AUSTEN… AGAIN

So here we are, new year and old authors revisited. I was surprised to see we open 2014 with a new film revisiting Jane Austen. I don't know whether it will polish or bust the myth, it looks more like the second to me, sorry. 

The film is based on a novel by Shannon Hale (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Hess) and is officially described on the author's site as follows: Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of "Pride & Prejudice," is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?Russell will play the part of Jane with Feild playing a Darcy-impersonator who works for the resort.

On the bright side, the movie has brought back a lot of discussion about Jane Austen and her novels, which makes me really happy.

And you, austenite or not? Will you watch the movie?

FIRST BOOK (Ribeira): Summer Lies

The first book we'll read in our book club in Ribeira will be Summer Lies, a collection of 7 short stories by Bernhard Schlink, a German author who may sound familiar to you because he is the author of Der Verleser (The Reader), a novel "about a teenager who has an affair with a woman in her 30es who suddenly vanishes but whom he meets again as a law student when visiting a trial about war crimes" (Wikipedia). The book became a bestseller both in Germany and the USA and was translated into 39 languages, including Spanish. There is also a movie (see trailer below).

This movie and book are available in our library in Ribeira if you wish to borrow them.

And about Summer Lies, here are some extracts from two reviews:


"Unlike many novelists, who use short fiction as a rest stop on the highway to longer works, Schlink seems to have lingered with these stories. Each story in “Summer Lies” has heft, solidity — even more of an accomplishment given the delicate, fleeting emotions it captures." (The NY Times)

"The stories in "Summer Lies" tell of Germans living in the present with ordinary if somewhat cerebral lives. They're all successful professionals. University professors, jurists or writers — all jobs Schlink himself has held over the years.


The best of the seven stories are powerful and deeply moving meditations on family life, love and duty. As in "The Reader," Schlink and his spare, unassuming prose mask big artistic ambitions — he's trying to untangle the complicated, contradictory ways Germans of his time have defined success and happiness."(LA Times).


The meeting to discuss the book will take place on JANUARY 15th. Happy reading!

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING - Shakespeare in the Big Screen (yet again)

Shakespeare was not only A master but THE master. He wrote about everything (the big themes in literature, but also in our daily lives) in almost every possible genre. His command of the iambic pentameter, his contributions to the English lexicon, his witty dialogues, his unforgettable characters - we've got so much to thank him for.

And even if I go back to his plays and sonnets often, the one that still captivates me is Much Ado About Nothing. I don't think it can get much better than Beatrice and Benedick's verbal fight. In fact, every time the word "witty" comes to mind I think of them. I first learnt that word connected to this play and its dialogues.

Then came Kenneth Branagh and his 1993 movie with all those beautiful Tuscan landscapes and warm light. And him and Emma Thompson just nailing the dialogues and the characters. Forget about Claudio and Hero, the BB combo just sweeps you off your feet.

So you can imagine my excitement hearing that there's a new spin-off coming out in June. It is an independent production written and produced by Joss Whedon,  scriptwriter and director of action titles such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The Avengers. The actors? Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Fran Kranz, Sean Maher, Spencer Treat Clark, Riki Lindhome and Ashley Johnson. Don't ask me, no idea who they are!

The shooting took place during what was to be Whedon's vacation after shooting The Avengers. In any case, I'm interested to see what Whedon's gonna do. Branagh's set the bar high, though. What still holds true is that our dear Bard continues to be a cash cow.