PRIDE AND PREJUDICE COMES TO LIFE IN A NEW AUDIBLE ORIGINAL

 

 Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has charmed readers for over 200 years — but now, for the very first time, it arrives as an Audible Original audiobook with a star-studded cast.  

The English edition has just been released worldwide, with versions in Castilian Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese on the way — proof that Austen’s wit and romance continue to speak across languages and cultures.

ROSE FAIRBANKS PRESENTS THE SECRETS OF PEMBERLEY BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY

Vignette: Outtake, Elizabeth Bennet’s Diary #3 Seeing Darcy in London

Thanks so much for hosting me, Maria Grazia! The Secrets of Pemberley is told entirely from Mr. Darcy’s perspective. In the book, Elizabeth’s diary becomes important, and as a long-time fan of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, I decided to do video entries for each of diary entry I’ll be sharing on the blog tour. I hope you enjoy as we get a bit of insight on what Elizabeth Bennet felt when seeing Darcy again for the first time after his proposal and reading his very different letter.

MONICA FAIRVIEW, MY TOP 3 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE MOVIE MOMENTS

It’s such a pleasure to appear once again on My Jane Austen Book Club. It’s very kind of you, Maria Grazia, to allow me to stop by on my Mysterious Mr. Darcy blog tour today, especially when I was held up by the flu and had to delay my visit.

Maria asked me if I could talk about my preferred scenes from Pride and Prejudice. I must admit I found it difficult to narrow them down – well, I love anything and everything to do with P&P! However, in the end, I realised I did have some particular ones I love to watch, so I have chosen three of them. Okay, they are not necessarily the top three, since obviously there are more major scenes like the proposals that are the top. However, these are the scenes that really linger in my mind, for better or for worse.

FIFTY SHADES OF PRIDE & PREJUDICE

Does it make sense? No? Well, it makes fun!

Fifty Shades of Pride and Prejudice? Does something like that make sense? I mean, really? A mash –up of Fifty Shades of Grey and Pride and Prejudice? Improbable.  That was my first thought. But, then, I decided to have a look at the video and it was a parody  and  I had to admit that if it didn’t  -probably - make SENSE  it made good FUN.

The trailer parody runs 1:55 and stars Jason Michael Snow (Book of Mormon on Broadway) and Nicole Wyland (Video Game High School) as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett and was written by Los-Angeles based comedy writers Caitlin Cohen (Dead State) and Heidi Lux (Reductress). 

Now, try it yourself!

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY - MANSFIELD PARSONAGE BY KYRA C. KRAMER + EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

Fans of Jane Austen will recognise the players and the setting – Mansfield Park has been telling the story of Fanny Price and her happily ever after for more than 200 years. But behind the scenes of Mansfield Park, there’s another story to be told. Mary Crawford’s story.

When her widowed uncle made her home untenable, Mary made the best of things by going to live with her elder sister, Mrs Grant, in a parson’s house the country. Mansfield Parsonage was more than Mary had expected and better than she could have hoped. Gregarious and personable, Mary also embraced the inhabitants of the nearby Mansfield Park, watching the ladies set their caps for her dashing brother, Henry Crawford, and developing an attachment to Edmund Bertram and a profound affection for his cousin, Fanny Price.

Mansfield Parsonage retells the story of Mansfield Park from the perspective of Mary Crawford’s hopes and aspirations and shows how Fanny Price’s happily-ever-after came at Mary’s expense.

Or did it?

Praise for the book

“This book captures Austen’s voice with a fascinating point of view."” – Maria Grace, Author of "Courtship and Marriage in Jane Austen’s World"

VIDEO INTERVIEW: JOANNA TROLLOPE, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY? A NOVEL ABOUT MONEY

Shot on occasion of the first event in the series Hidden Prologues at Radisson Blu Edwardian Bloomsbury Street, this video features Joanna Trollope. The English author analizes Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility after publishing a rewriting of the novel in a contemporary setting. Do you agree with her when she says that Sense and Sensibility  is about love but also about money? I do, honestly. What about her analysis of Marianne? Isn't it interesting? Marianne is a typically Romantic character and I agree with Ms Trollope when she recognizes Rousseau's influence in Austen's characterization of the younger Dashwood sister. But I don't want to give away too much.  Now it's time to watch the video. Looking forward to your comments. 

Read a chapter from Joanna Trollope's Sense and Sensibility
Debating The Austen Project (podcast)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS, A BIT OF PREJUDICE AND ... WOW! THE LIZZIE BENNET DIARIES!

I'm stunned at how little I've learnt from reading Pride and Prejudice so many times in my life. Why do I resist the main lesson in it? Never trust first impressions, they may be pretty deceitful and often wrong. But,  nope, I go on and on making the same old mistake. 

Darcy & Lizzie Bennet

I give something, which I already think I won't like,  a quick look and then I dismiss it before even starting actually getting the gist of it and this happens, you know,  because of my  tendency to pre-conceptions. However,  like Lizzie,  I 'm ready to recognize my mistakes, reconsider and fall deeply in love with "what" I proudly rejected at first.

The "what" I'm thinking of is the popular Youtube series "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries" , for  the discovery of which I must thank the persistent warm recommendations of my Janeite pal Monica, who wrote me more than once asking me why I wasn't watching and writing about it.

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT - PAULA BYRNE, JANE AUSTEN. A LIFE IN SMALL THINGS

I'm sure 2013 will be filled with great Austen fun since it is the year of Pride and Prejudice bicentenary and there have been  many great events announced already. 

There are also several interesting books coming out, though not all of them related to Pride and Prejudice, but all of them Austen-related . Among the ones coming out soon, here is one   I'm really curious about.

Paula Byrne, Jane Austen -  A Life in Small Things

Paula Byrne announced she was writing a book about Jane Austen last year when she brought to our attention a mysterious portrait of a lady she declared to be of our beloved Jane. Many Austenites were and still are skeptical, but, maybe , Ms Byrne will win them over with her new achievement: an unusual biography of their favourite writer.

Book Blurb from publishers Harper Collins site

Who was the real Jane Austen? Overturning the traditional portrait of the author as conventional and genteel, bestseller Paula Byrne’s landmark biography reveals the real woman behind the books.

In this new biography, best-selling author Paula Byrne (bestselling author of Perdita, Mad World) explores the forces that shaped the interior life of Britain’s most beloved novelist: her father’s religious faith, her mother’s aristocratic pedigree, her eldest brother’s adoption, her other brothers’ naval and military experiences, her relatives in the East and West Indies, her cousin who lived through the trauma of the French Revolution, the family’s 

amateur theatricals, the female novelists she admired, her 

DO WE READ JANE AUSTEN FOR THE RIGHT REASONS?

I found this video interview with Fran Lebowitz discussing Jane Austen's fame on You Tube by chance and it made me think over and over about something I have always been convinced of.  I have already mentioned that fact here on My Jane Austen Book Club, especially when I began writing this blog a couple of years ago. Maybe you noticed that I often asked Austen - inspired writers in our "Talking Jane Austen with..." sessions if they didn't think that movie and TV  adaptations had misled our reading and interpretation of Jane Austen's novels. Most  film versions -  if not all of them -  focus on the romantic aspect of the love stories told in the books and that gave start to the illusion that Jane Austen's work  was mainly romance. Honestly, Jane Austen is one of the least romantic authors  I've read in my life, of that I am definitely convinced. The most unromantic proposals or happy ending  in books can be found in  her works. She made slight exceptions for Emma (If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more)  and Persuasion ( You pierced my soul ) but, still, what Jane Austen cannot be considered  is a romantic writer. I don't love her the less for that, and you also know how much I love watching the TV series or the films adapted from her works. 

LOVELY JANEITES - MEET KATHERINE BROWNING, ACTRESS.

I discovered Katherine by chance through her vimeo channel. She's an actress who loves period drama, especially Jane Austen adaptations. This is the main reason she produced her Persuasion Project (two videos) and the reason why I invited her to share her experience   here at My Jane Austen Book Club. 

First of all Katherine, welcome to My Jane Austen Book Club! Would you mind to introduce yourself to our readers and tell us something about yoruself?

Gladly. First of all, thank you for finding me and reaching out. Meeting another lover of Jane gets my kettle going :) I’m an actress and I live in Los Angeles. Since I’m all about challenging myself in my career and my life, my ultimate goal is to become the most fearless actress of my generation. I don’t mean that someday I’ll be free from fear exactly, but that when I’m terrified, I will go for broke anyways and do the thing that scares me. And that’s what I did with this project. 

I bumped into your lovely videos on Vimeo and was surprised noticing that you had decided to film scenes from Persuasion.  Why? Why not P&P or S&S which seem to be the best favourite  among young Janeites?

As an actress it’s difficult to get work, and it’s especially difficult to get work that inspires you. To fight this, I took matters into my own hands. Since the period genre is one of my absolute favorites, I decided to produce a project that I could fall in love with as an artist. That project became these two scenes from Persuasion. So yes of course P&P and S&S are fantastic, but I had seen them too many times. I was worried that I might unintentionally duplicate another actress’ performance.  In the end I chose Persuasion because I really love the story and I really really really love Anne Eliot. Her struggle to overcome the pressure of her society and gain the courage she needs to follow her heart, mirrors my own struggle with fearlessness. Her story is very modern in that sense. 

How did you work on your video project? What did you start with?

Once I chose Persuasion, I read it with an eye towards what scenes I could film on my limited budget of 500 dollars. I ended up with my final two scene choices because I could be the only actor on camera, thus limiting my costume fees, and because I could film outside which meant I could get away without paying for a location or for filming permits. And I really loved getting to adapt Austen’s beautiful book into a film script. 

From the adaptation I recruited my voice over actors, my crew (my hubby and mother), I prepared the character, and I rented the proper equipment. We ended up filming the two scenes in one afternoon. We often had to stop and start filming as mountain bikers and hikers with dogs passed by. I’m sure they got a kick out of seeing a Regency lady in the middle of the LA foothills.  

 And finally, I edited the project. What you see is the result of that work. 

Is your dream job becoming an actress?

What I am most proud of is that I claim my life as an actress without waiting for someone to hire me. So yes, while I would love to be paid and while I would love to work on the next Hollywood Austen adaptation, I love where my career is currently at too. 

 Have you seen many Austen adaptations so far? What are your favourite ones?

Oh my goodness yes! Which ones haven’t I seen?! :) Hmmmm. My favorites are usually the long ones. Like Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth. I just can’t get enough of that world so I find two hour films frustrating :) Of course, then I just end up watching Pride and Prejudice with Kiera Knightley or Sense and Sensibility with Kate Winslet several times and call it good. This is unconventional, but I love Lost In Austen. It’s all about what it would be like if we went back in time into P&P. 

Darcy and Amanda - Lost in Austen

Did you make the cute Regency dress you wear  in the videos yourself?

I did make the dress and thanks for calling it cute! It was actually the first sewing creation I attempted as an adult. I had no idea what I was doing so I was really quite pleased with how well it came out. 

What is it that most fascinates you in that distant, so different world, which is Jane Austen Era?

Everything about Austen’s stories is romantic. The men (need I say more). The women overcoming the limits of their society. The historical period itself pulls me in: life is slower, no cell phones or multi-tasking, education and wit are attractive, etc. 

Which Austen heroine/s do you most sympathize with?

At this stage in my life, I relate most with Anne Eliot. I touched on it before, but her struggle with fearlessness, to do what her heart demands despite the persuasion of others, is what I struggle with. It may be my own mind telling me I’m not good enough or that I don’t deserve to pursue my bliss as an actress, but I fight that persuasion just as she fights the persuasion of her family. And there is something about the way everyone underestimates her. No one, except Wentworth, really sees Anne’s beauty and value. Sometimes I feel overlooked like that. 

Who’s your favourite Austen hero, instead?

Well I love Mr. Darcy. To see his defenses brought down by love thrills me every time. I also love love love Col. Christopher Brandon. His quiet, steadfast passion is something I’ve come to appreciate in my twenties. It went over my head as a teenager :)

Imagine you could live one day in one of Jane Austen novels, which one would you choose and which scene in the book would you be more excited to live?

I’d like to live more in the Persuasion scene where Anne reads Wentworth’s letter. It’s that moment when her world is blown apart and she realizes she is loveable, desirable, that it isn’t too late to live her ideal life. I could live in that discovery my whole life, in that emotion of worthiness and value and love...in knowing that no mistake is irreversible.  

Going on dreaming, what would you miss the most from present day life?

 I would miss my husband the most :) And as an asthmatic, I’d miss my inhaler. 

Is there anything you haven’t read by Austen that you wish to read soon?

I’d like to read Northanger Abbey. In fact, consider it downloaded on my Kindle now! 

For those interested in seeing what I do next, you can like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. You can also visit my website.

Thanks a lot, Katherine. It's been a pleasure to chat with you. Good luck with your life and career! And now, let's have a look at your videos...

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MEET HOLLY CHRISTINA FROM NEW ZEALAND AND SING JANE AUSTEN WITH HER

My guest today is very young, very beautiful and very talented.  She loves Jane Austen, of course,  and that's the main reason for being here to meet you. Holly Christina is a promising singer/songwriter I discovered by chance thanks to her Youtube video, "Jane Austen" . We live on the opposite sides of the  planet but we found out we had common ground. Meet Holly Christina and  welcome her on My Jane Austen Book Club!

Hello Holly Christina! Welcome to My Jane Austen Book Club. Can you first of all, please tell us what you do?

Hello Maria – well I’m a singer/songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand.  I also teach guitar with my business ‘GatSong’, and coach tennis.     

You are very young. When did you start writing songs?

I started playing guitar and writing songs when I was 12.  I really enjoy writing lyrics, inventing unique guitar chords, and creating music, and I’ve been doing it for 7 years now.   

Gosh, you are only 19, Holly! Congratulations on being so young and so talented! And when did the idea of a “Jane Austen” pop song come to you?

It’s an interesting story actually.  I started writing a fun song called “Fairytale Girl” when I was 15, and one of the lines in the first verse was: “maybe it is Jane Austen’s books that get my head into a whirl that Mr. Darcy will come knocking at my door”.  I loved the chords I used in the song, and that line always stood out to me, but the rest of the lyrics didn’t quite fit with the concept.  So in July 2011, when I was still 18, I sat down with my guitar and re-wrote the song using the title “Jane Austen”.  I incorporated some symbolism and references to her books, characters and era – and hopefully Austen fans all around the world will relate to the ideas and humour in the song.  It’s incredible how Austen’s books have stood the test the time, and are still loved by so many. 

What is the message you want to convey to contemporary audience in your Jane Austen song?

I hope that people enjoy the song’s journey from the 2000s back to the 1800s, and think about how many things have changed since the “simple olden days”.  I have also met quite a few young people that still haven’t heard of Jane Austen, so hopefully this song will enlighten more of them about this classic author, and get them reading her amazing books!     

When did you first read one of her novels? And what about Austen film adaptations? Have you got any favourite ones?

My Mum introduced me to Jane Austen books when I was 10.  I remember firstly reading ‘Pride and Prejudice’, and I loved it!  Over the years, my Mum and I have built up a pretty good DVD collection of the film adaptations, and we have watched them many times.  My favourite ones are ‘Emma’ (1996 version with Gwyneth Paltrow), ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (1995 version with Kate Winslet) and of course the 1995 BBC TV mini-series ‘Pride and Prejudice’ – it’s a real masterpiece!  

     

 What is it that you appreciate the most in Jane Austen’s world?

The proper language they used, and the courteous manner in which everyone addressed each other. 

     

What things would you miss the most from the modern days if you went back in time to live in her age?

I guess I would probably miss some things like the telephone, the microwave and my iPod!   

Have you got a favourite Austen hero? And heroine? Why do you like them?

My favourite Austen leading lady is Elinor Dashwood.  She is a very sensible, thoughtful young woman – and I like her reserved disposition.  I can’t decide on my favourite hero though – I like Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightley and Edward Ferrars.  All those characters have great qualities! 

What have you learnt from Jane Austen?

Her books have taught me many different real life lessons.  An example is about how we should be careful about what we say – as shown when Mr. Knightley gives Emma a stern talking to after she meanly insults Miss Bates.  I also value the wisdom of Jane Austen’s quotes like “my good opinion, once lost, is lost forever” from ‘Pride and Prejudice’.   

Do you think her novels can still appeal to young people nowadays?

Yes – there’s drama, romance and fantastic plots, and it’s quite remarkable how many of her storylines and characters can remind you of a situation or person from your life!    

Boys/young men usually snob her novels as girlish stuff.  Don’t you think they could learn so much from those heroes instead?

Yes, the gentlemen in Austen’s novels are great role models for boys these days.  It’s a shame how many boys just dismiss Jane Austen as a “girly book” or “chick flick”, when really her writing and characters could offer them so much more.  My brother (who is 17) has watched some of the Jane Austen DVDs, and he doesn’t mind them, so maybe introducing the film adaptations to boys is a good place to start!     

What’s next for Holly Christina?

At this stage, I’m just working on promoting my new singles “Image” and “Jane Austen” - the official music videos are on YouTube.  I had so much fun making the quirky “Jane Austen” music video, and I really just took artistic license with the costume and locations.  I would like to release a couple of new singles and music videos throughout the year, and perhaps bring out a new album in late 2012/early 2013.        

    

Good luck! We wish you all the best, and may all your dreams come true, and make you very happy.

Thanks so much for your support My Jane Austen Book Club! 

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions, Holly. And now, it's time to watch your "Jane Austen" Video! 

Jane Austen by Holly Christina  is available on iTunes 

Visit Holly Christina's Youtube Page and Facebook Page

Holly Christina's Official Site

JANE AUSTEN THE UNSEEN PORTRAIT ? MY REVIEW & A CLIP

Jane Austen's only officially recognised image

Have you seen the small sketch of Jane Austen in the National Portrait Gallery in London among the huge paintings on the walls which is the only officially recognised existing  image of her  It is small, not at all grand, and made with love by an amatorial sketcher: Jane's beloved sister, Cassandra. That's not enough for such a great writer and the enormous popularity she has gained nowadays. But there's a new intriguing item in the gallery of possible images of Miss Austen we have collected so far. This might-be  an Austen portrait has been analysed in detail in an original TV programme on BBC 2: Jane Austen The Unseen Portrait?

I'm totally caught in this mistery. This BBC show was so good and well built as a literary/art case to be  scientifically investigated on,  but in a detective-story-like manner,  that it was incredibly gripping though simply a documentary programme. The thorough, passionate work of reasearch/investigation literary scholar Dr Paula Byrne has undertaken from  May 2011 on , after getting this portrait of a "Miss Jane Austin" (mispelt, with an "i" instead of an "e", in a note on its back) as a gift from her husband,  is remarkable and encomiable. Her enthusiasm is contagious.

Dr Paula Byrne's Portrait of a "Miss Jane Austin"

Why is this portrait so important if it comes out to be really of Jane Austen? Not only because it will get an immeasurable value on the market (it was only paid £ 2,000) , but especially because it will revolutionise the view the world has of one of Britain's greatest writers. 

Dr Byrne and BBC Martha Kearney on their quest

As a matter of fact, if it comes out to be real, nothing would change for me, for what it counts. In fact, what first strucks me as a watcher is that THAT might well be  the sharp-tongued, witty, intelligent, self-aware and very matter-of- fact Miss Austen I've always had in my mind: little sweetness, no romance, no cuteness. This could never be enough in a serious investigation, but the emotion the sight provoked in me at first  was close to tears (I know, I know, I'm not Jane-Austen-like at all in that and in many other respects) and it happened before the account of Dr Byrne's investigation started, right at the first glimpse of the portrait on the screen. It might be HER!

At the end of her research Dr Byrne's proposes the case, supported by a number of evidences and clues,  to illustrious Austen experts such as Deirdre Le Faye, Professor Kathryn Sutherland of Oxford University and Professor Claudia Johnson of Princeton. They are invited to listen to what Dr Paula Byrne has discovered about the portrait she owns and decide whether it may bear any resemblance to what Jane Austen might have been like. Dr Byrne faces them in great excitement and tries to convince them of the goodness of her own investigating work. Did she succeed in convincing them?

The answer only in the end. First, the main evidences and clues she presents to support her theory:

- forensic tests were carried out on the ink used (constant white) and the vellum which proved it can be dated something between 1811 and 1869 (before the publication of James Edward Austen-Leigh’s Memoir)

- the clothes the lady in the picture wears were recognised by an expert as consistent fashionable clothing in the years between 1813-1815

- the family resemblance , especially the nose, was studied with highly modern techniques used to identify criminals from CCTV footage or photos. The resemblance is stunning, but the computer study supports that mere impression 

- the surname was often mispelt as "Austin" by people who knew Jane in her life: Eliza Chute (whom Dr Byrne is inclined to believe to be the amateur artist who drew this portrait in London), Elizabeth Lee, The Countess of Morley, Mrs Mosley and John Murray, her publisher, on a royalty check. 

There are lots of doubts to be solved and questions to be answered yet,  so this research must undoubtedly go on in order to be proved totally improbable or genuine. But what did the experts consulted by Dr Byrne say in the end? Where they convinced? Did they reject her theory? 

Deirdre Le Faye, Prof. Kathryn Sutherland and Prof. Claudia Johnson

She succeeded in bringing to her side two out of three scholars and she considered that "much more than she could have expected".  Deirdre Le Faye considers it "an imaginary portrait of Jane Austen" and during the presentation she debated most of Dr Byrne's clues. The other two experts, Professor Sutherland and Professor Johnson, were more supportive and , in the end, they agreed that it could possibly be an image of Jane Austen taken during  her life by an amateur artist. 

I'm sure we will hear more about Dr Byrne and her research on this portrait. Meanwhile, I'm totally fascinated by the lady in the picture. 

If you want to judge yourself and  you live in the UK,  see this programme on BBCiPlayer

 Here's a clip from the programme from my Youtube Channel . Enjoy!

JANE AUSTEN, PRINCE REGENT AND SANDITON

This series of documentaries was broadcast on BBC4 few months ago. "Elegance and Decadence: The Age of Regency" is a colourful series marking the 200th anniversary of one of the most explosive and creative decades in British history. It presents a vivid portrait of an age of elegance presided over by a prince of decadence - the infamous Prince Regent himself, a man with legendary appetites for women, food and self-indulgence. Yet this was the same man who would rebuild London, carving out the great thoroughfare of Regent Street and help establish the Regency look as the epitome of British style through his extravagant patronage of art and design.

Historian Dr Lucy Worsley chronicles the Regency's early years, which culminated in victory over Napoleon in 1815, and explores the complicated character of the Prince Regent.

The Regency was an age of contradictions and extremes that were embodied in the person of the Prince Regent himself. 

In this video I cut to add it to my Jane Austen Video Info Collection, Dr Worsley visits Chawton House Museum and analyses the relationship - though at a distance - because the two never really met between Jane and the Prince to whom she dedicated her Emma (1814) as well as the connection between the unfinished "Sanditon" and the reality of the Age of the Regency. Definitely interesting, isn't it? Have a look at the video and let me know what you think. Have you read Sanditon? I did thanks to Laurel Ann Nattress and her blog Austenprose (related posts HERE, HERE and HERE)

Enjoy the clip!!!