A Reintroduction

Greetings gentle readers!

The Ever Awkward Mr. Collin's Wave

I've been a terrible blogger and exhibited Willoughby like behavior by vanishing from your presence. The past two years have been extremely eventful, including student teaching, graduation from college, the grown-up job of teaching, and now working toward my master's degree.

I'm in need of a project again, and my Jane Austen/period costume drama love can no longer be contained; you can't discuss Pride and Prejudice with pre teens very well can you? (Trust me, I've tried.)

Consider this a reintroduction to the blog and to me, we will be tackling all sorts of Jane Austen topics, and branching into new avenues as well, especially more period costume drama.

First on my mind, due to its recent start in the US this past Sunday, and will probably be the topic of more than a few blog posts, is the second season of PBS's Masterpiece program, Victoria.

I knew I was a goner when I first saw this promo picture for the first season, I mean how could anybody not want to watch a show where that dress and crown make an appearance? Look for my overall impression of the first season, and then my take on the start of the second in a post coming next week.

What shows/movies have you been watching, particularly of the Jane Austen/period costume drama variety?

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Austen Illustrations

One of my favorite nerdy Janeite things to do is to find illustrations of Jane Austen's novels, particularly ones from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. There is something so intriguing about seeing how someone else many years ago viewed a particular scene or character, yet we both read the same words on the page. I particularly love the illustrations by C.E. Brock and H.M. Brock, which were done during the 1890s and early 1900s. They were brothers who created most of the classic and beautiful illustrations. Seriously, look at the picture above. The colors and drawings are exquisite. If you want to learn more about the pair, check out this site . Hugh Thomson is another artist who did classic Jane Austen illustrations at the time as well. This one just cracks me up. C.E. Brock totally captured Mr. Collins and his horrific proposal in this drawing. He's so tall, awkward, and pompous. Elizabeth is slanted away from him and desperately doing any...

The Comic Relief

Probably my favorite movie quote ever. What is a Jane Austen novel without the secondary characters who say the most outrageous things and keep us laughing constantly? I have many favorite secondary characters in Jane Austen; in my opinion, they are often the ones who steal the show with their odd ways and awkward situations. Two men in particular have a special place in my heart for their nonsensical ways. The first is dear Mr. Woodhouse, Emma's father in Emma . He is such a kind and caring soul; he only wants what is best for his two beloved girls. However, that does mean that he goes over the top in trying to protect them from the world. He is also a hypochondriac and very irrational about health in general. My favorite Mr. Woodhouse quotes: "His own stomach could bear nothing rich, and he could never believe other people to be different from himself. What was unwholesome to him, he regarded as unfit for any body; and he had, therefore, earnestly tried to di...

The 200th Anniversary of Emma

Romola Garai as Emma in the 2009 BBC miniseries This year marks the 200th Anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's Emma . Now, its not until December 25th, but since Emma is one of my favorite novels, we are going to talk about it this week. Before she started the novel, Jane Austen said, "I'm going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." Then she proceeded to write one of the greatest novels in the English language. The first line of the novel captures that statement and sets the tone for the rest of the novel: " Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her." Emma is practically perfect; her only downfall is that she knows she is perfect. Therefore, she spends the entire novel trying to arrange other peoples' lives since she ...

Simply Austen

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