All the Rage: Thoughts on Upcoming Jane Austen Adaptations

Hello, long-lost friends! Well, technically I am the one who is long-lost, I suppose. But with two new Jane Austen adaptations in the making (or having recently come out), I couldn't resist the opportunity to post, however busy I am.  (Plus, I sort of worked it out so this is a project for one of my classes. Win-win.)

Why the period at the end? I'm confused.

First, let's talk about Emma, which is coming out in February of next year.  My original thought when hearing there is to be a new adaptation was "Huh?? But we don't need another Emma. We already a great miniseries and two mediocre movies." And my opinion as far as that goes hasn't really changed much.  However, until an absolutely, 100% perfect adaptation of a Jane Austen novel comes out, I'll always be willing to give something new a try. Even if I do think that a good Mansfield Park or Persuasion would be much, much more beneficial to the fandom and the world at large.

Then the trailer came out, and I had many more thoughts, which I will now discuss in detail.  I'd love to hear your thoughts as well!

Note: all screenshots below are taken directly from this trailer.

Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma Woodhouse

via

I could be more pleased with the choice for Emma, that's for sure.  Her face is definitely not what I picture Emma to be.  It's a bit too modern-looking, and kind of... sour?  Also, she is not what I would personally consider "handsome."  But I am trying to keep an open mind.

Anya is currently 23.  I was shocked to discover that for the first time, a Jane Austen heroine is being played by someone who is younger than I am.  But it's fine.  I'm only slightly freaked out.  Don't worry about it.  In any case, it's refreshing to have an actress so close to the character's age.

Anya hasn't done much in the way of period drama in the past, but it looks like she was in a recent film called The Miniaturist, which is set in the 17th-century, and looks pretty creepy.  Interestingly, Romola Garai (Emma from the 2009 miniseries, a.k.a. my favorite) played a significant role in that movie as well!

A Question and New Poll

Fellow readers of Jane Austen: have any of you read any of the completed versions of Jane Austen’s unfinished novels The Watsons and Sanditon? What would you recommend? I would love to hear anyone’s opinions on what author finished them the best.

And, here we have a new poll.

It has been my observation that there seems to be different categories of Jane Austen fans, as far as their favorite of her books go. For instance, I often see Pride and Prejudice and Emma or Sense and Sensibility as the top 2 favorites, but I have never heard of someone’s favorites being Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park. So, the new poll will be: “Which are your two favorite novels by Jane Austen?” Vote on the sidebar! I think it will be interesting to see the results. (I’ll leave the poll up until there is a sufficient number of votes.)

P.S. I'd really like to know which one you vote for! If you feel inclined to tell me, please leave a comment. :)

Poll Results

The 'back in time' poll is closed! Thanks to all who voted. The question said:
"You're 20 years old and you can go back in time, 50 years minimum. The location and whether you stay or just visit is up to you. What time era would you choose?"

And the winner is:

1820-1859 with 4 votes.

With two votes each was:

1700s

1810-1819

and

1900-1919

And lastly, we have the only I voted for:

1860-1899

My favorite time era is very late 1800s, like 1890s or around there.

Which one did you vote for? What is your favorite time era within the time eras I put?

Here are the results for another poll, "Which of Jane Austen's 'other' writings would you most like to see made into a movie?"

The results:

Sanditon (2 votes)

The Watsons (1 vote)

Lady Susan (1 vote)

One of the epistolary novels of her youth (1 vote)

I'd most like to see The Watsons or Sanditon. Finished, of course. I voted for The Watsons, because I have read some of it and could really picture it as a movie. I haven't read Sanditon yet, so I might end up prefering that.

New poll on the sidebar...