tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post4211107081149679437..comments2024-01-27T02:00:46.694-05:00Comments on Yet Another Period Drama Blog: Eight Reasons Why A New "Dark" Pride and Prejudice Isn't What We NeedMiss Dashwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821653607968651548noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-58016888358162481472018-06-20T14:55:40.511-04:002018-06-20T14:55:40.511-04:00I am so late to this party but I love anyone who a...I am so late to this party but I love anyone who acknowledges that the 2005 P&P was an abomination. Lizzy was super rude and bitchy, not lively and likable. The Bennets wouldn't have been admitted to Netherfield if they lived in such filth. Come on, Mr. Bennet has $2K per year so they would have lived respectably. Don't even start me on the hair, no bonnets, and terrible clothes - they are a country family, but again, they are not poor!<br />Judi Dench and Donald Sutherland couldn't save this one! Thanks for the validation.Kathleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136774041460952009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-55972761007285887352017-11-21T11:14:16.409-05:002017-11-21T11:14:16.409-05:00Yes yes and YES. There was not a word you wrote th...Yes yes and YES. There was not a word you wrote that I did not agree with. You gave beautiful and well-informed reasons as to why we really don't need another P&P adaptation... especially a "dark" one. (besides, nothing will ever top P&P '95 anyways :D)I really see no need for yet another writer's spin on Jane's flawless novel; yet another "dark and gritty" interpretation of something that was MEANT to be serious, yes, but fundamentally joyful and witty and lighthearted. OH and your comments concerning so-called "bonnet dramas" were spot on. Beautifully done indeed, Miss Dashwood. :)<br />-HonoriaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-75593233318927428942017-10-25T21:29:12.145-04:002017-10-25T21:29:12.145-04:00I want to try the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, too. :DI want to try the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, too. :DGabby A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02094981984519672898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-80577175958057147262017-10-25T21:28:18.236-04:002017-10-25T21:28:18.236-04:00They're making another one?!
YOU'RE KIDD...They're making another one?! <br /><br />YOU'RE KIDDING.<br /><br /><br />No thanks! <br /><br /><br />But, ooohh, I didn't know about the Little Women one!! :D Now I'm intrigued. I shall look it up.Gabby A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02094981984519672898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-66125805262585364272017-10-25T08:52:40.904-04:002017-10-25T08:52:40.904-04:00I totally agree with this. I'm getting tired o...I totally agree with this. I'm getting tired of people associating a movie like "P&P & Zombies" with classic period dramas. It's just sickening, if you ask me. <br />Great post!<br />-AmarisAmaris https://www.blogger.com/profile/10325468716241431375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-64909460029772902662017-10-18T18:03:17.837-04:002017-10-18T18:03:17.837-04:00Miss Dashwood--oh, no! I definitely don't exp...Miss Dashwood--oh, no! I definitely don't expect everyone to read the novel the same way I do; after all, wouldn't that be boring? As you said, our unique perspectives are what makes discussing literature so exciting! :-) And that's why I'm glad there are so many different adaptations out there, because it brings in different sides of the story which each individual person may find more or less important, depending. Katie Hannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06818413749107653398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-33230674049111945482017-10-18T14:15:09.650-04:002017-10-18T14:15:09.650-04:00Miss Dashwood,
I'm optimistic about Little Wo...Miss Dashwood,<br /><br />I'm optimistic about Little Women too! I love the 1994 version, however. I know it's not quite accurate, but it's sort of the same story adapted for our era. That's how I look at it. I cry EVERY TIME I watch it, which is every Christmas. :)*ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-29402866800544906592017-10-18T14:12:52.822-04:002017-10-18T14:12:52.822-04:00I definitely agree with you, Jessica. I think the ...I definitely agree with you, Jessica. I think the novel is light and funny at the surface, and MUCH darker in the subtext. That's actually what I find most intriguing about Austen's work. And I think she did it on purpose. Shaking the chains, daring readers to think beyond the love story, speaking to the darkness beneath the dressing, etc. *ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-2895825924343457702017-10-18T12:30:35.801-04:002017-10-18T12:30:35.801-04:00Jillian,
I'm really curious about the new Lit...Jillian,<br /><br />I'm really curious about the new Little Women too - I'm HOPING it's good because we sorely need a truly accurate version. I really like Heidi Thomas' other work so I'm optimistic about it. What I've seen of the costumes so far isn't promising, but hey... Hollywood... :P<br /><br />Jessica,<br /><br />That's a really good point - I still don't agree with you about darker tones in P&P (overall, I mean - there are certainly some dark moments) but it's absolutely true that every reader is more interested in their own subjective POV! We *can't* know exactly what an author was thinking, so all we have to go on is how we each feel about a work of literature. And, really, isn't that what literature is all about? I appreciate your perspective. :D <br /><br />RosieP,<br /><br />I'm curious what indicators you're referring to about the story still being set in the 1790's? I'm not wedded to the concept that it absolutely had to be 1813, but I don't feel there's sufficient indication that it was meant to be the 1790's. I'd be interested to hear what you've read on the subject, though.Miss Dashwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15821653607968651548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-62461442955702617392017-10-18T01:32:03.172-04:002017-10-18T01:32:03.172-04:00Austen's rewrites were not that extensive. Al...Austen's rewrites were not that extensive. Also, parts of the completed novel that was published in 1813 still indicated that the story was set in the 1790s. Also, Wikipedia wasn't the only site that acknowledged that the novel was set in the 1790s.RosiePhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11217705824689269830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-69149052730343120162017-10-17T17:46:46.418-04:002017-10-17T17:46:46.418-04:00@Naomi and Amy,
I'm talking about both Georgi...@Naomi and Amy,<br /><br />I'm talking about both Georgina and Lydia. You're right, "pedophilia" may not be the precise word we're looking for; but this is a clear pattern of premeditated, sexually predatory behavior against adolescent girls who are much too young to protect themselves--and who are explicitly recognized <i>in the narrative</i> as being too young to protect themselves. Darcy clearly doesn't consider Georgiana as being "of marriageable age" when he talks about what Wickham did to her; and Elizabeth feels the same way about Lydia. And that's some pretty dark stuff right there. <br /><br />Also, Naomi, I agree the overall "dark" tone which I myself see may not be what Jane Austen intended when she wrote it; but when it comes to literature, I'm more interested in my own subjective impressions than in the author's intentions, if that makes sense? Because I'm not Jane Austen, and I don't know for sure how she felt when she wrote this story; but what I DO know for certain is how that story makes <i>me</i> feel. Katie Hannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06818413749107653398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-18635327245031476822017-10-17T16:31:57.204-04:002017-10-17T16:31:57.204-04:00I forgot to subscribe to comments. Apparently I ha...I forgot to subscribe to comments. Apparently I have to comment again to subscribe. *makes a general bow & stumbles away**ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-90512116360879156802017-10-17T16:29:24.908-04:002017-10-17T16:29:24.908-04:00Hello, m'dear! (This is Jillian.) :) I approve...Hello, m'dear! (This is Jillian.) :) I approve of your skepticism. I haven't seen Anne with an E yet, but you have me curious. I will say I'm excited/curious about PBS's new Little Women in 2018! :)<br /><br />Also, a quick note: I'm fairly certain that Victoria is based on the book Victoria by Daisy Goodwin. *ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-87744126544581507402017-10-17T16:15:51.379-04:002017-10-17T16:15:51.379-04:00Naomi,
Right!?!?!??! We NEED a good Rilla movie. A...Naomi,<br />Right!?!?!??! We NEED a good Rilla movie. ASAP.<br /><br />Jessica,<br />I definitely appreciate your practical argument too! We must agree to differ as I don't see P&P in the same light as you do, but I am glad you agree we definitely need a new Mansfield Park. Poor Fanny!<br /><br />I have to second Naomi's comment, though, and ask where you see pedophilia in P&P. Are you referring to Wickham and Lydia? Because though Lydia's age (15 and then 16) to our modern sensibility seems WAY too young to be getting married, she really wasn't a child by Regency standards. Young, yes, but just over the cusp of acceptable marriageable age. <br /><br />Rosie P,<br /><br />The novel was indeed *begun* in the 1790's but as you acknowledged, rewrites were done in the 1810's and it wasn't published until 1813. The only Jane Austen novel that specifically mentions dates is Persuasion, which tells us what year it takes place by telling us how old Anne is and what year she was born, but one can easily extrapolate that Jane Austen meant all her books to be contemporary. The presence of British officers in Longbourn and Brighton are the only tiny nod to the ongoing Napoleonic Wars of the early 1810's, but their mention makes a lot more sense in the context of 1813 than in the 1790's. Wikipedia may say 1790, but numerous Jane Austen scholars have agreed it was probably meant to be around 1813. Miss Dashwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15821653607968651548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-54229445029394486542017-10-17T16:06:37.339-04:002017-10-17T16:06:37.339-04:00You can go watch the 1940 version or the 1980 or t...<i>You can go watch the 1940 version or the 1980 or the 1995 or the 2005 (except... ya know, don't) if you want a "straight" adaptation of the novel set in Regency England. (WELL EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT THE 2005 ABOMINATION TRIED TO PUT IT IN 1795 WHEN THAT WAS NOT THE RIGHT PERIOD </i><br /><br /><br />Actually, "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE" was written in the late 1790s. Austen made a few re-writes in the early 1810s and it was published in 1813.<br /><br />In reality, the novel is set in the late 1790s. Even Wikipedia has acknowledged this.RosiePhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11217705824689269830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-33873805004000296672017-10-17T15:25:42.010-04:002017-10-17T15:25:42.010-04:00Where in P&P is there anything related to pedo...Where in P&P is there anything related to pedophilia??<br /><br />I'm confused.<br /><br />(I see your point in your comment by the way, my dear, but I don't think that was how JA wrote it/ how she meant it at all.)Naomi Pittshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13932777444665441104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-79680763683118816922017-10-17T12:02:38.722-04:002017-10-17T12:02:38.722-04:00*bites lip pensively and considers*
You know, I...*bites lip pensively and considers* <br /><br />You know, I always thought P&P was rather a dark story. It never struck me as funny or bright or sparkling, in any way, at all. You may say this is because I'm naturally a melancholy person--and that's true, I am--but still, the fact remains that I have never read P&P as light and cheerful. I mean, you have the parental abuse and the family dysfunction and the pedophilia (yes, I said pedophilia) and the stupid social prejudices and the self-doubt and the guilt and the despair and the fact that neither Lydia nor Charlotte Lucas <i>ever gets a happy ending</i>--and you've got yourself a pretty grim kettle of fish. I mean, it's a masterpiece, and I love it, don't get me wrong. But it's really serious stuff. And yes, I want ALL the "dark and gritty" adaptations you can throw at me. That's who I am, and that's what I enjoy. <br /><br />That's the thing, I guess. When you have such an immensely, earth-shakingly influential classic as Pride and Prejudice--the number of unique interpretations of the story are only limited by the number of people in the world. Everybody's going to see it in a different way . . . and that's the beauty of it! That's why stories like these go on and on, and are retold over and over and over. Because they're so vast and so deep, there's room for everyone. <br /><br />HOWEVER. That being said, I definitely appreciate your practical argument about the finite amount of time and resources for costume drama production; and yes, if I were given a choice between a new P&P and a new Mansfield Park, I would choose Mansfield Park every time. (Now there's an even darker story for you.) Billie Piper as Fanny Price was completely and utterly miscast. In fact, it wasn't until I started watching Doctor Who that I was able to appreciate Billie for who she truly is--and that is Rose Tyler, not Fanny Price. She's emotional and fierce and full of spunk & anger, and none of that has ANYTHING to do with Fanny. <br /><br /><br /> Katie Hannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06818413749107653398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373804891656164472.post-84486837230703639212017-10-17T08:05:06.947-04:002017-10-17T08:05:06.947-04:00WhoA. Wait... There's going to be aNOTHER vers...WhoA. Wait... There's going to be aNOTHER vers--- <br /><br />Areyoufreakinkiddingme<br />Wow. They just can't stop, can they. In the meanwhile after all these years Rilla of Ingleside still remains movieless.<br /><br />100% agree with you on every point haha. (Booooriing.) Although I do want to give the new Anneogg a go. Even if I only end up tearing it apart.Naomi Pittshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13932777444665441104noreply@blogger.com