Jane Austen's Books & Adaptations discussion

Jane Austen Yearly Challenge
Duration : 02/01/2021 - 01/31/2022
Category: Elizabeth Bennet: 35+ points, you have to use each of the categories at least once

Current Total = 37 points, 4/6 Categories



I. Original: 2 points per book


II. Sequels & Re-tellings: 1 point per book

III. Setting: 2 points per book pre 1900, 1 point per book 1900+, 1 point per movie, 2 points per TV series 1 point
📚 Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron 5/7/21 ★★

IV. Plain Facts: 3 points per book, 1 point per documentary 16 points
💡 Making of Sense & Sensibility (1995 Documentary, https://youtu.be/SGNPv77l9hQ) 2/15/21 ★★★
💡 Great Books: Pride and Prejudice (1999 US TV Documentary, https://youtu.be/BA6iN6zzsBU) 2/17/21 ★★
💡 2017 BBC Documentary Jane Austen Behind Closed Door (Lucy Worsley) - https://youtu.be/tSW4u6uA8Cw 3/1/21 ★★★★
👨‍🎓 Jane Austen's heroines, from Elizabeth Bennet to Emma Woodhouse by John Mullan (33 min, https://youtu.be/ZP_yIu_d6uI) 3/5/21 ★★★★★
🧑🏻‍🎤 Emma Woodhouse (In Our Time) - BBC Podcast (47 min, https://youtu.be/Du8OJZMvrbE) 3/5/21 ★★★
👩🏻‍🎓 What's so great about Austen? Isn't she just bonnets and balls? by Dr Sandie Byrne (42 min, https://youtu.be/Tmdi6m84AaQ) 3/5/21 ★★★
📚 Jane Austen and Her Country-House Comedy by William Henry Helm 6/30/21
👨‍🎓👨‍🎓 Frock Flicks & the Bill and Ted Test: Austen-Era Fashion in History vs. Hollywood (https://youtu.be/QYs9lkrVDeQ) 8/15/21
👨‍🎓 Jane Austen on Film | James Bowman (Hillsdale College lecture on JA and moralism, https://youtu.be/sotG7806a7Y) 8/15/21
👨‍🎓 Adapting Jane Austen | Whit Stillman (Hillsdale College lecture, https://youtu.be/htKg83SBf58) 8/15/21
👨‍🎓 Adapting Jane Austen with Andrew Davies (https://youtu.be/HkcFIddpCRc) 8/16/21
📚 The Story of the Country House: A History of Places and People by Clive Aslet 8/16/21 ★★★★


V. Spell-it-out: 1 point per book 17 points
T: 📚 The Rising Force by Dave Wolverton (Jedi Apprentice #1) 3/21/21 ★★★
H: 📚 Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn 2/5/21 ★★★★
E: 🎧 Emma Gannon: Sabotage: How to Silence Your Inner Critic and Get Out of Your Own Way 3/14/21 ★★★

B: 📚 Burke, Lauren; Chapman, Hannah K.; Bales, Kaley: Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives, Inspiration, and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers 3/16/21 ★★★★
E: 📚 Elizabeth Inchbald: Lover's Vows 7/10/21 ★★
A: 📚 Adrian Mackinder: Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World 4/23/2021 ★★★★
U:
T: 📚 The Dark Rival by Jude Watson (Jedi Apprentice #2) 3/21/21 ★★★
I: 📚 Into the Dark by Claudia Gray 4/2/2021 ★★★★
F: 📚 The Followers by Jude Watson (Jedi Apprentice #20) 9/20/21 ★★
U: 📚 The Uncertain Path by Jude Watson (Jedi Apprentice #6) 4/17/2021 ★★★
L: 📚 Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule 2/16/21 ★★★
L: 📚 Liam Callanan: The Cloud Atlas 2/28/21 ★★★

C: 📚 The Clone Wars #2: Wild Space by Karen Miller 3/18/21 ★
A:
S: 📚 The Space Shuttle: NASA's Space Transportation System: 40th Anniversary by Piers Bizony, Roger D. Launius 3/28/21 ★★★★
S: 📚 Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks 10/4/21 ★★
A:
N:
D: 📚 The Dangerous Games by Jude Watson 2/7/21 ★★
R: 📚 Rogue Squadron by Michael A. Stackpole (X-Wing #1) 3/27/21 ★★★
A:

VI. Adaptations: 1 point per movie or radio play, 2 points per TV series 3 points
🎬 1995 Sense and Sensibility Movie 2/15/21 ★★★★★
📻 2020 Sense and Sensibility Audible Audio Drama (part of The Jane Austen Collection: An Audible Original Drama) 2/19/21 ★★★★
📻 2020 Pride and Prejudice Audible Audio Drama (part of The Jane Austen Collection: An Audible Original Drama) 7/9/21 ★★★




(view spoiler)[



(hide spoiler)]

📚 books
🎧 audiobooks
🎬 movies
📺 TV shows
📻 radio plays, audio dramatizations
🎭 theatrical adaptations
💡 documentaries
👨‍🎓 lectures
👨‍🎓👨‍🎓 debates
🧑🏻‍🎤 podcasts

February:

Watched 1995 S&S Movie - What a treat! Even better than I remembered.

Watched Making of 1995 S&S Documentary on YouTube. Loved the part about adapting the novel to screenplay.

Watched Great Books: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - 1999 US TV Documentary - mixed bag.

well, it was strangely put together - parts with female authors and re-enactment of key plotpoints of the book narrated by Donald Sutherland were great - the rest not so much.

Listened to Sense and Sensibility portion of The Jane Austen Collection: An Audible Original Drama.

March:

Watched 2017 BBC Documentary Jane Austen Behind Closed Door with Lucy Worsley. Great if you've read LW's book.

Watched Jane Austen's heroines, from Elizabeth Bennet to Emma Woodhouse by John Mullan. I love the guy.

Listened to Emma Woodhouse (In Our Time) - BBC Podcast. Terrible host - wonderful guests. Worth listening to because of the guests (John Mullan, Janet Todd, Emma Clery).

Watched Dr Sadie Byrne's lecture on What's so great about Austen? Focuses solely on her novels - dissects JA's use of humor, irony and literary style. Nothing new for me, but still nice to watch.

April - June:

Slacked a little bit.

Managed to read
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron. Not very impressed by Jane Austen depicted as a sleuth.

Jane Austen and Her Country-House Comedy by William Henry Helm. Slightly outdated & old-fashioned biography of JA originally published in 1909.

July - August

Listened to Pride and Prejudice portion of The Jane Austen Collection: An Audible Original Drama 7/9/21

Frock Flicks & the Bill and Ted Test: Austen-Era Fashion in History vs. Hollywood: 8/15/21
https://youtu.be/QYs9lkrVDeQ

"Clothing in film adaptations of Jane Austen’s works really runs the gamut—from truly awful to absolutely spot-on. In this lively discussion, our panel of costume experts examines it all. With an eye toward historic accuracy as well as character-appropriate choices, we ask--Who got it right? Who got it wrong? And what happened to all the hairpins?

Featuring Trystan L. Bass (Frock Flicks), Hilary Davidson (Dress in the Age of Jane Austen: Regency Fashion; @BillAndTedTest), Sarah Lorraine (Frock Flicks), and Kendra Van Cleave (Frock Flicks; Démodé Couture; 18th Century Hair & Wig Styling: History & Step-by-Step Techniques) with moderator Laura Whitlock (Laura Whitlock Millinery)."

Jane Austen on Film | James Bowman: 8/15/21
https://youtu.be/sotG7806a7Y

James Bowman - Film Critic and Author; his lecture at Hillsdale College
on Jane Austen's moralism in her books and adaptations.
I don't agree with some of his opinions on JA works - esp him totally dismissing the social satire aspect of her books in favor of "propagation of morality". Not to mention his unwarranted commentary on political issues of today. But overall it was an interesting lecture and I am glad I watched it.

Adapting Jane Austen | Whit Stillman: 8/15/21
https://youtu.be/htKg83SBf58

Whit Stillman - Film Director of Metropolitan and Love and Friendship; his lecture on adapting MP and Lady Susan. Plus talking about adaptations in general and James Bond adaptations in particular. ;)

Adapting Jane Austen with Andrew Davies: 8/16/21
https://youtu.be/HkcFIddpCRc

"Andrew Davies, writer of "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility" for television, shares inside stories about about adapting Jane Austen during a visit to Chapman University in Orange, CA. While he was in Southern California, Mr. Davies addressed the Jane Austen Society of North America's Southwest Meeting. This talk is part of the JASNA event. Mr. Davies is a writer of "Mr. Selfridge" and "House of Cards" for television."

Read: The Story of the Country House: A History of Places and People by Clive Aslet 8/16/21

Zuzana wrote: "July - August

Frock Flicks & the Bill and Ted Test: Austen-Era Fashion in History vs. Hollywood: 8/15/21
https://youtu.be/QYs9lkrVDeQ

"Clothing in film adaptations of Jane Austen’s works really r..."

Ooh, some of those sound really interesting - I will probably check out the one on costuming and the one with Andrew Davies. :D

Laurie, the Andrew Davies' lecture is a hoot. He's a "dirty old man" and totally unapologetic about it. He talked in front of a room full of adult mostly middle-aged women (and a handful of men) and he addressed various issues of adapting Jane Austen's novels including how he interprets the issues of sex, sexuality and sexual attraction in those books. While shocking to some, people in Regency era had sex and Jane Austen was aware of it. ;) It was fun. He talked in turn about all his 4 major Austen adaptations. Added a couple of really funny anecdotes. I loved the one about the "bean baby & Mark Strong". You're in for a treat.

The costuming one is mostly a funny zoom chat, not very focused, mostly throwing shade on bad adaptations. It's fun to listen to if not heavy on new information.

If you're interested in costuming and Regency fashion - I have this zoom webinar in my YouTube queue:
Jane Austen & Co.: "Dressing With Jane Austen," featuring dress historian Hilary Davidson - https://youtu.be/a6DyTEh1kgo
Haven't watched it yet, but based on Hilary Davidson's contribution to the costuming chat, I'm looking forward to it.

Zuzana wrote: "If you're interested in costuming and Regency fashion - I have this zoom webinar in my YouTube queue:
Jane Austen & Co.: "Dressing With Jane Austen," featuring dress historian Hilary Davidson - https://youtu.be/a6DyTEh1kgo"

Thanks - I'll take a look!

September

Read: A Fine Brush on Ivory: An Appreciation of Jane Austen by Richard Jenkyns 9/14/21


Watched:

Jane Austen Summer Watchathon
Ep 1 - Which version of Emma is best?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmWC3... 9/15/21
Ep 2 - Mansfield Park Movie Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBtH2... 9/16/21

In Jane Austen's Footsteps with Gyles Brandreth 9/19/21
https://youtu.be/tGYpH0iqFUk

October

Read:
Critical Essays on "Emma" by Linda Cookson 10/15/21


Watched:
2011 Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice (Bob Jones University, adapted by David Burke) - (YouTube) https://youtu.be/9wysw3RYUac 10/10/21

Jane Austen Summer Watchathon
Ep 3 - Is Sense & Sensibility the perfect Austen film?: https://youtu.be/1ph6EU-aHjA 10/11/21
Ep 4 - Northhanger Abbey Needs Some Love: https://youtu.be/ITyPE7fRSYI 10/12/21
Ep 5 - Persuasion Movie Feels: https://youtu.be/WP6azCeQ5Fo 10/13/21
Ep 6 - Pride & Prejudice Movie vs. Mini!: https://youtu.be/ryyabNwudmY 10/14/21


#VirtualJaneCon 2020
Adapting Jane Austen - The Joys and Challenges of Adapting Jane Austen's Novels for a Modern Audience - by Karen M. Cox: https://youtu.be/4JuVcs_bqhI 10/14/21

Listened to:

Northanger Abbey (2005 BBC Radio 4 dramatisation - Emily Wachter, David Harewood) - part of Jane Austen: The BBC Radio Drama Collection 10/17/21

I've listened to many many episodes of Jane Austen themed podcasts in November and December. Some great some a worse. I'll update my original post before the end of the month.

I have only about a week till the end of my challenge. Yikes!
I have plenty of points but I haven't quite managed to fulfill all of the categories. Anyway, I'll try and do better next year. :D