Need to Read #13: Emma

Title: Emma

Author: Jane Austen

Book blurb: Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

Quick endorsement: This book is almost tied with P&P as my favorite Austen. This is probably Austen’s most humorous book, and it is laugh out loud funny on multiple occasions. Emma is a great heroine, and who wouldn’t love Mr. Knightly? This is yet another must-read for each of you.  

Link to review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2010/12/emma.html

 

Tag: Emma

Since I am into making tags, Emma, one of my favorite Jane Austen's, seemed a good choice of topic! Here we go. :) Feel free to "steal" for your own blog!

Have you read Emma? What did you think? I have, several times – once aloud to myself! It’s one of my favorite books, has dozens of amazing quotable passages, and is altogether a delightful read. If you haven’t read it yet, you really must!

Have you seen any of the movie versions? If so, which ones? Yes, I've seen three. The 1996 Kate Beckinsale version (she’s the one with brown hair), the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow version, and the 2009 Romola Garai version. Of the them, the 2009 one is my favorite, but the GP version is a close runner up. The 2009 one is about four hours long…and worth every minute. Garai is the perfect Emma! (Check out my comparisons: Post 1 and Post 2). (Wish the two below had starred together...)

Are you more like Emma or Mr. Knightley? I’m like both, in some ways. I plan other people’s lives, whether or not they want me to…that’s somewhat like Emma. But I’m not quite so forward as she is, and rather more shy. As to Mr. Knightley, I think I’m more rational, so to speak, like he is. Neither Emma nor Mr. Knightley is an exact copy of me, far from it, but I have a little of both. J

Tell us your thoughts about Frank Churchill. I dislike him. He’s much too flirtatious with Emma (though it’s true that she didn’t exactly deter him). He didn’t love his father enough to come sooner, for I’m sure he could have if he’d actually wanted to. Of course, it’s good that he cared for his aunt like he did. But none-the-less.

Would YOU have still married Churchill like Jane did? I’m afraid not. After seeing him flirt with Emma like he did? After he teased me about Mr. Dixon in such a shameless manner? After sending the un-thoughtful gift of a piano (when there really wasn’t room for it)? Nope.

Do you find Miss Bates or Jane Fairfax more annoying? Miss Bates. Like Emma, I would probably become tired of her sooner than I ought to. Frustrated with her. She talks too much, and is way too gossipy. But she is certainly a woman with a kind heart. Jane is somewhat annoying too…rather too cool and collected, I guess. But overall, I’d be more frustrated with Miss Bates.

What, in your opinion, is Emma’s largest fault? Oh, that’s hard. Maybe the fact that at times (as Mr. Knightley pointed out) she’s quite insensitive to others’ feelings. I’m specifically thinking of that day on Box Hill with Frank Churchill and Miss Bates. There she was unkind to Miss Bates merely to impress (or at least to make laugh) Frank primarily, and the rest of the group in general.

What’s Harriet’s biggest fault? Much too easy to influence. Spineless people are annoying, and Harriet is quite spineless, and too easily wowed and influenced by Emma.

What kind of mother do you think Emma would be? Since I made this tag, I must admit that this is something I’ve wondered more than once! I think she would be very fun…but other than that? I’m really not sure. What do you think?

Emma & Knightley

Subtitle: Perfect Happiness in Highbury: A sequel to Jane Austen’s Emma

Author: Rachel Billington

Genre: Life

Series: It’s a sequel to Emma by Jane Austen

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 362

Time period: 1800’s

My overall opinion: Let’s do this as simply as possible: part 1 is pros, part 2 is cons.

1.       Reading a sequel to a favorite book (especially a Jane Austen) is almost always fun. It was indeed fun to meet characters from Emma again! Some of it was quite funny, and most of it was pretty interesting. Learning more about John Knightley, Frank Churchill, and Miss Bates was neat! Oh, and we finally get to meet the Sucklings – prepare to be surprised! This book was totally free from swearing or anything else objectionable.

2.       Cons. And I had quite a few problems, I’m afraid. As previously mentioned, it was clean – the mistakes that bugged me were just that: mistakes. A quotation mark was dropped every ten pages, I believe. Oh, not on clockwork…but I don’t think you could read 10 pages without finding one missing. That really bugs me, I admit. And another problem with the editor – remember Selina Suckling, who Mrs. Elton is always talking about? The book called her Selina once, then switched the Serena (three times!) before doing Selina twice more. That mistake should never have gotten through.

So, overall, I don’t really recommend it, and I definitely don’t think you should buy it. If you can pick up a free copy, and you adore Emma, then you may find this to be interesting…but don’t get your hopes up for an amazing book.

Guest Post: Emma (1995) Soundtrack by Miss Laurie

Charity: Before I give the floor over to Miss Laurie, let me encourage you to check out the guest posts she did earlier this month with some other bloggers! Comparisons of Persuasion movie versions...truly delightful. Make sure you read them! Also, watch for two more guest posts coming from Miss Laurie later this summer.

Now, here's Miss Laurie:



CD: Emma (1996)Another of my favorite Jane Austen film soundtracks, this one features beautiful flowing music and even a dance song!

Tracks:
1. Main Titles
2. Harriet's Portrait
3. Sewing & Archery
4. Frank Churchill Arrives
5. Celery Root
6. Mr. Elton's Rejection
7. Emma Tells Harriet About Mr. Elton
8. The Coles Party
9. Mrs. Elton's Visit
10. Emma Dreams Of Frank Churchill
11. The Dance
12. Gypsies
13. The Picnic
14. Emma Insults Miss Bates
15. Emma Writes Her Diary
16. Mr. Knightley Returns
17. Proposal
18. End Titles

All music was composed by Rachel Portman and some of the songs sound similar to the Nicholas Nickleby (2002) soundtrack which she would compose later. The track The Dance is an English Country Dance called Auretti's Dutch Skipper which is danced in the film during the scene where Mr. Knightley asks Harriet to dance at the ball. My favorite songs on the CD are The Coles Party, Emma Dreams of Frank Churchill, The Dance and End Titles because they are all a bit more lively.

Some of the Tracks above are linked to YouTube videos of the music and here's a music video I made a while back with photos from Emma (1996) and End Titles song:

 

Emma 1996 - End Titles
This soundtrack is a bit more dull than some other Jane Austen soundtracks because the songs to me aren't as upbeat or as easy to identify, there's only about two or three themes that are played in different ways. The music is gorgeous though and nice to listen to while you're reading or doing homework. It's a must have for anyone who enjoys the film. It can be found at some local libraries and can be bought at Amazon.

Very Truly Your's,Miss Laurie

Miss Laurie is the author of Old-Fashioned Charm where she blogs about Jane Austen, period dramas, classic literature and everything old-fashioned under the sun.

Contrasting Emma Characters Part 2

We continue! Make sure you read the first part first, or you'll be totally lost here.

Mr. Woodhouse

I thought he was a bit too sprightly for Mr. Woodhouse. Otherwise, great!

Didn't think much of him. He didn't hold a candle to Michael Gambon's Mr. Woodhouse...that's next.

Michael Gambon is definitely an amazing actor, and he outdid himself as Mr. Woodhouse. Absolutely perfect!

Preference: the third (RG) Mr. Woodhouse.

Frank Churchill

Strongly disliked his hair. The meeting between Emma and Frank was interesting though. Didn't really love him for the part.

I liked this Frank because you actually picked up before the news broke that there might be something between him and Jane Fairfax. He's better at showing his liking and engagement to Jane while hiding it too, so to speak. That was a plus. (Btw...is he handsome? I can't quite decide...)

Wow. Yeah, this guy was something. Maybe a little too bold in the scene where he's laying his head in Emma's lap (though that's not necessarily his fault). But he's fairly likable. Mostly.

Preference: probably the third (RG) Frank Churchill, but the second (KB) was close too.

Harriet Smith

Did not like this Harriet. Of course, the red hair is a problem. Then too, she seemed too forward to me.

She was okay, better than the previous one. Still didn't love her. (can anyone other than Robert Martin really love Harriet?)

I'd say that this Harriet was pretty much spot-on. She "worships" Emma just right.

Preference: the third (RG) Harriet Smith.

Mr. George Knightley

I really liked this Mr. Knightley. He was sweet and funny with Emma, but still had just enough of the older brother, just enough of the suitor. :)

I didn't like this Mr. Knightly much at all. He's not handsome (Mr. Knightley should be at least a little handsome, don't you think?) and he wasn't as good at the part as the other two.

I do really like this Mr. Knightley as well! He's perfect for Emma.

Preference: oh dear. It's very close between the first (GP) and the third (RG). I'm gonna go with a tie, but the third is just barely ahead. Maybe. I'm not sure. :P

Emma Woodhouse

Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma was sweet and quite Emma-ish. I think that, sadly, for much of the movie, her hair was back way too tight. No girl looks good with their hair totally slicked back. However, her rapid-fire answers to Mr. Knightley in particular were quite funny, and I liked them!

My primary problem with Kate Beckinsale as Emma was probably the brown hair. Emma just IS a blond. If there was no other version of Emma, this one, this Emma, would be okay, but since there are two others...

In a word, Romola Garai WAS Emma. She was sweet, flitty, thoughtless at times, funny, and perfect for the part! She is exactly like I have pictured Emma to be.

Preference: the third (RG) Emma. Though the first was also good.

Couples

This part is just going by the looks, as much as I can. :) I think these two are adorable together! Love. :)

The man wasn't handsome enough, the girl was pretty, but I didn't like her hair. And that picture's a bit strange...just sayin'.

LOVE #2. :) They're perfect! Handsome and pretty. Delightful!

Preference: either the first or the third (remember, this is based only on looks!).

Overall movie preference: the 2009 Romola Garai version. However, the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow version was also very good.

Question: which do you prefer? Which have you seen? Which actors do you like/dislike?

Contrasting Emma Characters Part 1

In the past few weeks, I have been able to watch both 1996 versions of Emma, and I know the 2009 version very well. So I figured that since a lot of people seemed to enjoy the Pride and Prejudice comparisons, maybe you would enjoy seeing my thoughts on the Emma characters as well. I'm seperating it into two posts this time since there are three versions for me to contrast. I am arranging them fairly simply, in a smiliar way to the earlier comparisons: we're starting mostly with the more minor characters and progressing up. Each section includes the characters name, and then pictures of each of the three. In each character's section, the 1996 blond Emma is first, then the 1996 brown haired one, and finally the 2009 one. Sorry for any confusion! That's the Gwyneth Paltrow version first, then Kate Beckinsale, then Romola Garai. I'll abbreviate them in the preference section as GP, KB, and RG. (Links go to my reviews) Now, let's go.

Miss Bates

This Miss Bates was amazing! She was hilarious, she was extremely talkative, and she was pretty much exactly like Miss Bates should be.

I didn't like this Miss Bates as well. She was certainly more talkative than most people, but in comparison to the other two...

I do like this one. She was talkative, fun, sweet, and good for the part.

Preference: the first (GP) Miss Bates.

Mr. Weston

In both of the older Emma's, Mr. Weston's is a fairly small part and you don't see him much at all. So it's a bit hard to compare! I didn't have any strong feelings about this Mr. Weston.

Again, a fairly small part. Probably even smaller than the one above!

In this one, you actually get to know Mr. Weston, a good thing. :) He definitely seems to be a nice man, and you're glad he got to marry Miss Taylor.

Preference: the third (RG) Mr. Weston.

Augusta Elton

This lady was an excellent Mrs. Elton! She was extremely talkative (always talking over her Mr. E!), quite stuck-up, and definitely Mrs. Elton in every respect. :)

I would have thought after seeing this actress as Mrs. Hurst in Pride and Prejudice that she would be an amazing Mrs. Elton, but she really wasn't. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with her, but when you compare her with the next one...

Now that is Mrs. Elton. There isn't a single way in which she isn't, that I noticed. She absolutely looks the part, plays the part, and indeed, IS the part.

Preference: the third (RG) Mrs. Elton.

Mr. Elton

Not bad, all things considered. Not...annoying enough, though.

One thing I liked about this Mr. Elton was that it was more obvious that it was Emma he was after, not Harriet. In the other versions, it comes a bit more as a surprise. At least, when you aren't watching specifically for it. Here, you kinda wonder how Emma could have been so blind!

Another perfect fit for the character. This Mr. Elton was smooth, oily, and quite dreadful. Not to mention that he looks just like Mr. Elton.

Preference: the third (RG) Mr. Elton.

Jane Fairfax

I didn't really like this girl as Jane Fairfax. However, I did find it interesting that both of the 1996/7 Jane Fairfax's had rather deep voices!

I loved this girl as Jane Fairfax! For some reason, I'd love to meet her. She was sweet, pretty, and I think she's someone I could actually be friends with. Unlike the next Jane...

This Jane is very quiet, and retiring. Very gentle.

Preference: the second (KB) Jane Fairfax.

Mrs. Weston

This Mrs. Weston was fun to watch with Emma. They obviously really liked it each other. Not that that was doubtful in any of the versions, but it stood out here.

No thoughts, really. Didn't love, didn't hate.

This Mrs. Weston was sweet, and a good friend to Emma. I liked her.

Preference: the third (RG) Mrs. Weston.

Question: which do you prefer? Which have you seen? Which actors do you like/dislike?

More to come soon! We have five important characters to go.