Jane Austen, You're My Hero

Well, my storyteller hero.

Last night, my habit of flipping channels was rewarded by happening upon a new Masterpiece Theater version of Northanger Abbey. They're actually doing this series called "The Complete Jane Austen" -- new adaptations of all 6 of her novels, plus a bio about her. I only caught the last 40 minutes or so of Northanger Abbey, but it was quite good. Hopefully, they didn't do anything earlier in the movie to ruin the story.

I'm one of the few who just adore that book. It was after reading NA that I decided I wanted to name a little girl Katherine (although it is Catherine in the book) and a little boy Henry. I just think that book is so funny and I love Miss Moreland. There is only one other version of NA out there that I know of and it is a terrible old BBC movie that probably should be burned. :)

Mansfield Park, another of Austen's lesser-known novels that has a terrible movie version, is on next week. I am hoping that it will be great and I can have at least one good movie of each of her works.

After watching NA last night, I spent quite a bit of time thinking about Jane Austen's works and why I just love them so much. For one thing, they're all funny, even Persuasion, which is, imo, the most serious of all her works. Although Mansfield Park is quite serious, too. But there is always humor.

Secondly, they all end happily. Sorry, I am just not cool or philosophical enough to go in for the sad or ambiguous endings. I want stories built around characters I can root for because they are good human beings and I want them to be rewarded for their goodness in the end. That's the kind of girl I am.

Third, despite the obvious common themes that each of her novels share, they truly are all unqiue, due in large part to Miss Austen's remarkable gift of creating a diversity of characters. No two heroines are alike. They are all good, but they are all good in different ways. Some are outgoing, some are positively timid; there are the innocents, the naives, the wise; the passionate, the reserved; the vain (yes, vain -- I know thee, Emma!), the proud, the gullible, the overly-spontaneous -- they're all flawed, but still good. And the cast of characters who surround the main players are just as diverse and interesting and instructive.

Basically, I love Jane Austen. You probably can tell.

On another note, Katie and Charlie are both sick. Katie has an ear infection and they both have mild (thankfully) RSV. I left work early to help Josh take them to the doctor. That was not fun. But I had no idea Katie had an ear infection (she hasn't complained of any pain or tugged at her ear), so I am glad we went.

I should come up with a good closing line. Jane Austen always has such satisfying closing lines.