Pride and Prejudice

Recently I rented and watched the 1995 BBC mini-series, Pride and Prejudice. It’s a faithful retelling (I think?) of Jane Austen’s famous novel. This is not a review. Just an observation, a comment or two, and a detour.

I did not finish the book, Pride and Prejudice, despite starting to read it at least a couple of times. Not sure why. I did read Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, and found it quite enjoyable, though what was intended to be a good ending left me feeling a bit disappointed in the outcome.

There were six episodes to the mini-series, and I said to myself, fully recognizing that there is only one type of willpower that works – and that is to avoid being exposed to temptation in the first place – “B, you are only going to watch two episodes at a time.” Hours later, I finished all six episodes, and considered it time very pleasantly spent. I was not surprised at willpower’s defeat.

I won’t attempt to discuss the plot, it’s all over the internet. Suffice it to say I recommend the movie and Jane Austen’s writing. I’m somewhat partial to English and Russian writers. The names of my favorites are not obscure:

• Jane Austen
• Thomas Hardy – really my favorite English writer.
• George Eliot – Especially Middlemarch
• Somerset Maugham
• Charles Dickens
• Leo Tolstoy
• Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Anton Chekov
• Nikolai Gogol

Which reminds me. In older English novels you will often find a writer describing the round arms of some beauty. I guess some sorts of appreciation come with age, but I’m very glad they cast Jennifer Ehle (pronounced “eel”) as the leading lady in this movie. The gaunter female form preferred (seemingly, at least) in modern American movies would have been all wrong here. Her slightly fuller face, and yes, rounder arms are perfect. Where I first appreciated the wonderful beauty of round arms was in an old, think 1970s, YouTube video of Emmy Lou Harris and the Hot Band. I was captivated by her beautifully pale round arms.

Well, there you have an idea of how my brain works! Or doesn’t. It goes where it wants, when it wants and doesn’t much care what I set out to do or write. There’s a quote that describes my lack of targeted focus. Mind you I focus well, just not often on the thing I set out to focus on. Here’s the quote:

This isn’t so easy, since he’s a discursive fellow who’s never met a rabbit hole he won’t disappear down.
– Matt Labash in the Weekly Standard referring to Sabo

And that Emmy Lou Harris video? Maybe it was this one. Not sure. But just before 3-minutes into the video… Emmy Lou Harris

Well, anyway, enough rambling.

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