The Rory Gilmore Book Club discussion
Music, Movies, & Miscellany
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Reminder: PBS Presents Jane Austen
Alison, just leave it in "select" and it will appear in "general."
Tomorrow is Persuasion, but Northanger Abbey will be airing on the 20th! Woohoo! I'm excited for all the new ones, but it will be fun to see NA since reading it with all of you. Masterpiece Theatre rocks! Okay, it's now just called "Masterpiece," but it still rocks. LOL
Tomorrow is Persuasion, but Northanger Abbey will be airing on the 20th! Woohoo! I'm excited for all the new ones, but it will be fun to see NA since reading it with all of you. Masterpiece Theatre rocks! Okay, it's now just called "Masterpiece," but it still rocks. LOL
Funniest newspaper article title ever:
"Jane Austen fans, enable your television sets with great alacrity"
No, seriously... it's right there in black & white at the top of the page.
"Jane Austen fans, enable your television sets with great alacrity"
No, seriously... it's right there in black & white at the top of the page.


I watched the Jane Eyre series with my husband over the last two Sundays and it was really good. My husband keeps mentioning how much he enjoyed it. I think he surprised himself. He's all excited with me about the Austen movies now. It's darling.
I'm glad you two mentioned which one was showing tonight. I'd set up a season pass for Masterpiece and had been too lazy to see which it was.
And Michele, great title! Where did you read it?
The San Jose Mercury News. It seems it's book day in this paper. I like never read the paper, just glancing at the headlines on occasion, but there was one teaser about the trouble with gift cards and I wanted to see if I was right about what they'd be. I couldn't find that section but started noticing in all the other sections book stories... and pretty soon it's over an hour later and I haven't even made my espresso drink yet! (I did and kept reading.)
I have to warn you all that apparently the adaptive writer for Persuasion and Sense & Sensibility "expanded" it, as he felt the books needed "help." That annoys me. A lot. In fact I started crossing out paragraphs and writing things in the margin of the article like "ICK" and "JERK." LOL Mostly he just wanted to expand all the men in the stories. Um, no. It's a woman's perspective. That is the point. Sheesh.
The article, though, had some great quotes about her writing that I'll include a little later... have to do a couple things now (while it's still light).
I have to warn you all that apparently the adaptive writer for Persuasion and Sense & Sensibility "expanded" it, as he felt the books needed "help." That annoys me. A lot. In fact I started crossing out paragraphs and writing things in the margin of the article like "ICK" and "JERK." LOL Mostly he just wanted to expand all the men in the stories. Um, no. It's a woman's perspective. That is the point. Sheesh.
The article, though, had some great quotes about her writing that I'll include a little later... have to do a couple things now (while it's still light).
Oh, one of the other articles was on book club women who become "fast friends." It talks about the depth their friendships have taken.
I could see that. I mean, you guys just plain rock.
I could see that. I mean, you guys just plain rock.

So is the Jane Eyre thing a Masterpiece Theatre too? I didn't see it on my guide thingie. It's not Austen, but I love it. I've yet to see a film version that I thought did justice to the book.

I will check it out though and report back in the AM!
Well done, Dee. Did anybody else notice you can now delete other people's comments? Is this a good thing? Because I had just deleted Dee's comment above accidentally.
Yes, that makes perfect sense. I just hadn't noticed it until now. Carry on!
I did ask my husband to TIVO the PBS thing tonight when I left for work around six, and I called him at 8:10 (it started at 8 here) and he said, "Yeah. About that. What channel is PBS?" So I missed the first 15 minutes of...Persuasion.
I did ask my husband to TIVO the PBS thing tonight when I left for work around six, and I called him at 8:10 (it started at 8 here) and he said, "Yeah. About that. What channel is PBS?" So I missed the first 15 minutes of...Persuasion.
Jane Eyre was a Masterpiece Theatre program that first aired last year. I happen to only catch the second half when it aired, but even then thought it was the best version I had ever seen of it. I bought it straightaway (and I never do that). It's the first version that doesn't cut out entire sections of the book. Sure, it's still not perfect, but it really does a great job.
The best Mr. Rochester ever in my opinion is Orson Welles. Not the best version - not even second best - but the best Rochester for sure. Brooding, imperfect, but with charm and a hint of good looks... oh, and that fantastic full voice. He just really suited it.
Anyway, I highly recommend watching that version of Jane Eyre.
By the way, around here on cable there are like eight different PBS stations to choose from... and the HD one has an entirely different program schedule, so it's a challenge to find what I want/need. Especially as they all seem to be showing different episodes of Masterpiece! So don't be mad at your hubby, Alison!
I wish DVRs here had the same options as the ones I had in the DC area where I could record a series on any station... like I could record GG on any station it was airing without having to find it. Sigh. Too bad.
The best Mr. Rochester ever in my opinion is Orson Welles. Not the best version - not even second best - but the best Rochester for sure. Brooding, imperfect, but with charm and a hint of good looks... oh, and that fantastic full voice. He just really suited it.
Anyway, I highly recommend watching that version of Jane Eyre.
By the way, around here on cable there are like eight different PBS stations to choose from... and the HD one has an entirely different program schedule, so it's a challenge to find what I want/need. Especially as they all seem to be showing different episodes of Masterpiece! So don't be mad at your hubby, Alison!
I wish DVRs here had the same options as the ones I had in the DC area where I could record a series on any station... like I could record GG on any station it was airing without having to find it. Sigh. Too bad.


Anyhow I discovered that there was also a midnight and 3AM showing so I set it up to record the midnight one and we'll probably watch it tonight. Alison - there may be additional showings throughout the week if you still want to catch the first 10 minutes.

I can't wait for Northanger Abbey next week. I've never read that one either so I'm interested in seeing it. Oh well, more books to add to the never ending "to read" list.
My husband figured out that it was showing again at 1 am, and I think he TIVOED that one, so I won't miss the first 15! I'm pumped! Who knows when I'll get to watch it.
I have read Persuasion, but it's been...9 years! How can that be? I'm sure I'll love it anyway.
I have read Persuasion, but it's been...9 years! How can that be? I'm sure I'll love it anyway.


I missed Persuasion, but nothing will remove me from the couch for NA next Sunday. All you Jane Austen fans, I just found a Jane Austen group on goodreads by the way. It has a schedule of all of the PBS showings. Yay!


Arielle, I have a feeling these Austen specials will be available to rent/buy one day soon. Don't you guys?
Yes, they will all be for sale. They always are. In fact Persuasion is already on sale, though it won't ship until next month. Go to Shop PBS and there it is! Jane Eyre is 20% off even (along with all 2007 best sellers)!
I dont get PBS!!!!!!!!!! I dont know why!!! The other day Tivo was recording something from PBS and it said No Signal and I freaked out thinking my cable went out and when I turned the channel, everything was working, except for PBS!!
Maybe you have more than one and they conflict in their regions... we have that here with NBC, there are two of them that are local, so they block one of them. Anyway, just a thought. As I said before, I have loads of PBS stations on my cable. Seven or eight I'd guess.
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I've just finished watching Persuasion. My heart is rending from the longing of it! It built to this breathless needing. All the unexpressed desire and constancy became so tangible. I was utterly swept up in it and am only now able to take a shallow breath. It was so endearing on all parts. I only wish that I had some dalliance with a naval officer at 19 to come back and want me still! *Sigh* Cannot we all find that kind of passion and completion?
Beautifully done. So intimate with her frequently piercing your soul by looking so fixedly into the camera. Captivating! I shall be lobbying for this volume for next month's read!
Beautifully done. So intimate with her frequently piercing your soul by looking so fixedly into the camera. Captivating! I shall be lobbying for this volume for next month's read!
Um. Sorry for my language there. Heh. I get swept up in whatever accent I'm around - to the point that I have to consciously try NOT to use the accent so as not to offend the people I'm with (wouldn't want them to think I'm mocking them). It's a strange phenomenon... I mean I can't call up an accent, but put me around one and in moments I have it perfectly. Rather a chameleon of speech. At any rate, I'm the same with language. When I was more frequent in my journaling, you could usually tell what sort of book I was reading by the style in which I wrote. SUCH a dork, me.

I watched Persuasion again tonight. It couldn't be helped. I confess I'm growing a bit of a crush on Captain Wentworth.
Here's and odd Austen connection. One of my all-time favorite TV shows is a British show called Spooks there and MI-5 here. The first two seasons the actor that played Mr. Darcy in the most recent version of Pride & Prejudice, Matthew Macfadyen, was the lead. Rupert Penry-Jones, who played Wentworth, became the lead when Macfadyen left.
But back to Persuasion. *Sigh.* I just love the intensity of it. It's not the most accurate depiction, but the way they used the subtlety of expressions rather than words was quite lovely. Maybe I'll watch it again tomorrow night. Hee!
Here's and odd Austen connection. One of my all-time favorite TV shows is a British show called Spooks there and MI-5 here. The first two seasons the actor that played Mr. Darcy in the most recent version of Pride & Prejudice, Matthew Macfadyen, was the lead. Rupert Penry-Jones, who played Wentworth, became the lead when Macfadyen left.
But back to Persuasion. *Sigh.* I just love the intensity of it. It's not the most accurate depiction, but the way they used the subtlety of expressions rather than words was quite lovely. Maybe I'll watch it again tomorrow night. Hee!
I found it (her looking in the camera) intimate and felt heightened the emotional intensity very effectively. But to each their own... maybe I'm just weird.

I thought Captain Wentworth was very handsome though.

(Chuao Chinita Nibs label reads, "Dark Chocolate Bar with Caramelized Cacao Nibs and Nutmeg." At $6.00 for the bar, which I gladly paid since my husband is on a business trip and chocolate is the next best thing to a hug, it lives up to it's name.)
I just ran downstairs and TiVo'ed the Masterpiece series. Thanks! I would have been sick if I'd missed much more of it. Now I think I'll have another nibble of that chocolate. What the heck. The damage has already been done ;)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114117/
I'm eagerly anticipation tonight's Mansfield Park adaption.


Eat...And Be Proud!
;-)

I haven't read this one and I certainly hope it's better than the film. First of all, Fanny's hair style was much too modern. And the language didn't really seem Austen-like either; again, much too modern.
I know it was quite common back then for first cousins to marry but I still found it difficult to root for Fanny and Edmund to get together.
I thought Edmund's realization that he loved Fanny was completely out of the blue, far too sudden, and the ending was very rushed. Maybe this is a result of cutting it down to an hour and a half, but I thought this was the most poorly done part of the movie.
So far my favorite has been Northanger Abbey. It'll be interesting to see what they do with thie next three.

I tried reading it once but didn't make it to the end.


I ditto the 1999 Mansfield Park being good with the beautiful......(break for Wikipedia).......Frances O' Connor and Jonny Lee Miller (once married to A. Jolie).

Alison, I will have to check out the 1999 version bc IMDB.com revealed that Alessandro Nivola (honorable mention for a fine pair of dimples) plays Henry. Score!



Also, for those who have this store, at Mardel (a Christian bookstore that stocks classics and educational supplies too), they have a boxed set of Jane Austen's collected works on clearance for $24.99. I'm going to invite my husband to make my week by getting it. Or, maybe for V-Day or something. It's pretty and hard-backed, and I think it's a great deal. For store locations, here's the link:
http://www.mardel.com/
“The Complete Jane Austen”
Sundays, beginning January 13, 2008
9:00 p.m. ET
– New Adaptations of “Mansfield Park,” “Northanger Abbey,” “Persuasion” and “Sense and Sensibility”; “Emma” with Kate Beckinsale and Emmy-Winning “Pride and Prejudice”; and Biopic “Miss Austen Regrets” –
I tried but failed to put this in the folder "General." It wasn't an option. Not sure what happened there. Anyway...