Jane.

I am coming close to the end of my regular complete works of Jane Austen read, and I just have to share my favourite at the moment, which is 'Persuasion' :)

My first favourite, was 'Pride & Prejudice'. I loved it :) LOVED it :) For a long time, actually. But the box office version of it which hit a few years ago kind of ruined it for me. At least for now. My plan is to not watch it for years, and try and forget it. I hate the ending - oh wait I think it's the alternative ending on the disc that I really hate - the one where he keeps kissing her. Weird. And sooo not Jane! If you want to watch a movie of it, watch BBC. I didn't hate the box office one at first. I kind of like Mr Darcy in it actually, but not Elizabeth. Actually I kind of like most of the characters in it. Lydia is appropriately silly and annoying, Jane is very pretty - much prettier than the BBC version, the mother works, love Donald Sutherland as the father actually. And the dreadful cousin whatshisname is actually kinda great :) But he's great in the BBC version too - he's just a great character, Jane wrote him well!

Anyway, then I loved Emma. I still love Emma. It's funny, I really liked the Gwenyth Paltrow Emma a lot, but now I think the movie's kind of ruined the book there too. Hm. I think maybe it's because the movies stick in your head so much you don't get a chance to forget the exciting little bits and pieces and side stories before your next read of the books, and it's like it's been overdone or something... hm... Meanwhile, I do NOT like .. whatshername... imdb...aaahhh Toni Collette! - Bless IMDB :) I don't like her in her role very much - not that I don't like her in general, I just thought the casting was all wrong! Anyway, I do love Emma though! I have a good friend... is it Stacey? Someone who was telling me she doesn't like Emma - the character... I really like her though! A lot :) (Bahahaha side note: In IMDB, the synopsis for Emma is: "In rural 1800s England things go bad for a young matchmaker after she finds a man for another woman.". Obviously not written by Jane.)

I also really like Lady Susan, and always have - I like the story through letters, it's interesting and fun, and I always enjoy reading it!! Did you know, that back in the day, Sense and Sensibility was also written in letters, but then Jane re-wrote it in 3rd person? Interesting - I would love to be able to read it the original way!! Her books also had a bunch of different titles, which don't sound at all appealing, and I am glad they were changed!

Anyway, I like Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey a lot too, but I can't put Persuasion down. You just know that Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth HAVE to end up together, and I'm never fully satisfied until they do! And I hope I NEVER see a TV or movie version of it so that it's overdone. I just love it :)

I love the last 20 pages of any Jane Austen - I love that every end is tied up neatly :) It's perfectly satisfying :)

While we're on the subject of Jane, I'd be semi-interested in getting a hold of this before it goes out of print again - the closest thing to a biography of Jane Austen, with excerpts from unpublished works. I don't know that I'd love reading about her life too much though, because it so closely does NOT resemble the happy endings present in her books!! But I want her unpublished works!!

Anyway, I really like Jane, what to read next??

(random side note - I randomly came upon a printout of the short story The Curious Tale of Benjamin Button the other day, and read it quickly. I haven't seen the movie, but what a strange, sad little book!! Curious... :))