Project: Jane (part 2, first meeting)

Wow. The Jane Austen book club meeting that I wrote about earlier finally arrived. I didn't know what to expect but I was a little nervous.

What a pleasant experience, however! My sister-in-law and I went together and we walked into the sitting room at this huge hundred-year-old house to find a group of women of all ages. We weren't the youngest and we weren't the oldest. Everyone there absolutely loved Jane Austen and given the fitting setting, we dove right in to introductions combined with a discussion of our favorite scenes from the novel and our favorite characters. We even talked about the plot. We also spent a lot of time discussing what we knew of Jane Austen's life and how that related to the writing.

Very cool. It was really nice to get out of the house and think about something other than my job (which has sucked today). We met some interesting people (many of whom had moved to town recently) and tried to stage a coup to get the next meeting moved up. Unlike grad school where everyone who says something is just trying to sound smarter than the person who made the last comment, I completely enjoyed the discussion, hardly said a thing, and kept my ears open. There's a lot to be learned. A lot.

Project: Jane

Damn you, Jane Austen, for keeping me up all night. Don't you know I have to teach an 8:30 class?

I may have confessed before that I'm a bookaholic. Once I get started on something good, I can't put it down. I've been known to stay up until morning to finish a really good book. This does not make the next day easy.

So anyway, I'm joining a book club at the local library. This is something I've wanted to do forever. What I miss most about being in graduate school for American literature is talking about books. But what I'm most afraid of in book club is acting like I have a degree in American literature. So I'm jumping in to the first meeting with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It's one of my favorite books and I find her writing just delicious. I love the movies and the scholarship and the outfits and Austen's wit. I love it all. And it's British so that should help.

I actually haven't read the book in so long that part of me thinks that I may never have actually read Pride and Prejudice and part of me thinks that's just not possible.

Last night I stopped right after Darcy confessed his love to Lizzy in Charlotte Lucas-Collins's parlor. Yum.

Any tips for the first meeting? I'll probably just keep my mouth shut.

For more on Project: Project read this post.

Best Scene Ever

Yay for Oxygen. Last week they played the newest version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It is one of my favorite books and one of my all-time favorite movies. I love the 6-hour long BBC version because the casting is spot on. Colin Firth is the best Darcy ever. So hot.

So anyway, when I first saw Darcy in the 2005 version with Keira Knightley, I was super bummed with the choice of Matthew Macfadyen. He seemed kinda short and well, just not Colin Firth.

Then there was this scene.

They are standing under this gorgeous stone structure in the middle of England somewhere and it is absolutely pouring down the rain. Both actors are never in the shot at the same time. It is splendid.

It's not Colin Firth as Darcy half naked and soaking wet after a swim in that pond in front of his estate but it is splendid.

I had forgotten about it until it was on TV. I watched it again when they showed it right after it was finished playing the first time...