Briefly, a few aborted attempts at consumating new canon:

1.) Latest version of Persuasion at Netflix: too ghastly to endure for longer than ten minutes, and that was ghastly enough. Not even fun in a "so bad it's amusing" kind of way.

2.) Mr. Mercedes, tv version of a Stephen King novel I haven't read yet, because Castle Rock put me in a Stephen King mood: starts fine, but then it's revealed the villain is a a dark haired nerdish loner/serial killer living with his mother in an incesteous relatinship with, and look, if I want Norman Bates, I'll watch Psycho or Bates Motel. End of attempt to watch Mr. Mercedes.

3) The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: no, sorry, I don't care about any of you.

On the bright side, mildred_of_midgard unearthed some more 18th century diaries and letters for me to enjoy last week, and also I just rewatched the Black Sails pilot for the first time in years and saw I still love my pirate show a lot. ( Spoilers for the Black Sails pilot ensue )

Due to two incredibly busy days, belatedly: thalia_seawood asked me about my favourite filmish version of a Jane Austen novel.

Well, there are three major candidates that immediately come to mind, in no particular order.

1.) Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee, script by Emma Thompson. Said script is superb and witty and the departures from Austen - for example, making the youngest sister, Margaret, both a child and something of a tomboy provides her with a personality (she's just around in the novel) and provides Eleanor's love interest, Edward, with the occasion to be endearing in a way that's audience appealing as he plays with Margaret. (I mean, he's in a lose/lose position anyway in terms of audience favor since in the same movie, Alan Rickman plays Colonel Brandon and has more actual scenes with Eleanor, never mind Brandon is after Marianne, but still.) Lee provides gorgeous cinematography, and the acting is wonderful, both with the leads and with the minor supporting role (Hugh Laurie!). Hard to single out one particular scene, but the big conversation/reconciliation between Marianne and Eleanor ("I don't compare (my conduct) to his; I compare it with what it ought to have been, I compare it with yours") is the emotional climax of the movie, not either woman getting together with a guy. Plus, of course, at the time this movie was made there wasn't an alternative version seared in the public's mind to compete with. It was win-win all around.As far as straightforward period adaptions go, this rules, for me. (Pace, Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds Persuasion fans, I like this one, too, but we all have our favourites.)

2.) Clueless, directed by Amy Heckerling. The mother of all modernisations. I haven't seen the latest adaption of "Emma" (called, as I heard, "Emma." with a dot), so of those I've seen, this still reigns. It was ripped off since ever so much, but Heckerling's premise - transferring Austen's plot to an US Beverly Hills high school setting was inspired and brought back the contemporary satire to Austen, something that's almost inevitably lost in a straightforward adaption where there is historical distance between audience and setting - smiling about past manners is always easy. Cher, the Emma avatar, manages that tricky balance of being on the one hand entitled and spoiled yet on the other indefetigable and compelling enough that one roots for her. And the movie works both on its own terms and if you compare it to the original in the same way West Side Story does as an adaption of Romeo and Juliet.

3.) The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (created by Hank Green and Bernie Su): Hands down my favourite Pride and Prejudice adaption (and yes, that includes the Andrew Davies series with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth). Like Clueless, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries transfers Austen's plot to the present day and thus brings back the satire and social criticism, but it also gets innovative with the format, which is a series of vlogs, at first exclusively made by Lizzie, then also by Charlotte, Lydia and Jane. The characters also had social media accounts, adding yet more material. What I find most impressive about The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is that it doesn't simply transfer the plot into the present day, it finds clever alternatives if a straightforward transference would not work due to the different society we live in. For example, Elizabeth Bennet rejecting Mr. Collins' marriage proposal is self evident today - he's odious. It's harder to make a modern audience understand why Charlotte accepts it. The economic and social pressure to marry, the dangers of the spinster status just isn't the same anymore. Which is why The Lizzie Bennet Diaries doesn't let Mr. Collins (maintaining his essential personality) propose marriage. Instead, he proposes a business partnership in the very industry where Lizzie does want to work, and suddenly her rejection and Charlotte's acceptance looks to a present day audience the way Elizabeth's rejection must have looked to Austen's. With Lydia running away with Wickham; today, this would hardly raise an eyebrow, let alone potentially impact the entire rest of the Bennet family. What The Lizzie Bennet Diaries does with Lydia instead is inspired and not only brings back the stakes but essentially changes her role in the plot, as the relationship between Lizzie and Lydia gains an importance it never has in the original.

In conclusion: I can't make up my mind between these three, sorry! Can't narrow it down further than that. But these three are my favorites.

The other days

Poetry month means a lot of people post poems I've never read before, which can be a great pleasure. Today, I spotted a charming one which is called Jane Austen and John Lennon in Heaven, and is about precisely this.

Now, being me, my train of thought ran thusly.

1.) The potential for crack fic is awesome. Starting with the part where John L. famously expressed a certain opinion on heaven.

2.) Also, it would be a fascinating train wreck of an afterlife relationship. I mean, I can completely see reason for mutual attraction in either a friendly or romantic way. John Lennon had a type, and bossy workoholic perfectionists able to spar with him were it. And his wit, charisma and fondness of puns would make him enough of an enticing conversationalist at first to be of interest to Miss Austen. But then! I may be wrong, but somehow I can't see Jane A. caring to stick around once he starts to throw the inevitable temper tantrums and displays the equally inevitable jealousy about her being bff with Cole Porter.

3.) Also, Jane's a Tory. John's political opinions were actually far more fluctuating than his most popular image allows, but one thing he never was and I never can see him as is being a Tory. Conversely, Miss Austen's opinion on the practicality of bed-ins as a demonstration for peace does not bear thinking about. In a zomg someone must write that kind of way.

4.) And then there's the part where she'd find it completely unfair he won a prestigious literary award for his first book whereas she had to try and try to get hers published and then had to do it anonymously. And never had particularly good contracts. Whereas he didn't even need the money he earned with that book. And was hungover when receiving the award, with the press covering for him and giving him a witty speech when in reality he could just mumble a thank you. Not even the serenity of the afterlife would stop Miss Austen seething about the unfairness of it all.

5.) And that's before she finds out the tale of his first marriage.

6.) She'd totally remind him of the Stanley sisters, i.e. his aunts and mother, and he'd suggest them to her as a novel topic, because they all beg to be written by Jane Austen, but he'd never ever forgive her the John character in the book gets only mentioned eleven times, or, as he would put it, "not at all". At which point he stomps off to make her jealous by hanging out with Charlotte Bronte.

7.) Who is also a Tory and, moreover, went through too much with brother Branwell not to recognize the drug-addled temper throwing daddy issues type immediately and thus throws him out on sight.


***

In other news, there are days when I love the internet. especially if it tells me there is Chinese Goethe/Schiller slash.

Five questions you would like to ask authors or creators of source material in your fandom(s).

1.) So, Will, what is up with the Third Murderer, and does Lady M. have children or doesn't she?

2.) Dear Professor Tolkien, while I deeply appreciate the splendour of your imagination and linguistic skills, did it ever occur to you that to create entire species described as evil and utterly incapable to be reasoned with or redeemed, only fit to be killed, was to express the spirit of the age in a, euphemistically put, highly questionable manner? But go you for making female dwarves having beards as well; Terry Prattchet did wonders with that. Yours sincerely, A Reader.

3.) Orson, do tell me you've made a copy of The Other Side of the Wind that's not locked up in some moneylender's safe and slowly but surely decaying beyond the restoration possibility. You knew what happened to your other films, and so you must have made a copy. WHERE IS IT? Also: any chances you'll film that Yuletide story of Falstaff as a space pirate from the Hereafter BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO?

4.) Dear Miss Austen: why the infatuation with that stupid goose Mary, Queen of Scots and the Elizabeth Tudor bashing?

5.) Dear Paul, will you record and release that song you co-wrote with Keith Richards in 2005? I am dying with curiosity as to what a McCartney/Richards song sounds like, plus the mere fact of its existence is bound to infuriate certain rock critics. Yours tactlessly, a fan aware that nobody is getting any younger, including herself.