I had so much fun a year ago writing forty days of posts as a Lenten activity to prepare for celebrating Eastertime. The topic I have chosen this year is a bit more light-hearted than "blood" and will just scratch the surface of all the ideas I have about it, but maybe someday I'll write something more in-depth and responsibly-researched on this topic. For now, I am content with grabbing a few minutes here and there for some informal self-expression of ideas that my wash-machine and toddler and kitchen sink are not very interested in.
I've been recording the new season of PBS Masterpiece Classics again this past January. A year or two ago, they went through a whole series of films that were adapted from Jane Austen novels, and I enjoyed them, even though I had never been that interested in her novels. Over the holidays, when I saw the bookmark at my library advertising a 2009 BBC-produced mini-series of "Emma" premiering on PBS in January, I made sure my cable box was set to record. The first section was two hours long and I was interested, but thought the woman playing the title character was interpreting her character as too modern in mannerisms--"open" as opposed to "reserved" according to expectations of lady-like behavior of that period. I judged too early. The following week, after a few minutes of watching the 2nd section I was hooked and couldn't wait to see it all. I thought I'd have to wait another week for the concluding section, but PBS happened to air the concluding segment upon the next hour! Unfortunately I deleted that first segment right after I saw it, and somehow the concluding section got erased, and the middle section didn't get recorded until 20 minutes into it. On Tuesday, two days after I saw the conclusion of film, I stopped at three different libraries because I just had to get the book and read the full unedited combination of narrative and dialogue. No luck. But Borders had it and I read it with a pen in hand within a day and a half, absolutely could not put it down. This is the most interesting, enjoyable and satisfying novel I have read (as a first reading) in years. And so I had to think about why that is. Why did I immediately put every other screen adaptation of Emma on my Netflix queue? Why am I so thrilled with this story which takes place in the range of about two square miles of 19th century English countryside and is mostly sitting room conversation among people who have known each other for years?
Well I'm going to try to explore what makes me so delighted with certain stories as told in dramatic productions and literature that I keep going back to them over and over throughout the years and actually enjoy the story even more when I know what is all going to happen. I hope it will eventually make sense why I find this topic appropriate for Lent . .but until it all comes together, just take it all as a recommended reading/viewing list from a woman who sometimes gets sidetracked in her daily chores because she'll drop everything to enjoy a great story.
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I'm looking forward to reading your posts, Jess. Though I've always loved J.A., the PBS series have prompted me to re-read much of her work too (have Emma on the side table right now). I actually started using Pride and Prejudice some years as well in my AP class...wish we could have a book discussion group!
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