom wrote:

I do consider myself a Janeite. Although I'm not a full fledged card carrying member. (But I'm planning to visit a meeting later this summer, so we'll see ?) I read all her novels over and over. In fact I just re-started Pride and Prejudice again and I have all her novels plus Lady Susan, The Watson's, Sandition and The History of England on the mp3 player. I love the adaptations and I seem to watch those ....well probably too much and I visit a ton of JA related websites/blogs daily! I just accquired a Jane Austen action figure this past weekend she looks wonderful on my bookshelf right in front of all her lovely novels.

So I guess Jane Austen and her novels, the time period she lived in and her life are quite an obsession passion for me. I just can't get enough and I 'm so sorry that she had such a short life!

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[Everyman]

Why would you consider that a disservice to women any more than, say, the Iliad, focusing so much on war, does a disservice to men and totally ignores the intellectual and nurturing elements of their lives?

They're novels, not political or philosophical treatises.

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ConnieK wrote:

APen and others--How would you defend Austen against critics who say her novels do a disservice to women by focusing so much on the courtship rituals of her day?

~ConnieK

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APenForYourThoughts wrote:

Jane Austen is by far one of my favorite writers. Her work is brimming with wisdom and emotion and wit, creating a harmonious blend of everything good literature should be. She manages to entertain us, pull us in and cause us to experience what the characters are experiencing, and instruct us in the process. It is truly remarkable how far ahead of her time she was, recognizing the potential dangers of her society's social system and creating a moral order based on self-knowledge rather than wealth and rank. Her novels are so meaningful and masterfully constructed, and absolutely beautiful as well. Austen is amazing, to say the least.

I agree with whoever said that Persuasion is her most underrated novel; it and Pride and Prejudice are my two favorites. I think Persuasion is in many ways her most mature and poetic work, and it definitely deserves a great deal more attention than it receives. The Masterpiece Theatre version of Persuasion wasn't bad, but you will almost certainly be disappointed after having read the novel (as can almost be expected). It's not entirely faithful to the original novel, and I think it somewhat alters the tone Austen established, but it still has its merits.

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