BOOK OPINION 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 might dare to call that an opinion, but we Janeites of the world know 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 are, in fact, running through her brain, rewatch Orange County Choppers.
Anyway, naturally, a movie about the world’s greatest author would attract the attention of her most ardent fan (that would be me, by the way). Becoming Jane is a basically fictional account of Jane Austen’s early adulthood and her relationship with a young lawyer named Tom Lefroy.
The film is controversial on two points, and I will touch on each one. Initially, there is some disagreement as to whether an American actress (Anne Hathaway) should play England’s beloved Jane. Hathaway’s portrayal of Austen is wholly candid and brings to life the author’s warm and witty personality. Her accent was well done, some flaws to be sure, but overall quite believable. As an American, I argue that I can be less particular about this issue.
The next problem 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 makes 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 film suggests. By her own account, she was fond of him, and the general consensus among Austen scholars is that Lefroy was the basis for Mr. Darcy (for those of you who continued reading up to this point instead of reading The Deadliest Catch, Mr. Darcy is a hero of Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice).
I, for one, refuse to dwell on these controversies. Anne Hathaway is a charming and talented actress, and I’m not such a purist that I can’t bear to take a few liberties with my beloved Jane’s life story. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire movie. You really get a sense 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 of them clearly the best of friends. After watching the film, one feels a deeper understanding of her novels, and perhaps most importantly of the time in which she lived and the limitations placed on women, especially, but also on men of the time. I encourage all Austen fans to join Becoming Jane.
And for the record, I love watching The Deadliest Catch. Those guys are great. I have a new appreciation for crab meat.
For those unfamiliar with Austen’s work and wanting to gain an appreciation of this wonderful writer, here are my suggestions in what order to read the books.
Pride and Prejudice – Read it first, because it’s not only wonderful, it’s 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 with Jennifer Ehle (another American, no less) as Elizabeth Bennett and Colin Firth as the quintessential Mr. Darcy.
Persuasion – In my humble opinion, this is his best book. I first heard this one on CD (Juliet Stevenson is the goddess of Austen 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 protagonist, 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 wreck, it paid off. The 1995 film with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds is excellent.
Sense and Sensibility: I think this is his darkest book, but you’ll 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 chose my nerd with Emma Thompson’s version. He takes some liberties with the stories, but good ones. She carefully edited parts and added a bit 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 lukewarm and boring, but I think that’s a low estimate of her value. If you really give this an honest and thorough reading, you’ll find that Fanny is a wonderful character. It is true that she is not as flashy and funny as Elizabeth Bennett or Emma Woodhouse, but not all of us can be lively and vivacious. 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 achieve with her wonderful novel.
Emma: I put this one near the end, not because it’s so undignified (in fact, I named my dear daughter Emma), but because it seems so different from the titles mentioned above. Emma is a flawed character, more so than most of Austen’s heroines. But I still love Emma, she learns a lot about herself and longs to become a better person. Don’t we all do it, I ask? As for the movies, I personally love Gwyneth Paltrow’s Emma, although they cut some parts. Kate Beckinsale did a cute Emma, but they added a few things that she could have done without him. 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 had more laughs reading this than most 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 I’m interested in recommending.
As a side note, ITV recently turned several of Austen’s novels into TV 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 thing (or even as close to it), but I have enjoyed a few.
One I recommend is Presumption: A Julia Barrett Entertainment. It’s a nice sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of what happens to Mr. Darcy’s sister, Georgiana.
Jane Austen’s Sanditon and “Another Lady” is another interesting example. The first 11 chapters of the novel were actually 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 imitation books, countless books on Jane, more Austen movies to speak of, and I could go on for almost an eternity on all of that, but I’m too busy listening to my CD of Piano Classics from the World of Jane Austen and putting together a special white soup from my Jane Austen cookbook to take the time to write more.
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 commentaries on the human condition, filled with humor and vivid characters.
And yes, to sum it up, the movie was really good.
