"And to this purpose"

"If people like to read their books, it is all very well, but to be at so much trouble in filling great volumes, which, as I used to think, nobody would willingly ever look into, to be labouring only for the torment of little boys and girls, always struck me as a hard fate; and though I know it is all very right and necessary, I have often wondered at the person's courage that could sit down on purpose to do it." (In other words: rambling analyses, opinions, ideas, views, and comments from an English major, Essay/paper-writing enthusiastic, Austen-loving Master Librarian on, well, Jane Austen...and a whole lot of other things, too.)

"Celebrated Passages are Quoted"

Heidi's favorite quotes


"What is it really like to be engaged?" asked Anne curiously. "Well, that all depends on who you're engaged to," answered Diana, with that maddening air of superior wisdom always assumed by those who are engaged over those who are not."— L.M. Montgomery

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Best Emma Film Adaptation

7 votes

1996 – Miramax (Gweneth Paltrow) 5 (71%)
1996 – A&E (Kate Beckinsale) 2 (28%)
1972 – BBC (why do they look so old?) 0 (0%)
Other 0 (0%)
Never Seen Any 0 (0%)

My Say:
Yay--who else voted for Beckinsale with me? It includes the Word Game! And a much more meek, ignorant, and ridiculous Harriet (which is how I always read her). Lovely scenery. A much more understandable and less likeable Emma. Austen's favorite heroine was Emma--and readers were not meant to love everything about her! She was supposed to get on your nerves. Paltrow Emma was just too funny to laugh at that my annoyance was more a roll of the eyes instead of a smack the TV screen. But nothing--not one thing--can beat Jeremy Northam. Oh my. We'll just end it there.

3 comments:

Brittany Marie said...

I like the Kate Beckinsale version because I felt like they portrayed Emma more as she should be: spoiled and bratty. (Although I still adore Gwyneth's version)

Badly done, Emma! :p

ldsjaneite said...

Ha ha--what a great quote. I say it to myself all the time. And then don't listen, because my name is Heidi. :-)

Meredith said...

Oh, Mr. Knightly! So dreamy! I'll not lie, that's why I voted for G. Paltrow. It was for Mr. Knightly!