Sunday, February 28, 2010

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

Next time I visit England, I am definitely visiting some of the Jane Austen movie locations. Of the locations you have seen, which will take you off the beaten path?

Which Jane Austen Movie Location/s Would You Like to See?

Lacock has been the setting for Meryton in Pride and Prejudice 1995, Emma with Kate Beckinsale in 1996, and the recent Cranford series.



Remember the rain scene at the Temple of Apollo in Pride and Prejudice 2005? While the setting is inaccurate in terms of Jane Austen's description, the backdrop was wildly romantic for Mr. Darcy's (Matthew Macfadyen's) first proposal to Lizzie (Keira Knightley).





The setting for all Box Hill scenes in Emma is, well, Box Hill. Emma's ridicule of Miss Bates, Mr. Knightley's justifiable anger and disappointment with Emma, Frank Churchill's dubious nature, and Jane Fairfax's pain upon seeing Frank flirt with another woman. The views from this hill are said to be spectacular, and it remains today much as it was during Jane Austen's time.


Stanage Edge, Hathersage Moor, Hathersage, Derbyshire, England, UK

Who can forget Elizabeth Bennet standing at the edge of Stanage Edge in the Peak District as she and the Gardiners traveled north? One might quibble with the end result of this film, but some of the visuals are stunning. This scene alone gave me a desire to see this part of England.

City of Bath

Jane Austen lived in Bath, which is also featured in Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. The Georgian center of town is a jewel and transports one back to the Georgian Era. The Jane Austen Centre is located in Bath, as are the Pump Room, Assembly Rooms, Molland's, and a host of other sites we associate with Jane Austen.

Multiple answers are allowed this week!

Jane Austen Film Location I Would Like to Visit
Lacock Village, Wiltshire
Stourhead Landscape Garden, Wiltshire
Box Hill, Surrey
Stanage Edge, Hathersage Moor, Derbyshire
City of Bath, Somerset
pollcode.com free polls


Saturday, February 27, 2010

Private Lives with Matthew MacFadyen and Kim Cattrall

Mail Online showcases Kim Cattrall in an article about Private Lives. Directed by National Theatre former boss Richard Eyre, it's the tale of a divorced couple who discover they have adjoining rooms while honeymooning with their new spouses. It's a comedy that crackles with wit and sexual tension - like a rock of ice in a dry martini.


Cattrall, who famously plays Samantha in hit US TV and film franchise Sex And The City, last appeared on the London stage in 2006 when she starred in The Cryptogram at the Donmar Warehouse. She had made her West End debut a year earlier in the Peter Hall-directed Whose Life Is It Anyway? A native of Liverpool who has spent most of her professional acting career on the other side of the Atlantic, Cattrall’s other screen credits include Porky’s, Mannequin, Big Trouble In Little China and the upcoming Roman Polanski thriller The Ghost. - Official London Theatre Guide

Macfadyen’s last London outing came in 2007’s The Pain And The Itch at the Royal Court, having previously played Prince Hal in the National Theatre’s production of Henry IV. A regular screen face, Macfadyen played Mr Darcy in the 2005 film adaptation of Pride And Prejudice, opposite Keira Knightley, who is soon to be seen on the London stage in The Misanthrope. Macfadyen’s other credits include hit spy drama Spooks, Dickens adaptation Little Dorrit and the upcoming Ridley Scott-directed film Robin Hood, in which he plays the Sheriff of Nottingham. -
Official London Theatre Guide



Private Lives, Vaudeville Theatre, London, from 24 February.



Friday, February 26, 2010

Follow Friday: Megan of Write Meg Blog

A self professed fearless blogger, Megan of Write Meg Blog would make Miss Austen proud. As a “writer, reader, editor, daughter, bookseller, sister, friend, amateur photographer, crafter, Anglophile and dog lover” she and Jane share a lot in common including a wicked sense of humor, an incredible talent at observation and crafting a good story. She never ceases to amaze me and quite frequently makes me laugh out loud.

Meg’s book reviews are outstanding. In addition to her fondness for Miss Austen and the sequels that she has inspired, Meg loves to read chick lit and is proud of her penchant for pink covers. Her recent post on her passion for pink is hilarious.

You can also follow Megan on Twitter as @writemeg as she tweets about books, pumpkin spice lattes and the serendipity of life.

Visit Megan at her wondrous Write Meg Blog

Enjoy! Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Pride and Prejudice Disney-ized

Tee hee. I especially like the added rain effect in the proposal scene. Thanks to FeatherGoblinfly at YouTube for this very funny and clever video.

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Dawn of the Dreadfuls Author at UNC

Steve Hockensmith, the author of the new prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, visited the University of North Carolina to speak at the Collaborations: Humanities, Arts & Technology festival. On his website, Hockensmith (pictured at right) described his work history in a way that made one realize he was the perfect candidate to write Dawn of the Dreadfuls. Hockensmith has worked as an entertainment journalist, covering "pop culture and the film industry for The Hollywood Reporter, The Chicago Tribune, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Newsday, Total Movie and other publications. He spent a year as editor of The X-Files Official Magazine (thus explaining his morbid fear of David Duchovny) and more than three years as editor of Cinescape, a nationally distributed bimonthly magazine devoted to movies in which things explode (i.e., science fiction or action films or anything produced by Jerry Bruckheimer)."

Speaking about his part in writing Dawn of the Dreadfuls, to be released on March 3, Hockensmith pointed out that he did not attempt to mimic Jane Austen. "I just can’t imagine anything more painful for me or for the reader than me trying to sound like Jane Austen." - Emily Stephenson, The Daily Tar Heel, Feb 18, 2010


Jason Rekulak (at right), associate publisher and creative director at Quirk Books, also spoke at the event. It was Jason who came up with the idea of P&P& Zombies when watching YouTube videos:

"He said he made a list of classic novels in the public domain — anything published before 1923 is considered public property. Down the other side of the page, he listed additions that could make the stories more interesting — robots, ninjas, pirates and monkeys.

He drew a line between the novels and the monster additions. As soon as he linked “Pride and Prejudice” to the word “zombies,” Rekulak knew he had found something." - The Daily Tar Heel

So, how well did Pride and Prejudice and Zombies do? Since its debut in Arpil 2009, over one million copies of the book have been printed. It debuted at No. 3 on the New York Times Best Sellers list and spent more than 40 weeks there. And as all readers of this blog already know, Natalie Portman is slated to star as Elizabeth Bennet, zombie slayer, in the movie. Click on The Daily Tar Heel link above (on which this article is based) for more about the UNC talk.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Elliot Cowan as Macbeth

From Playbill: London's Shakespeare's Globe has announced the casting for the 2010 season. Elliot Cowan will play the title role in a new production of Macbeth that launches the season, opposite Laura Rogers as Lady Macbeth. Cowan, who was last seen on the London stage as Stanley Kowalski in the Donmar Warehouse's production of A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Rachel Weisz, also previously appeared at the Donmar in Michael Grandage's original production of Frost/Nixon, which subsequently transferred to the Gielgud. Other theatre credits include The Revenger's Tragedy (National Theatre) and Don Carlos (Sheffield Theatres and Gielgud Theatre, London). His screen credits include playing Mr. Darcy in the TV drama series "Lost in Austen" and the films "The Golden Compass," "Happy Go Lucky" and "Alexander."

Monday, February 22, 2010

Firth and Mulligan awarded BAFTAs

The British Academy Film Awards were presented last night at the Royal Opera House in London and for those in the US who did not catch it on BBC America, I will reveal that two Austen actors, Colin Firth (Pride and Prejudice 95) and Carey Mulligan (Northanger Abbey 07), won the lead actor awards for A Single Man and An Education respectively. This is a good indication that they will be front runners to The Academy Awards to be presented Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at the Kodac Theatre in Hollywood. Best of luck Colin and Carey. Here are their acceptance speeches. Wish I knew how to repair refrigerators. I'd gladly volunteer to fix Colin's without hesitation.


Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

OH, and the Guardian asks, "Could Colin Firth be the Great British Actor of our time?" Could? Nuff said!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown


Persuasion (2007) will have an encore presentation on PBS's Masterpiece Classic tonight. One scene was quite controversial: Anne Elliot's (Sally Hawkin's) run through Bath towards the end. In this week's throwdown, I ask you: How seemly or unseemly was Anne's conduct?








A very long and protracted kiss in the street! Oh, how shameless.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Jane Austen's World Magazine Offers a Free CD

The March/April 2010 issue of Jane Austen's Regency World comes with a FREE CD of music that would have been performed in Bath during Jane's time in the city.

In particular the disc includes a work by Thomas Linley the Younger, a contemporary of Mozart, who tragically drowned at a young age. Writing in the magazine, Patrick Wood considers how "the young Thomassino" was a match for the great Mozart.

Also in the March/April issue - which is devoted to music of Jane Austen's time - you can read of Haydn's visit to Bath in 1794 in his own words; how much Jane Austen knew about music; the significance of the harp as an instrument of social status in Jane's time; and learn about the Knyvett family of musicians.

The My Jane Austen feature is by Professor Richard Jenkyns, a descendant of Jane's brother, James, who recently appeared on a BBC radio programme called Jane Austen's iPod. The presenter of that programme, David Owen Norris, has written about recent musical discoveries in Jane's family archives.

**************

In this issue:
  • Franz Joseph Haydn the composer describes his visit to Bath in 1794
  • Jane Austen, music lover? Maggie Lane explores the author's knowledge of music
  • What was on Jane's iPod? David Owen Norris examines some new discoveries
  • Thomas Linley: Mozart's boyhood rival The composer who was considered as talented as Mozart
  • Tidings of my harp Instruments and social status
  • A golden time Kelly M McDonald chronicles the work of the Knyvett family
  • Matters of Taste Sense & Sensibility examined
  • ...plus news from JAS and JASNA; My Jane Austen; quiz; competition; and CD reviews


Because of the inclusion of a CD, only a limited number of additional copies of this issue of Jane Austen's Regency World - which is published on February 26 - will be available for late subscriptions.

To order your copy subscribe now at www.janeaustenmagazine.co.uk

Follow Friday: Brooke of The Bluestocking Guide

Enjoy the “Reviews by a Partial, Prejudiced, and Ignorant Reader” by Brooke at The Bluestocking Guide, a full service blog that includes books news, insightful reviews, author interviews, essays, a discussion forum, podcasts and great giveaways!. Phew!

I am always amazed with Brooke’s incredible energy and dedication to books and her readers. She posts almost every day (often multiple times) and I can always depend on fresh news and the inside scoop on the latest new releases. She reads many genres’s but has a particular fondness for Jane Austen and the many prequels, sequels, retellings &C that she has inspired. This week she featured a review of Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland that had me laughing and wanting to read this tween novel in which the 12-year old Polly is so influenced by the heroines in her favorite novels that she takes on their personas with hilarious results.

You can also follow Bluestocking on Twitter as she tweets about, you guessed it, books and more books!

Visit Brooke at The Bluestocking Guide Blog
Follow Brooke on Twitter as bluestockingbb

Enjoy, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Risky Regencies Georgette Heyer Read Along

Risky Regencies asks for your input in choosing the next read along book, which will be something by Georgette Heyer. Click on the link below and vote for the book of your choice. Or click on the above link and leave a comment on the site. After all the votes are tallied, join the gang in a group read of a novel by a wonderful Regency author.

Poll: Vote for the Heyer Title you'd like to read

Winners Announced in the Mr. Darcy's Great Escape Grand Giveaway

Congratulations to the three lucky winners drawn at random from the comments on the Grand Giveaway of the Pride and Prejudice Continues Series by Marsha Altman. Each of the three winners will receive one copy each of The Darcys & The Bingleys, The Plight of the Darcy Brothers and Mr. Darcy's Great Escape. The winners are...

Laura Hartness, Ollie Otson and Jami

Winners please contact us at JaneAustenToday at yahoo dot com with your online moniker, full name and address before Wednesday February 24th, 2010 to claim your prize. Shipment to US and Canadian addresses only.

Thanks to all who contributed your great comments and to Sourcebooks for contributing the giveaway prizes.

Vic, Jane Austen's World & Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Jane Austen's House Slide Show


PBS Masterpiece Classic's site keeps offering up gems for Jane Austen lovers. Click on this link to see a slide show of Jane Austen's house, including a peek into her kitchen and the bedroom she shared with her sister Cassandra.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Mr. Darcy Cat

Of course Mr. Darcy is a black cat with white paws!

This print can be yours if you visit TaraFlyPhotos Etsy Shop. His fine amber eyes might just rival Lizzy Bennet’s.

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

PBS is showing an encore presentation of 2007's Northanger Abbey this Sunday. Check your local listing for the time, and join me on Twitter as I watch the show EST. Of the women starring in the story, who do you like most?

Naive Catherine Morland? (Felicity Jones)

Bad girl Isabella Thorpe? (Carey Mulligan - also Kitty Bennet in 2005 Pride and Prejudice)

Good girl Eleanor Tilney? (Catherine Walker)

Clothes shopper and chaperone Mrs Allen? (Sylvestra Le Touzel, also Fanny Price in Mansfield Park)


Of the women in Northanger Abbey, who do you like most?
Catherine Morland
Isabella Thorpe
Eleanor Tilney
Mrs. Allen
pollcode.com free polls

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Follow Friday: Charleybrown of Enchanted Serenity of Period Films

Meet Charleybrown of Enchanted Serenity of Period Films blog, an incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated period film aficionado.

She keeps me up to date on the latest announcements of movies, casting and reviews on all the best period dramas on screen and television. Her extensive list of the 150 Top Period Dramas is indispensible resource whenever I am searching for a movie to rent through NetFlix or to purchase for my home library. Her coverage of the new BBC/PBS Emma (2009) adaptation which concluded here in the US last Sunday is well worth a gander. Here is her favorite fan video of Emma (2009) by bulletproofcouch. I concur that it sums up the four hour miniseries in 4 minutes brilliantly.




Visit Charleybrown at her blog Enchanted Serenity of Period Films
Follow Charleybrown on Twitter

Enjoy, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Emma Thompson: Her Life in Pictures

The Daily Mail offers Emma Thompson: My Life in Pictures. (Above an image in 1966. Emma is the little girl on the right.) What is wonderful about them (and her comments) is that Emma, her sister Sophy, and her mother Phyllida Law, all performed in Jane Austen film adaptations. Can you tell us who played which roles in which films? (Below, the three women in 1982).


Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Meet the next Mr. Darcy – Caleb Grusing

Yes Janites. Just when we thought that Aisha, the new Bollywood take on Jane Austen’s Emma was the last new adaptation in the pipeline, indie production company PaperCut Productions LLC has announced a new contemporary movie of Pride and Prejudice. According to the Pride and Prejudice 2005 blog, who seem to be the only source of information at the moment, filming will begin in Colorado in June 2010. Check out the cast and photos on the official P&P 2010 web page on the PaperCut’s website. Of particular note is actor Caleb Grusing who will be portraying the iconic Mr. Darcy. Big boots to fill for sure, but he is certainly easy on the eyes.

Follow PaperCut Productions on Twitter
Follow actor Caleb Grusing on Twitter

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Interview with Matthew MacFadyen


In this interview in the Telegraph.co.UK, Matthew Macfadyen discussed his role as Mr. Darcy:

He got slightly miserable having to prance about so gravely in Pride and Prejudice, he reveals. “All the Bennets were having a great time; it was all very cosy. Then I’d come along and be a bit sullen for a couple of days and then f--- off again! It didn’t help that my wife was pregnant at the time, but I wished I’d enjoyed it more.”

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

The third episode of Emma 2009 will be shown tonight on PBS (in competition with the Super Bowl!) You have had the opportunity to visit a number of fabulous houses used for the location shots. This week we ask you,

Whose drawing room best suits your taste?

Mr. & Mrs. John Knightley, Brunswick Square, London

The Woodhouse's drawing room, Hartfield in Highbury

Mr. Knightley's drawing room, Donwell Abbey

Whose drawing room in Emma 2009 best suits your taste?
Mr. and Mrs. John Knightley's, Brunswick Square
The Woodhouse's in Hartfield
Mr. Knightleys in Donwell Abbey
  
pollcode.com free polls

Last Episode of Emma, Last Twitter Party

Yes, it's super bowl Sunday. But why not slip away from the big beefy body bashing on the field of artificial warfare, and join us for a splendid and civilized hour of Twitter chatter! Click here for the details and remember to use the hashtag: #emma_pbs.

Click on image to view a super large wallpaper size.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Follow Friday: Jane Odiwe of Austen Effusions

Author and artist Jane Odiwe of the Austen Effusions website and Jane Austen Sequels Blog is one of my favorite Austenesque authors writing today. Her two recently published sequels: Lydia Bennet’s Story and Willoughby’s Return are both classic Regency-era novels inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice & Sense and Sensibility respectively. Jane’s understanding and knowledge of the culture and history of the time and Jane Austen’s characters are superb. Her artistic eye and keen sense of humor always delights. I know that I’m in for a great read when I crack open one of her books.

We also have the advantage of visiting England vicariously through Jane, who not only resides there, but travels to Jane Austen sites including Lyme Regis, Bath and many of the movie film locations sharing her travelogue and photos with us.

You can also follow Jane on Twitter as she tweets about Jane Austen, her research and writing career.

Visit Jane at Jane Austen Sequels Blog by Jane Odiwe
Visit Jane at her official website Austen Effusions
Read an interview of Jane by Vic at Jane Austen's World

Enjoy! Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Editing PBS Masterpiece Presentations

Have you ever wondered why so many original BBC adaptations of the classics we love, including Jane Austen's, are cut down for PBS Masterpiece Classic? Erin Delaney, an editor at PBS, explained in a Barnes and Noble discussion thread last year, why so many scenes seem to be cut out, such as the donkey scene with Mr and Mrs Elton at the Strawberry picking party at Donwell Abbey in the current production of Emma or the bath tub scene in which Catherine fantasizes about Henry Tilney in Northanger Abbey 2007:


Masterpiece gets involved in these productions at various points in the process, depending on the show. Sometimes, yes, we generate suggestions for which books are ripe for adaptation. Sometimes we get involved at the scripting/casting stage. And sometimes we do buy the shows after they're finished. Basically we're looking for, well, Masterpieces!

The air dates on PBS differ from those in England primarily because whichever channel in England is airing the program has its own schedule to manage, as does PBS. Masterpiece airs on Sunday night and we might want to make sure, for example, that we have five Sundays in a row, uninterrupted by holidays, to air something like Little Dorrit. There have been occasions when Masterpiece has aired a title in the U.S. before it aired in England.
Regarding the question about editing to time... Sometimes we might feel that the show would benefit by being slightly tighter. But more commonly, editing is due to odd lengths. The BBC has long had a very free-wheeling schedule. If you've travelled in England, you may have noted that programs might start at 5 minutes past the hour, 10 minutes past, etc. This flexibility allows the BBC to air shows of odd lengths. American television, by contrast, is really ruled by the clock! We need Masterpiece to begin promptly at 9:00. And whatever show is airing next needs Masterpiece to end promptly as well.

Because these films are works of art in their own right (yes, I do believe this), decisions have been made all along, about what to leave in and what to take out. The book's author made such decisions, the screenwriter made more, each performer makes decisions about how to say each line, the director makes still more choices, and so forth. Each iteration of the film is its own piece of art.

Reading some of the books has helped me on occasion to understand parts of the puzzle that may have gotten altered throughout this artistic process...

For the DVD's that you can purchase and whether you receive the full versions or not, please read Cinthia's answer in the comments.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

A Grand Giveaway of Mr. Darcy’s Great Escape, by Marsha Altman

Mr. Darcy’s Great Escape, a new Austen inspired sequel is in bookstores this week. It is the third book in the Pride and Prejudice Continues series which also includes The Darycs & the Bingleys (2008) and The Plight of the Darcy Brothers (2009).
This "campy, madcap adventure" series continues the story of many of the beloved characters from Jane Austen’s classic novel in imaginative and comical ways. Here is the publisher’s description:

Straight into danger, daring Elizabeth Darcy rushing to the rescue.

Hilarious and action-packed, this installment brings the Darcy and Bingley families to the year 1812 and the intrigues of the Napoleonic war. When a coded letter alerts Elizabeth that her husband and his traveling companion Dr. Maddox, have run into trouble in eastern Europe, Elizabeth sets off on a daring and dangerous mission. While Darcy and Maddox are both worse for wear, Charles Bingley has his hands full holding down the fort at Pemberley, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh sets out to kick up a truly shocking scandal. Can Elizabeth get her husband out of harm’s way and both of them back to Pemberley in time for the impending blessed event? Will Darcy be able to recover from the dark revelations of his imprisonment? And what are the Darcy’s going to do about the demented Asian assassin circumventing the globe to get to Pemberley before they return? With danger, intrigue and psychological depth, this action-packed Pride and Prejudice sequel bring the Darcy and Bingley families closer together as new bonds are forged, lovers are reunited, and unforgettable adventures change their lives forever.


GIVEAWAY CONTEST


Enter a chance to win one of three sets of the Pride and Prejudice Continues series by Marsha Altman which includes one copy each of The Darcys & the Bingleys, The Plight of the Darcy Brothers and Mr. Darcy’s Great Escape. Leave a comment stating who your favorite character is in Pride and Prejudice and why by midnight PST February 16th, 2010. Winners to be announced on February 17th, 2010. Shipment to US and Canadian addresses only.

Author Bio:

Marsha Altman is a historian specializing in Rabbinic literature in late antiquity, and an author. She is also an expert on Jane Austen sequels, having read nearly every single one that's been written, whether published or unpublished. She has worked in the publishing industry with a literary agency and is writing a series continuing the story of the Darcys and the Bingleys. She lives in New York.

Reviews:

Austenprose

Becky's Book Reviews

Books Like Breathing

Good luck, Vic, Jane Austen's World & Laurel Ann, Austenprose

The giveaway contest has now concluded and the winners have been announced. Thanks to all who participated and congrats to the lucky winners!

Colin Firth & Carey Mulligan Garner Academy Award Noms Today!



It came to pass just as predicted. British actors Colin Firth and Carrey Mulligan, who were both strong contenders in the Actor & Actress in a Leading Role categories were nominated this morning for Academy Awards. Another month of hard campaigning and we just might see one of them take that little golden man back to England with them.

You can discover who their competition is and all of the other nominees at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences website. I am also rooting for An Education in the best picture and screenplay categories. All the winners will be announced on March 7th, 2010.

If you still need more Colin Firth excitement for the day – then check out this great BBC Radio 4 program Front Row that features an interview of His Firthness. Big thanks to Julie at Austenonly for the heads up.

Enjoy! Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Monday, February 1, 2010

Colin Firth: Interviewed on CBS

Here's an interview with Colin Firth on CBS's site: The Leading Man Actor Who Became Perfect Jane Austen Hero Now Generating Oscar Buzz With His Performance in "A Single Man." In part the interview says:

But he isn't the kind of guy to look too deeply into the mouth of awards (of which he's had a few) or to try to analyze his own success.

"No, I don't know what it is, certainly even less in myself, I do not know why I've been invited in," he said. "I do not know why it's worked when it's worked, and it hasn't when it hasn't. I've got some theories."
One of his theories is what he calls his "neutral" looks, a face onto which characters can be painted. "Goldilocks looks" - not too hot not too cold, a guy who's been called the thinking woman's heartthrob.

Colin met his wife Livia in a London eco-fashion shop. Livia is still heavily into eco-fashion, and is completely against disposable fashion. In her blog she discusses celebrating the classics instead of following trends. At the Golden Globe Awards she wore a vintage wedding dress (below). At the SAG awards, Livia wore a dress by ethical designer Mr Larkin (above).

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Q & A With Carey Mulligan


Ms. Mulligan is making a huge splash these days, as this interview with Times Live Magazine attests. Let's hope she's not a flash in the pan like Gretchen Moll, but that she shows true staying power!


Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Giveaway: Enter a Chance to Win a copy of Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart

Another author interview and giveaway at Austenprose. Discover author Beth Pattillo’s inspiration for writing Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart, her new novel that was officially released today and enter a chance to win one of three copies and one set with her previous novel Jane Austen Ruined My Life by leaving a comment at Austenprose. Contest ends Sunday, February 7th, 2010 so don’t delay.

Read two Austen bloggers opposing reviews of this new novel: Vic’ at Jane Austen’s World and mine at Austenprose.

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Deconstructing Miss Emma Woodhouse: Vote today!

Who is that spoiled “troublesome creature” that we love to hate in Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma? The handsome, clever and rich Miss Woodhouse of course. Who is your favorite Emma Woodhouse, Jane Austen’s original or one of the several screen interpretations? Join in the deconstruction of Miss Emma Woodhouse and vote for your favorite Emma today at Austenprose.

What others are saying about Miss Woodhouse too!

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose