I Love Austen Week -- Master Post

It's here!  I Love Austen Week has finally begun.

To simplify matters, we're going to use this one link-up widget for everyone's posts.  All the posts.  Whether they're tags, blogathon posts, games you've thought up, whatever!  All your posts go here:


At the end of the week, I'll do a wrap-up post where I will separate out tags from other posts and provide a final list of each, but for right now, please put the links to your I Love Austen Week posts in that widget and don't leave me a zillion comments with them.  I'll be putting comments on moderation when I post games soon, so that way you will all be able to access each others' posts without me needing to find time to hit "publish" on your comments first.

Now that we've got that straight, go enter the giveaways here, check out the blog tag here, and start having fun!

EDIT:  If you're wondering what topics people have signed up to write about already, the list of those is over here.

ANOTHER EDIT:  Here are direct links to the unscramble game and quotations quiz, for anyone who wants them.

I Love Austen Week -- The Giveaways

Time for the giveaways!  Yes, there are two of them, with multiple prizes each.  One giveaway is open world-wide, and one is open to people with US addresses only.  (I don't really care if you live in the USA or not -- if you live elsewhere, but have a friend who lives here and is willing to have your prize shipped to them and then will send it to you, that totally would work -- but I can't afford to send these overseas.)

Both giveaways run through the end of Friday, February 17, 2017.  I will choose the winners on Feb. 18 and post them here, as well as notify the winners via the email addresses you provide to the giveaway widgets when you enter.  Please make sure you use an email address you check often.  If I don't hear back from you by Saturday, February 25, I will disqualify you and pick a different winner for what was to have been your prize.

Both giveaway widgets will ask you to leave a comment with your choices of prizes.  I do not guarantee that, if you win, you will receive one of the prizes you chose.  I try to match people up with things they want the best I can, but sometimes I just can't do it.  If there's anything you DO NOT WANT, such as a movie or book you already own, PLEASE SAY SO in your comment as well.

Let's start with the world-wide giveaway!  No matter where you live in the world, inside or outside the USA, you may enter this giveaway.  Here's a closer look at the prizes, and explanations thereof.

+ One set of 5 "Jane Austen Coloring Bookmarks" with artwork by Chrissy Lau.  The whole set will go to one lucky winner.

+ Four sets of Jane Austen stickers!  One set of stickers will go to each of 4 lucky winners.  Each winner of a sticker set will receive one sticker that says "Austenite" and one that bears a quotation.

#1 "The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel must be intolerably stupid."

#2 "Obstinate, headstrong girl."

#3 "I would rather have nothing but tea."

#4 "My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me."

+ Two sets of Jane Austen bookmarks!  I bought these from the Etsy shop Castle on the Hill, and I will send two lucky winners each a set of all three of these bookmarks.

Enter the world-wide giveaway via this widget:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now for the US-only giveaway!  Like I said, I can only ship these to US addresses.  Please don't enter this giveaway if you would need me to ship them overseas, because I just can't do it.  Here's a closer look at these prizes, and some explanations.

+ Letters from Pemberley and More Letters from Pemberley by Jane Dawkins.  Both books will go to one lucky winner, as I don't want to split this set up.  I've read both of these, and reviewed the first one here.  Both are clean and enjoyable -- I would rate them both "G" if they were movies.  These are used copies -- I bought them used and read them each once, but they are in like-new condition.

+ Persuasion (1995) on DVD.  This is a used copy -- it works in my DVD player, but I make no guarantees about whether it will work for you.  It is a Region 1 disc, and as such, won't work in players outside the US and Canada.  This adaptation stars Amanda Root as Anne Elliot and Ciaran Hinds as Captain Wentworth.  I reviewed it here, if you want to know more about it.  It is rated PG and does have a couple instances of swearing, but nothing else objectionable.

+ Four other books!  These will go to four lucky winners, one to each.  They are as follows:

The Jane Austen Guide to Life by Lori Smith.  I reviewed this book here.  I would rate it PG-13 for non-explicit discussions about adult activities.  This is a used copy in excellent condition -- it looks new.

Jane Austen's Little Advice Book by Cathryn Michon and Pamela Norris.  It's entirely composed of quotations from Austen's writings and letters grouped under various subject headings.  I would rate it PG.  This is an ex-library copy, as you can see in the picture below.  It's not in the greatest condition, as the binding is broken at the very front, but it's still really fun to read.

Jane Austen:  Her Complete Novels in One Sitting by Jennifer Kasius.  As you can see from the photo, this is tiny and cute!  It has a synopsis for each of Austen's six novels, a short biography, and lots of pictures.  This book is brand-new.

The Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Pamela Mingle.  This is a follow-up to Pride and Prejudice, and I reviewed it here.  I would rate it PG-13 for discussions of childbirth, mild sexual situations, and a few curse words.  This is a used copy -- I bought it new and read it once, so it is in like-new condition.

Enter the US-only giveaway via this widget:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Love Austen Week -- The Tag

What would a week-long blog party be without a tag?  Boring, that's what!  So here you go!  Simply copy these questions, paste them to your own blog and answer them there, and then come back to my blog to add the link to your tag post to the linky widget in the party's master post.

1.  Which did you experience first, a Jane Austen book or a movie based on one?

2.  What is your favorite Austen book?

3.  Favorite heroine?  Why do you like her best?

4.  Favorite hero?  Why do you like him best?

5.  Do you have a favorite film adaptation of Austen's work?

6.  Have your Austen tastes changed over the years?  (Did you start out liking one story best, but now like another better?  Did you think she was boring at first, then changed your mind?  Etc.)

7.  Do you have any cool Austen-themed things (mugs, t-shirts, etc)?  (Feel free to share photos if you want.)

8.  If you could ask Jane Austen one question, what would you ask her?

9.  Imagine someone is making a new film of any Jane Austen story you choose, and you get to cast the leads.  What story do you want filmed, and who would you choose to act in it?

10.  Share up to five favorite Jane Austen quotations!

Once you've filled out your tag, don't forget to come back and add a link to it on the party's master post here!  And then follow the links to other peoples' tags and other posts to make new friends or see what current friends say.

If you want to add a cool button to your post, here are a few more for you:

"Sense and Sensibility" (2008) -- Guest Post by Jessica Prescott

(Note from Hamlette:  Thanks for contributing this to I Love Austen Week, Jessica!  And for encouraging me to finally see this version of S&S.)

Guest Post by Jessica Prescott

*happy sigh.* Let’s do this thing, people.

As many of you know, this is my top favorite Jane Austen film adaptation—plus my second favorite movie, period—so please prepare yourselves for a Rather Large amount of gushing and fangirling to follow. (There may or may not be spoilers as well. You have been warned.)

This film is so dense, so packed, with drama and emotion and character that it’s a bit tough to know where to start . . . I suppose I’ll do the logical thing and begin with casting. Here we go.

First off: Hattie Morahan as Elinor Dashwood. If you’ve never seen this version and you’re apprehensive about how worthy a successor Hattie is (or isn’t) to the legendary Emma Thompson in the ’95 movie—then have no fear, munchkins. Hattie Morahan’s performance in this movie is absolutely rock-solid. She does a beautiful job interpreting and showcasing the silent, deep, unselfish emotion that we all love Elinor Dashwood for. She doesn’t cry often; but when she cries, I just want to put my arms around her and hold her tight. So much feeling . . . and so few words used to convey it. I stand in awe, friends. I really do.

Plus, she’s incredibly fierce and blunt and pragmatic and—in a nutshell—won’t take no sass from nobody. (That one scene with Willoughby’s so-called “apology,” though . . . GOLLY GOSH GEE WHIZ.) Hattie’s Elinor is a force to be reckoned with, for certain; and I absolutely love how much this film adaptation chooses to emphasize that forcefulness. #strongfemalecharactersforthewin 

Charity Wakefield as Marianne Dashwood—what can I say, folks? I LOVE HER. I know she’s been subjected to a fair amount of criticism for being “immature” and “whiny” and (in short) inferior to Kate Winslet from the ’95 film; but, speaking for myself, I far prefer Charity over Kate. I can’t put my feelings any better than by saying Charity Wakefield was the first actress to truly make me understand, appreciate, and (ultimately) care about Marianne as a character. Her interpretation balances Marianne’s emotional, impulsive, self-centered side with a very touching and very heartfelt sweetness; so that even in her most over-the-top, ridiculous, insane moments, you still can’t help rooting for her and hoping she comes out okay. 

And Charity has fantastic “chemistry” with Hattie Morahan—they genuinely feel like a real-life, big-sister-little-sister pair; with their teasing, and their bickering, and their sharing of absolutely everything, and their aggressive protectiveness of each other; and I just love it. (Because sisters are the best, can I get an amen???)

AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON HER RELATIONSHIP WITH COLONEL BRANDON. Just . . . aaagggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. *faints*

So, um . . . where was I? Oh, right—the three male leads. Can’t forget them! *winks*

Dan Stevens, in my opinion, does a fantastic job as Edward Ferrars. His interpretation of Edward is much more “reserved” than “shy,” I would say: He’s not particularly awkward when making small talk with strangers (in fact, he can be Quite Charming, in a soft-spoken sort of way); but he struggles—struggles terribly—when it comes to communicating his own inner needs, desires, and emotions. There are several scenes with Elinor where he desperately wants to tell her something, but finds himself physically unable to get the words out; and I can tell you from experience, it’s genuinely painful to watch. Because it’s so real. You completely forget that you’re listening to a professional actor delivering his lines; you’re watching a human being, wrestling with emotions that are just too strong and too frightening for him to handle. And it hurts.

But I keep coming back to it, anyway. Over and over. Because . . . I like pain, apparently . . . ?

Now, Dominic Cooper as Willoughby—okay, HEAR ME OUT, GUYS. I know practically everybody despises him and says he absolutely can’t hold a candle to Greg Wise from ’95 . . . but, even so, I personally believe he was a much, much better choice to play John Willoughby. First off, contrary to popular belief, he’s not ugly. Sure, he’s slimy. But “slimy” doesn’t have to equal “unattractive.” (Just ask Cary Grant.)

What Dominic Cooper does with Willoughby’s character—and it’s a very delicate balance, remember that—is make his inner darkness visible on the outside, WITHOUT losing any of his charm or his romantic allure. Greg Wise, on the other hand, completely hid Willoughby’s evil nature from everyone: not just from the characters themselves, but even from the audience. Watching the 1995 film, you never truly get the sense that Willoughby is any sort of “villain,” even after he’s been denounced and disgraced. You just . . . sort of . . . forget about him. In this movie, though, you can never forget him. And you can never forget what he’s done. He’s the villain of the piece—a devil with the voice of an angel—and he sticks in your memory forever. Which is how it should be.

Okay, ladies . . . I saved the best for last here. Which is, of course, David Morrissey as Colonel Brandon.

I have no words to describe how deeply I cherish this actor—this character—this performance. David Morrissey’s Colonel Brandon has my whole heart, and I’m pretty sure I ain’t ever getting it back; but I don’t care. I know it’s safe with him.

To make a long story short, he’s perfect in this role. He’s silent, and strong, and gentle; with a calm, stoic manner that hides a heart of actual solid gold. He’s a soldier, and he isn’t afraid to act like one. He never really uses words to say how much he cares about Marianne—he doesn’t have to. He SHOWS IT. And you feel it.

Oh, boy, do you ever feel it.

Guys, Sense and Sensibility ’08 is pretty much flawless as far as I’m concerned. And it’s not just the actors and their performances—although that obviously plays a huge role. It’s the way the whole movie is put together; setting, costumes, writing, everything. I love the way the filmmakers chose to give this work an overall “dark” tone; dark, yet somehow mellow and hopeful at the same time. Not only does that combination exactly suit my own personal tastes (I like dark stuff, what can I say?); but Sense and Sensibility is definitely one of Austen’s most serious novels and, thus, I think such a treatment meshes will with the original story’s message.

How do they achieve said darkness? Well, for starters, with lighting—there’s a fair number of cloudy/rainy outdoor scenes; and many of the indoor scenes are half-lit or semi-dark. The theme music is sweet, yet melancholy. The costumes tend to be on the darker end of the color spectrum and/or to have grayish undertones—there are very few “bright and cheery” tints to be seen here. Much of the action takes place right at the ocean (in this version, the Dashwoods’ cottage is located directly on a rock-covered beach); lending a sense of the grandeur and the overwhelming gravity of nature’s power to the whole story. (Okay, that sounded pretentious, but I’m trying to explain how it feels. The ocean is in almost every scene; and it’s just . . . It makes you Think About Things.)

There are so many wonderful moments in this movie where you can see the filmmakers playing with all these different elements—music, light, setting, character, and the rest—to create one magnificent whole; but I’m going to limit myself to discussing one very special scene. It comes the very end of the movie, after Elinor has returned with Marianne to Devonshire and finds out from the servants that “Mr. Ferrars is married.” Elinor, we all know, is devastated by this news—but she doesn’t talk about it with anyone. Instead, she takes a basket and walks, alone, down to the wharf to buy some shellfish. 

It’s a silent scene. We don’t hear Elinor talking with the fish seller at all—we only hear that beautiful, slow, wistful Sense and Sensibility theme playing in the background. Once finished, she walks on, still alone, along the water’s edge; looking out over the sparkling, deep-blue sea as the wind whips her dress and bonnet. Her face is quiet, too . . . quiet and resigned. We don’t have to hear her thoughts. We know exactly what they are.

And that, my friends, is good filmmaking. That’s why I love this movie.

Hamlette, thank you SO MUCH for allowing me to write this guest post on one of my all-time favorite Austen movies! I had such a good time!

DISCLAIMER: I think most readers are probably familiar with this already; but if you’re not, please be aware that Willoughby’s sexual liaison with Eliza Williams is shown (not particularly graphically, but still, it IS shown) in the very first scene . . . right before the opening credits, that is. If you want to avoid this, just skip to after the credits and you won’t have any issues. (The rest of the movie has no other objectionable content, aside from kissing and some slight innuendo.)

Joining the Pinterest Storyboard Party 2017

Elisabeth Grace Foley is hosting another Pinterest Storyboard Party February 20-22.  I'll be sharing my storyboard for "Cloaked," the western reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood that I'm working on and hoping to self-publish this summer.  I may post more than that, but we shall see.  Check out Elisabeth's post right here for more info and to join up yourself.

Sunshine Blogger Award

Miss March has tagged me with the Sunshine Blogger Award!  Thank you, Miss March :-)  We could use some extra sunshine during February around here, that's for sure.  Here are my answers to Miss March's questions:

1. What was the last book you read?  I just finished A Flame Shall Spring from the Embers by Heidi Pekarek -- review coming soon!

2. On a typical evening at home, what are you most often found doing -- reading a book, watching a movie, playing games with your siblings, twiddling your thumbs...what?  Playing catch-up on email and blogging stuff while Cowboy plays with our kids for a bit.  After they're in bed, I'll either be writing, watching a movie (often with my best friend, thanks to the internet), or spending time with Cowboy.

3. You have the choice of being an only child or having twenty siblings. Which do you choose?  Can I still be the oldest?  Then I'll take 20 siblings.  Who doesn't need more minions?

4. Do you prefer bike riding or walking?  Walking.

5. If you had to create your own family made up of characters from literature (or film) who would you choose to have as your father? As your mother? Choose a brother and a sister, too, just for the fun of it. :)  First, this is one of the absolute coolest questions I've ever gotten.

Honestly, I would love to have Jim and Katie Coates (Fess Parker and Dorothy McGuire) from Old Yeller (1957) as my parents.  They're kind and honest and caring.  She doesn't freak out about toads and lizards, and he's sensible and reassuring.

I'm sorely tempted to start writing stories about these two now.  They're just about as awesome as possible.

Anyway, for siblings, hmm.  How about Sam Gamgee (Sean Astin) from The Lord of the Rings and Catherine Morland (Felicity Jones) from Northanger Abbey (2007)?  It would be a peaceful, enjoyable, cheerful family!

6. Did you ever receive money under your pillow after losing a tooth?  Yup.

7. What's your favorite color?  Purple.  The deeper, the better.

8. Would you rather wash dishes or iron clothes?  Either one, really.  I don't hate either task, but neither do I love either of them.  If I had to choose, I'd say ironing because it's something I do a lot less often, so it would be a pleasant change.

9. What is your opinion on zoos? Interesting or boring?  I am pro-zoo!  Pro good zoo, anyway.  A couple years ago, Cowboy and I took our kids to the zoo on my birthday, and when my m-i-l found out that's where we went, she was like, "Oh, what a good mom you are, going someplace just because your kids will enjoy it."  I was all, "WHAT?!?  I love zoos!  How is that not a fun place to go on your birthday?"  So yeah, I enjoy a good zoo.

10. Growing up, did you have a favorite doll? What was her name?  I did.  We weren't well-off enough for me to get a real Samantha doll from the Pleasant Company (now called American Girl), but my parents got me a different doll, about ten inches tall, who had long brown hair similar to the Samantha doll's.  I named her Samantha and learned to make doll clothes just so I could make her a bunch of clothes similar to the "real" Samantha's clothes.

And now I hereby tag:

Abby P. at Lavender Spring
Hayden at A Singular and Whimsical Problem
Kara at Flowers of Quiet Happiness
Meredith at On Stories and Words
Lois J. at You, Me, and a Cup of Tea

Your Questions, Should You Choose to Accept Them:

1.  What's the oldest TV show you've ever watched?
2.  What's the newest TV show you've watched?
3.  What's the oldest fiction book you've ever read?
4.  What's the newest fiction book you've read?
5.  What's the oldest movie you've ever watched?
6.  What's the newest movie you've watched?
7.  What was the first blog you remember following?
8.  What's the blog you've started following the most recently?
9.  What song did you really love when you were 10 years old?
10.  What song do you really love right now?

Play if you want to!

Blog Events Coming Soon!

First off, don't forget that I Love Austen Week begins on Saturday!  THIS Saturday!  Getting really close, huh?  If you haven't signed up for the blogathon yet, or if you just want to see more details, read this post.  I have lots of fun planned besides the blogathon, like a blog tag you can fill out, some games, and a giveaway.

And then the next weekend, I'll be participating in the 90 Years of Sidney Poitier Blogathon hosted by The Wonderful World of Cinema.  I'm going to be reviewing the first movie I ever saw him in, Blackboard Jungle (1955).  Going to be great fun!