Something Austen got right

[litlover12]

Having reamed out Jane Austen for her love scenes, I now feel like saying something nice about her. :-) Here's something I recently noticed about the book and that I really love.

Have you ever noticed that there's no real physical description of Elizabeth? I've always thought, and still think, that Jennifer Ehle looked exactly right for the part, but that's not based on anything in the text -- it's just based on how I think Elizabeth should look. (It's probably also based on this picture on the cover of my copy.) But the narrator tells us nothing directly of how she looks -- only how other people perceive her. Most interesting, of course, are the perceptions of Darcy, whose view of her goes from "tolerable" to "pretty" to "one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance" to "loveliest Elizabeth."

Having written this, it occurs to me that doubtless there's some scholar out there who's written a dissertation on Elizabeth as the "object of the male gaze" or some such rot -- as if Elizabeth Bennet could ever be any sort of passive "object."

[Edited to add: I'm sorry that came out sounding rude. As I clarified in the comments, I don't mind when it's pointed out that some female character really is being objectified; I only mind those scholars who see objectification everywhere they look, without ceasing. That's the kind of scholar I was complaining about.]

Personally, I think it's a brilliant move on Austen's part, for several reasons. Mainly because Darcy is so undemonstrative that this subtle technique is perfect for giving us insight into his feelings . . . not to mention serving as a rather amusing commentary on beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

Comments

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

It is. I think you have to be fairly unusual to be able to carry it off.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

BTW: Is that icon from the Emma with Romola Garai? I still haven't seen it, but I've heard it was excellent.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Speaking of faces . . . Garai mugged at the camera like CRAZY. I mostly liked that "Emma," but the mugging got pretty old.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Haha!

See, now that you've said that, I will notice only that when I watch it! :-P

I actually only saw Northanger Abbey from that series of Austen adaptations. Actually, I saw enough of the Billie Piper Mansfield Park to want to watch more (she actually made Fanny... LIKEABLE! WHO KNEW THAT WAS POSSIBLE!), but I LOVED Northanger Abbey, and I am a huge fan of David Morrissey, so I really want to see that Sense and Sensibility... and I really want to see the Emma... THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR ALL THE MASTERPIECE ADAPTATIONS.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Sorry!! (But you probably would've noticed it anyway -- it's hard to miss. :-) )

And yeah, there TOTALLY is not enough time!

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

Romola Garai does make some crazy faces in Emma, but I actually liked them. Probably because I haven't seen any other Emma adaptions.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Well, I recommend the Gwyneth Paltrow adaptation. She and Jeremy Northam are great. Again, it's not a mini-series, but I think it was adapted beautifully.

(Emma is my favorite Austen heroine, and Mr. Knightley is far and away my favorite Austen hero, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE those two actors in that role.)

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

I really like that one too. That and the Romola Garai one are the only ones I've seen so far.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

I've seen the old one from the last BBC/Masterpiece adaptation round in the eighties. The girl who plays Emma just looks weird to me, which is annoying. But I liked it.

[2theriver2pray.livejournal.com]

and I am a huge fan of David Morrissey, so I really want to see that Sense and Sensibility

You must find a way to see it!! He does Brandon so well and they make the Brandon/Marianne ship so believable and beautiful. I became a big fan of David after that miniseries. I like how both the Elinor/Edward and Marianne/Brandon relationships are handled.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Have you seen Our Mutual Friend? He is a wonderful(ly evil. hehe) Bradley Headstone.

[2theriver2pray.livejournal.com]

I did. I saw it after I saw Sense & Sensibility though. I was like Col. Brandon has gone crazy. :(

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

We call him "Elvis" in Our Mutual Friend. He SO looks like Elvis.

Also, I have just turned on my Alison Krauss music, because I saw your icon and realized THAT IS WHAT I WANTED TO LISTEN TO. :-)

[2theriver2pray.livejournal.com]

Yay, I'm helpful! I love her voice so much so sweet and heartbreaking. The woman has got me hooked on bluegrass music.

*ROFL* I will always think of Elvis when I watch it now!

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

It's a lovely icon indeed! She's an amazing performer.

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

My default one is from Emma but this one is from Daniel Deronda.

I thought it was a very fun adaption, maybe a bit modernized, but still really good. I haven't seen any other adaptions so I don't really have anything to compare it to though.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen or read Daniel Deronda. I'd like to read it before I watch it though. (I also haven't read The Mill on the Floss... which basically means I really need to get caught up on my Eliot!)

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

I am hopelessly behind on reading the novels before I watch the adaptions. Not enough time in the world!

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

BOOKS ON TAPE!

I cannot recommend them strongly enough! :-) Especially for 19th century-ish novels. You don't want to listen to James Joyce on CD, but a story by Dickens or Eliot works really well that way.

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

I ADORE audiobooks! They are insanely long, usually, which can make it hard to pack in. I'm listening to Bleak House as we speak ;)

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

BOOKS ON TAPE!

I cannot recommend them strongly enough! :-) Especially for 19th century-ish novels. You don't want to listen to James Joyce on CD, but a story by Dickens or Eliot works really well that way.

(Even Thomas Hardy works well on tape, but I suggest, from experience, that you make sure you're not driving when you listen to the last quarter of Jude the Obscure...)

[2theriver2pray.livejournal.com]

(Even Thomas Hardy works well on tape, but I suggest, from experience, that you make sure you're not driving when you listen to the last quarter of Jude the Obscure...)

I can't help but picture that. The driver would have to pull over and cry their little heart out while other drivers wonder what is wrong. *giggles*

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

I was (fortunately) parked at the very worst moment. I COMPLETELY LOST IT. I certainly would have controlled myself enough to drive safely, because... well... you do what you have to when you're on the road... but I was really glad that I was parked and didn't have to hold myself together while I drove down the highway!

[2theriver2pray.livejournal.com]

O____________O Oh gosh that happened! Thousand apologies for the giggles.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

HAHA!

No, I giggle at myself in retrospect. Not so much that I cried, because if any book deserves tears, it is Jude the Obscure... but that I was sitting in a parking lot sobbing my heart out.

I think it's funny when I cry in public over something silly. You know. Not funny when it happens, but funny as soon as I've gotten better. :-P