To think Marianne shouldn't have married Colonel Brandon?

[squoosh]

Okay Willoughby was a cad and a bounder and took himself out of the running, but I do think that Brandon swooped in to take advantage of her rain induced fever which had left her a bit dazed and compliant.

It's a bit creepy that he falls in love with her because she reminds him of his long lost, 'fallen', dead love. Plus he's a bit intense, the laughs wouldn't be forthcoming and I'll warrant he expected her to do all kinds of dark shit in the bedroom.

Ideally she'd have had another couple of seasons in London and met lots of nice suitors or maybe even nipped across to Pride and Prejudice and married that nice Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Heart this thread :-)

Would like to see a really good film of 'Emma' - Emma Thompson could be 'poor Miss Taylor that was'

• and some really intelligent actress as Emma - like Michelle Dokherty - can't spell it - Gwyneth P acted like she'd never heard of Jane Austen -

Who would be a perfect 'Emma'?

I rather liked Gwennie actually - she had the right "queen of all I survey" attitude - it was just Toni Colette I thought was disastrous, and the weird religious scene they shoehorned in.

SpaceOpera: "But seriously, where has Jo Baker been all my life? I've also been reading eavesdropping on Jane austen's England by the Adkins couple, I've always wanted to know what daily life for ordinary people was like in JA's time, and this book hits the spot. Jo baker gets all her period detail absolutely right. A real find."

It's amazing, I had never heard of her, so assumed Longbourn was her first book, but it seems to be her fourth. Will have to look up the Adkins book.

As you were, everyone...

I totally agree Ladycuppa about poor Gwynnie although beautiful and queenly she just wasn't right for the part ;her American accent was quite well hidden until she said "thot" instead of thought i could've smacked her (and I don't do that sort of thing ).

Also as you say anyone Toni Collete was just also sadly miscast ( IMO she's a class actress though which Gwyn isn't )

I'd love to travel in time and get a young Judi Dench to be Emma, or a snappy young Miranda Richardson, both of whom would be excellent older Austan characters now, at the drop of a hat. I think Kelly Macdonald would make a fair crack at it, maybe Ellie Kendrick or even that girl who was the Dr Who sidekick, can't think of her name.

I'd like to see Olivia Williams play Anne.

I just recalled Emma Thompsons' acceptance speech, worth a peek.

I didn't like Romola Garai as Emma either (i'm very fussy) i can't think who'd be a perfect Emma.IMO directors and or 'names' very often go for looks and not talent sadly.

What about the actresses in Call The Midwife? There were a couple of good ones who might be okay as Emma.

I was very fed up about doing Mansfield Park for A-level - the most depressing Austen novel. Fanny ruddy prim Price, urgh. Austen apparently said Fanny was a heroine only her creator could love and IMO she was right. Fair enough, Fanny did stand up for herself and refuse to be browbeaten into a 'good match' but she was so irritating, I don't blame her relatives for wanting to slap her, even if they were all horrible themselves.

PD James's book was a travesty. WTF was she thinking? Austen is THE wittiest novelist and PD wouldn't recognise a joke if it trod on her foot in a clown costume shouting 'knock knock'. And everyone in PD James' novels is a miserable lonely fecker. I don't think PD likes people very much.

When I was younger I loved P&P and Northanger Abbey, now I'm a l lot older I adore Persuasion - so moving.

Yes, Persuasion has always been my favourite, I think. And I loved the Ciaran Hinds adaptation (apart from the public snog at the end, which I just can't buy).

I LOVED the Ruth Wilson/Toby Stephens adaptation of Jane Erye. He was brilliant as Mr R and the chemistry between the two was brilliant. I'm going to rewatch tonight I think

Eyre I've caved and bought the DVD, rather than relying BT Broadband. I've also bought the recent S&S TV series

A few Marian Keyes fans on here, I see. :)

I'm so glad people are talking about the Ruth Wilson/Toby Stephens version of Jane Eyre, too. I love Ruth and her "intriguing upper lip" (as it was called by one commentator, the wonderful AA Gill I think). Appalling photo finish, though- naff, naff, naff!

Back to Austen. This thread has made me order "Persuasion" again. I haven't read it since I was unimpressed by it as a teenager. Now that I am an old hag, it might please me more, it seems. Thanks!

Yes to Toby S as Rochester - perfect.

I didn't like Northanger Abbey at all, but I do love all the rest of Jane Austin's main 6 novels, I'm sure there's another one that I haven't read though.

There's the juvenalia and the unfinished "Sandition".

Ben Chaplin as Rochester. Or Aidan Turner. Sufficiently dark and interesting.

And Rupert Graves as Wentworth. Yes please!

How about Rupert Graves as Colonel Brandon or Mr Knightley? Although I do have a soft spot for Johnny Lee Miller as Mr K.

Most actors that play Austen's men are too old. Darcy is only 28, Bingley a bit younger. Henry Tilney is around 24.

I thought they got it right with JLM. He was homely enough. Jeremy Northam was too dashing.

Pleased that people have enjoyed the book rec!

I think that we get Mansfield Park wrong, and that we get Fanny Price wrong as a result.

I think you have to see the novel as the coming of age of a young woman who's grown up in an emotionally (and occasionally physically) abusive, neglectful foster home. Ever since she arrives at MP aged 10, she's told by everyone but Edmund (who's away at school most of the time) that she is worthless, something for rich people to take on for a whim - which is exactly what Henry Crawford decides to do. The novel is about her gradually telling the world that as a young woman with no money and no means of earning money, she is still not worthless, and that she has a right to choose her life for herself.

I like that GrenelsMum and hadn't thought of Fanny like that. I will now read it again with a fresh approach.

I think Fanny defiantly has more bottle than Catherine Morland though who is very sweet and good but undeniably dim.

So glad someone else likes the Lizzie Bennet Diaries! They have just won an Emmy! Anyone read the P and P variations by Abigail Reynolds or Lory Lilian? I hate sequels because I like to think of the characters as happily ever after but these are variations and 'what ifs' which I rather love. They do have sex scenes in though if that puts you off.

Oh, poor Catherine Morland. She is very sweet and as you say, undeniably dim. Longer term, I fear for their marriage.

The weird / intriguing thing is that Mary Crawford has had very similar life experiences as Fanny Price - also sent off to live with an uncle and aunt, also what seems to be a really pretty dodgy home environment (I think the uncle's an abusive alcoholic, isn't he?) - but she's worked out an alternative way of coping by being very attractive and charming.

It was Alan Cumming who played the lecherous,snob Mr Elton .I do love that he chooses an absolutely vile woman for her money serve him right !!! (Juliet Stevenson was fab as Mrs Elton IMO).

I got so fed up with that drippy Fanny - and especially for not taking Henry Crawford - what a loser to turn him down! Plus it was a fluke she got Edward in the end and he thought she was a drip too - that's why he went for her, on the rebound from the far more intelligent and un-drippy Mary Crawford.

Sorry Grendels - good perspective - but the world would have been told something else entirely if Fanny had ended up living her Aunt Norland for ever and ever...which she would have 'in real life' after Mary Crawford got Edward and turfed her out and Henry Crawford turned up with a suspicious looking valet...

My problem with Northanger Abbey is that Catherine embarrasses herself so horrifically with the whole "Are you quite sure your father didn't murder/imprison your mother?" incident that if it were me I'd have to emigrate/become a nun/change my name. The one thing I certainly couldn't do is ever see Henry ever again.

I giggled at drippy Fanny too

Oh - missed that completely...