BOOKOPINION REVIEW: Let me say this right off the bat (in case you didn't know), Jane Austen is the greatest writer of all time. I suppose some might dare to call it an opinion, but we Janeites of the world know it much better. At this point, one or two of you might be thinking, "Who the hell is Jane Austen?" or "Jane Austen - total chick writer." If these sad thoughts are really going through your brain, come back to watching Orange County Choppers.
Either way, naturally, a movie about the world's greatest author had to grab the attention of its most ardent fan (that would be me, by the way). Becoming Jane is a fundamentally fictional tale 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'll address each. Initially, there is some disagreement over whether an American actress (Anne Hathaway) should play the beloved Jane in England. Hathaway's portrayal of Austen is entirely heartfelt, bringing the warm and spiritual personality of the author to life. His accent was well done, some hiccups of course, but overall quite credible. As an American, I think I may be less specific on this issue.
The next problem depends on the credibility of the film's plot. No one knows for sure the depth of the real relationship between Austen and Lefroy. The film takes several leaps of faith, creating a deep love between the two main characters. There is, of course, little substantial evidence that Austen and Lefroy were as close as the film suggests. According to her own account, she loved him, and the general consensus among Austen scholars is that Lefroy was Mr. Darcy's base (for those of you who have continued reading up to this point instead of filming The Deadliest Catch, Mr. Darcy is a hero of Austen's classic Pride & Prejudice).
For my part, I refuse to dwell on these controversies. Anne Hathaway is a charming and gifted actress, and I'm not so much of a purist that I can't bear to take some liberties with the life story of my beloved Jane. I really enjoyed the whole movie. You really get a feel for Jane as a person, and it was obvious how much her life inspired her work. His relationship with his sister, Cassandra, was beautifully portrayed, the two were clearly best friends. After watching the film, you feel a deeper understanding of her novels, and perhaps more importantly of the times in which she lived and the constraints placed on women, in particular, but also on the men of the time. . I encourage all Austen fans to participate in Becoming Jane.
And for the record, I love watching The Deadliest Catch. These guys are awesome. I have a whole new appreciation for crab meat.
For those who are new to Austen's work and want to get an appreciation for this most wonderful writer, here are my suggestions in order of reading the books.
Pride and Prejudice - Read it first, because not only is it wonderful, but 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 BBC Epic of 1995 with Jennifer Ehle (another American, no less) as Elizabeth Bennett and Colin Firth as the quintessential Mr. Darcy.
Persuasion - In my somewhat humble opinion, this is his best book. I first listened to this one on CD (Juliet Stevenson is Austen's narrator goddess, if you get the book on tape or CD find one of its 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 stack of seven cars, it was worth it. The 1995 movie starring 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. For a choice of film, I voted with the version of Emma Thompson. She takes some liberties with the stories, but good ones. She edited parts with great care and added a bit here and there to improve 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 drab, but I think that's a low estimate of her worth. If you really give an honest and thorough reading you will find Fanny to be a wonderful character. Granted, she's not as flashy and fun as Elizabeth Bennett or Emma Woodhouse, but we can't all be alive and keen. It is an excellent book on morality, honor and discretion. I have no movie recommendations for this one. The 1999 version with Frances O'Connor was picked with good actors and the art direction and cinematography was top notch, but this heavily rewritten version is almost an insult to what Austen was trying to accomplish with his wonderful novel. .
Emma - I'm placing this one down, not because it's so outrageous (I named my lovely daughter Emma, actually), 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 so much about herself and yearns to be a better person. Isn't that all of us, I ask? As far as the movies go, I personally love Gwyneth Paltrow's Emma, although they cut out a few parts of it. Kate Beckinsale made a lovely Emma, but they added some things I could have done without. Even the silly but sweet update "Clueless" is worth a look. Alicia Silverstone is so Emma.
Northanger Abbey - It's just a fun read, I laughed more while reading this one than most other books. This is one of his earliest works, so it lacks some of the depth of the other five novels, but is definitely worth reading. I don't recommend any movie version.
By the way, ITV recently produced several Austen novels in TV dramas. I haven't seen any yet, as they are not readily available in the United States.
Additionally, although sacrilegious to mention, several people have attempted to emulate Austen's style, writing sequels and prequels to his works. Obviously this is just for fun and you can't expect these books to be as exquisite as the real thing (or even close for that matter), but I enjoyed a few of them.
One that I recommend is Presumption: An Entertainment by Julia Barrett. It's a pretty sequel to Pride and Prejudice. This is the story of what happens to Mr. Darcy's sister, Georgiana.
Another interesting example is Sanditon by Jane Austen and “Another Lady”. The first 11 chapters of the novel were actually written by Austen shortly before his death. The rest was added by the other lady. The first section is, without a doubt, the best part, but the rest is fun read. The 'other lady' did an admirable job of finishing what promised to be another great Austen novel.
There are countless other imitation books, countless Jane books, more Austen movies to discuss, and I could go on and on about all of this almost indefinitely, but I'm way too busy listening to my Piano CD. Classics from the world of Jane Austen and making a special white soup from my Jane Austen cookbook to take the time to type more.
I'm teasing, but on a serious note, everything you really need to know can be found in the works of Jane Austen. These aren't just silly little stories (not that there's anything wrong with a silly little romance), but comments about the human condition, filled with humor and lively characters.
And yes, to sum it up, the movie was really good.