BOOKOPINION REVIEW: Let me say this up front (in case you didn’t know), Jane Austen is the greatest author of all time. I suppose some will dare to call that an opinion, but the Janeites of the world know that much better. At this point, one or two of you might be thinking, “who the hell is Jane Austen?” or “Jane Austen – Total Girl Writer”. If these sad thoughts do indeed run through your brain, rewatch Orange County Choppers.
Anyway, naturally, a movie about the world’s greatest author was bound to attract the attention of its most ardent fan (that would be me, by the way). Becoming Jane is a largely fictional account of Jane Austen’s early adulthood and her relationship with a young lawyer named Tom Lefroy.
The movie is controversial on two points, and I’ll tackle each one. Initially, there is some disagreement as to whether an American actress (Anne Hathaway) should play the beloved Jane of England. Hathaway’s portrayal of Austen is completely heartfelt, bringing to life the author’s warm and witty personality. His accent was well done, a few flaws no doubt, but on the whole quite credible. As an American, I maintain that I can be less particular on this issue.
The next issue depends on the credibility of the movie’s plot. No one knows for sure the depth of the actual relationship between Austen and Lefroy. The film takes several leaps of faith, creating a deep love between the two main characters. Of course, there is little substantial evidence that Austen and Lefroy were as close as the movie suggests. On her own account, she was fond of him, and the general consensus among Austen scholars is that Lefroy was Mr. Darcy’s base (for those of you who continued reading up to this point rather than turning to The Deadliest Catch, Mr. Darcy is a hero from Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice.)
I, for my part, refuse to dwell on these controversies. Anne Hathaway is a charming and talented actress, and I am not such a purist that I cannot bear to take some liberties with the life story of my beloved Jane. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole movie. You really have an idea of Jane as a person, and it was obvious how much of her life inspired her work. Her relationship with her sister, Cassandra, was beautifully portrayed, the two clearly being the best of friends. After watching the film, one feels a deeper understanding of his novels and, perhaps more importantly, of the era in which he lived and the limitations imposed on women, especially, but also men of the time. . I encourage all Austen fans to participate in Becoming Jane.
And for the record, I love watching The Deadliest Catch. Those guys are amazing. I have a new appreciation for crab meat.
For those of you unfamiliar with Austen’s work and would like to gain an appreciation for this wonderful writer, here are my suggestions in what order to read the books.
Pride and Prejudice – Read it first, because not only is it wonderful, it is his most famous book. In fact, truly one of the most famous novels of all time. The characters are so full of life that they almost jump off the page. This is especially true of the heroine Elizabeth Bennett. For the best film version, try the 1995 BBC epic starring Jennifer Ehle (another American, no less) as Elizabeth Bennett and Colin Firth as the quintessential Mr. Darcy.
Persuasion – IMHO, this is his best book. I first heard this one on CD (Juliet Stevenson is Austen’s goddess of storytellers, if you get the book on tape or CD, find one of her versions). There is a part of this book towards the end where Anne Elliott, the main character, receives a love letter. It’s not just a love letter, it’s THE love letter. I stopped the car, reversed the CD, and listened again. So, I caused a seven-car crash, it was worth it. The 1995 movie with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds is excellent.
Sense and Sensibility: I think this is his darkest book, but you will get a lot out of it. I see many parallels between this book and Becoming Jane. Elinor Dashwood is an exceptional heroine, her strength and determination are inspiring. To choose a movie, I voted with the version of Emma Thompson. He takes some liberties with stories, but good ones. He edited parts with great care and added a little here and there to enhance the audience’s understanding of this complex novel.
Mansfield Park – The heroine of this novel is the subject of much debate among Austen fans. Some find Fanny Price tepid and boring, but I think it’s a low estimate of her worth. If you really read this honestly and completely, you will find that Fanny is a wonderful character. It is true that it is not as flashy and funny as Elizabeth Bennett or Emma Woodhouse, but we cannot all be lively and lively. This is a great book on morality, honor, and discretion. I have no movie recommendations for this one. The 1999 version with Frances O’Connor featured some good actors and the art direction and cinematography were top notch, but this heavily rewritten version is almost an insult to what Austen was trying to accomplish with her wonderful novel.
Emma – I place this one near the end, not because it’s so unworthy (I named my lovely daughter Emma, in fact), but because it looks so different from the titles mentioned above. Emma is an imperfect character, more so than most of Austen’s heroines. But I still love Emma, she learns a lot about herself and yearns to become a better person. Don’t we all do it? I ask. As for the movies, I personally love Gwyneth Paltrow’s Emma, even though they cut out some parts. Kate Beckinsale made a good Emma, but they added a few things I could have done without. Even the silly but sweet update, “Clueless,” is worth checking out. Alicia Silverstone is very Emma.
Northanger Abbey – This is just a fun read, I laughed more reading this than most of the other books. It’s one of his earlier works, so it lacks the depth of the other five novels, but it’s definitely worth reading. There are no movie versions that I would like to recommend.
As a side note, ITV recently produced several of Austen’s novels in television movies. I haven’t seen any yet as they are not available in the US.
Also, although it may be sacrilegious to mention it, several people have tried to imitate Austen’s style, writing sequels and prequels to her works. Obviously this is just for fun and one cannot expect these books to be as exquisite as the real ones (or even close ones), but I have enjoyed a few.
One that I recommend is Presumption: An Entertainment by Julia Barrett. It’s a cute sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of what happens to Mr. Darcy’s sister, Georgiana.
Sanditon by Jane Austen and “Another Lady” is another interesting example. The first 11 chapters of the novel were written by Austen shortly before her death. The rest was added by the other lady. The first section is undoubtedly the best part, but the rest is a fun read. The “other lady” does an admirable job of finishing what promised to be another great Austen novel.
There are countless other copycat books, countless books on Jane, more Austen movies to discuss, and I could go on for almost forever on all of that, but I’m too busy listening to my Jane Austen World Piano Classics CD and making a special white soup. from my Jane Austen cookbook to take the time to write more.
I’m kidding, but on a serious note, everything you really need to know can be found in the works of Jane Austen. They’re not just silly little romances (not that there’s anything wrong with a silly little romance), but commentary on the human condition, packed with vivid humor and characters.
And yes, to sum it up, the movie was really good.