Jane Austen News for Today [that could not wait…]

December 14, 2011December 14, 2011 BookLady Deb1 Comment

Two things of interest to Jane Austen fans:

See this Publishers Weekly blog and their list of their “Top 10 Favorite Book Covers for 2011” – A Jane Austen Education comes in at number 8:

8. A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz (Penguin Press)

“The formality of Austen’s novels is contrasted by the cartoonish style and informality of an outfit (and personality) being simply applied adhesively.”

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

The photograph of the month at the National Portrait Gallery [UK] is Colin Firth – and on exhibit through December:

Colin Firth by Jillian Edelstein from the NPG Website.

He still looks like Mr. Darcy, doesn’t he?!

@2011 Jane Austen in Vermont

Jane Austen · News

Web Round-up ~ All Things Austen!!

October 6, 2010October 7, 2010 BookLady DebLeave a comment

I’ve been out of the loop for the past week, so just a catch up post of items of Austen-interest, some old news, some new, but always interesting and chock full of Austen tidbits:

Jane Austen Conference at the British Library: a 6-minute YouTube video of a student conference at the British Library–speakers Kathryn Sutherland and Elizabeth Garvie, shots of Austen’s manuscripts, English Country Dancing, etc. – great fun!

Here is an interesting interview with Patricia Meyer Spacks, JASNA member and Professor of English, who just published an annotated edition of Pride and Prejudice.

*And from Sarah Emsley, a review at Open Letters Monthly

*A review at Austenprose

*A review at Jane Austen’s World ~ and also Vic’s interview with Professor Spacks [Vic’s virtual tour of the book was put on the Harvard University Press’s blog! – see the video here ]

I just got this book – and it is lovely – I look forward to spending some quality time with it!

Want to understand England and the concept of Englishness a bit more? – here is an interesting reading list for a course on “Englishness” at Bristol University. This should take you reading through the winter… and then some…

The Old Globe Theater in San Diego will be presenting Jane Austen’s Emma: A Romantic Comedy from January 15 – February 27:

“Emma, a timeless love story from one of the most widely read writers of all time, is now a musical, and will once again entice modern audiences to fall in love with one of Jane Austen’s most adored characters. Emma, a beautiful and clever young woman who prides herself on her matchmaking ability, is preoccupied with romance yet is clueless to her own feelings of love. When she takes on a young friend as her latest project, her well-intentioned efforts misfire, leading to a whirlwind of complications. Deliciously charming, this new romantic comedy from Tony Award nominated composer Paul Gordon and directed by Tony Award nominee, Jeff Calhoun, brings Jane Austen’s masterpiece to musical life.”

If you happen to be in Vermont in November, Claire Harman of Jane’s Fame fame will be one of the speakers at the Vermont Humanities Council Fall Conference on Comedy and Satire: It’s No Joke, From Jonathan Swift to Jon Stewart, Ridiculing Vice and Folly, November 12–13, 2010 Stoweflake Mountain Resort, Stowe, Vermont. Professor Harman’s talk is scehduled for the Saturday afternoon from 1:00 – 2:15 pm:

Jane Austen, Veiled Satirist. Jane Austen is not usually considered a satirist, but she began her writing life in imitation of the great practitioners of the eighteenth century. Prize-winning author Claire Harman, who teaches at Oxford and Columbia Universities, looks at Austen’s beloved novels in the context of that earlier tradition and considers how and why she molded the tones and techniques of Swift and Pope to her own purposes. See the VHC website for details.

The Eighth Annual Regency Assembly in New Haven, Connecticut is scheduled for October 16-17, 2010. Visit Susan de Guardiola’s website for more information, where there are various links to Regency Games, Fashion, and Dance.

Another Vermont event! On Saturday December 18th, a Regency clothing talk at The Inn Victoria 321 Main St Chester VT, 2-3 pm, followed by a grand tea. Visit the website of Kandie Carle, a.k.a. The Victorian Lady to learn more about her talk, which is part of an entire Jane Austen Birthday Weekend:

Dates: December 17-19, 2010

Description: Celebrate Jane Austen’s birthday in style at a Victorian B&B that is known for its romance and antiques of the period. On December 17 – 19, we will celebrate Jane’s birthday weekend with:

Pride & Prejudice on the Big Screen in the Parlor
Two formal afternoon teas (wear your formal period dress)
Two book reviews
Two breakfasts, each with five courses…..yes, FIVE!
English Christmas dinner served Saturday evening with wine.
Actress / performer Kandie Carle, will give a performance of “The Victorian Lady”

Two night / double occupancy starts at $130 / night….. 25% of the income will be donated to the Chester Rotary for a local Christmas fund for children.

And finally – a discovery that has pleased my DOG very much – a book by Kara Louise titled Master Under Good Regulation – you can read more about it at the First Impressions blog by Alexa Adams, and more at Kara Louise’s website. It is about Reggie, an English Springer Spaniel, best friend and confident of Mr. Darcy – and the whole story of Pride and Prejudice is told from Reggie’s point of view. Now, MY dog is an English springer spaniel, and he is wondering if perhaps this dog of Darcy’s might not be one of his great, great ancestors – everything always comes full circle, and always back to Jane in some way, doesn’t it?!

Jane Austen · News

“Scene of Dissipation & vice”…

March 6, 2010March 7, 2010 BookLady Deb6 Comments

I am lately returned from said “Scene of Dissipation & vice” i.e. London, quoting Austen’s letter of August 23, 1796 [Le Faye, Letters, no. 3], telling of her arrival in Town and finding already her “Morals corrupted” – and where I, currently re-reading Mansfield Park, saw a good number of delightful Henry and Mary Crawfords!

So much to tell [mostly having nothing to do with Jane Austen, I am afraid to say…] – so mainly here just want to share about one night at the theatre, where we had the privilege of seeing Private Lives, with Kim Cattrall and Matthew MacFadyen of Mr. Darcy fame, and directed by Sir Richard Eyre. The show was in previews starting February 24, and how lucky my daughter and I were to get tickets for the 26^th. What a treat to sit in the fifth row, dead center and watch them do their magic, passion abounding both of the sexual kind and the throwing things kind! – it seems that every night in Act II the set is nearly demolished during a violent quarrel between the major parties where far more than mere words are flung at each other.

I confess wanting to go to this play largely to see “Mr. Darcy” up close and personal [who looks quite fine in a tuxedo as you can see…] – my daughter more than happy to oblige, and as she is a huge fan of both Mr. Darcy and Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall, the evening could only be a delight for all. This production began its life in Bath and will be in London for a ten-week run – and what great fun it is! Noel Coward’s Private Lives has been revived numerous times, first perfomed in 1930 with Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence [and a young Laurence Olivier in the supporting actor role], and most recently in 2001/2 with Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman, and as has been universally discussed, there must be a grand spark and chemistry between the leads or one should just get up and leave, the play after all being about the nature of sexual attraction! And this works very well with MacFadyen and Cattrall, despite a huge gap in their ages in real time [Ms. Cattrall is 53, MacFadyen a mere 35] – they play the formerly married-to-each-other Amanda and Elyot, who while honeymooning with their new spouses in the south of France discover their hotel rooms share adjoining balconies. And from there it is all fireworks and love and lust and anger as they abandon their new spouses and perhaps their better selves for a Part II performed largely in a pajama-clad semi-drunken state as they try to figure out what to do with this nearly debilitating passion… watch out if you are in the front row! [An article from yesterday tells of Ms. Cattrall’s bruising her legs on falling into a table after a hefty shove by MacFadyen – can this be our gentlemanly Mr. Darcy??!] – these are two very self-absorbed people you would barely tolerate in real life, but thankfully for the biting wit and constant edge of Mr. Coward’s words, and the acting of all, you have sympathy for this couple in search of themselves [there was a more than audible gasp from the audience when Elyot smacks Amanda, so sympathies only go so far…]

Ms. Cattrall pulls off an English accent far better than I would have expected [one woman I talked to during intermission felt her only misstep was pronouncing a French word incorrectly!] and her comic-timing is perfect, and as expected, her clothing is fabulous – putting the play in its time frame, which perhaps helps us deal with the chauvinistic Elyot. Act II, as mentioned, finds Amanda and Elyot in their elegant silk pajamas through nearly the end of the play, and lovely pajamas at that! [with memories of a partially bare-chested Mr. Darcy in the mists..] – MacFadyen and Cattrall also sing quite credibly, and though it appears that Elyot is playing the piano [and I was impressed that MacFadyen has such skills!] – it seems that it was play-acted after all, but I was certainly fooled as was most everyone else! And I must add that, as he fully displayed in the hilarious Death at a Funeral, MacFadyen’s comic timing is spot-on…

…and for another costume drama aside, Lisa Dillon plays the hapless new spouse of Elyot – poor girl and what a mess she gets herself into with this cad – and certainly a far different role than her part in Cranford as Mary Smith:

And one other aside that does bring Austen into focus. The woman next to me and I began chatting about why we came to see this play – for me, because I was a fan of MacFadyen’s for his Spooks work and the 2005 P&P – she was astonished as Austen is her favorite writer, etc, etc. – you all know the conversation that follows after that connection is established! – and the “what is your favorite book?’ was answered on her part with an almost embarrassing “Oh! I love most the one few people even like or worse have not even read – Northanger Abbey!” – well, here we were two complete strangers from two different countries, suddenly bonding over Henry Tilney, and only needing to stop talking in order to watch “Mr. Darcy” continue in his play – how bad is that for an evening in London!

Playing at:

Vaudeville Theatre
The Strand, London WC2
February 24 – May 1, 2010

Further reading and reviews:

Noel Coward.com website with biography, bibliography, etc.
The Noel Coward Society
A study guide to Private Lives from the Utah Shakespearean Festival
Private Lives at wikipedia – synopsis and production history of the play; click here for a history of the film version
Youtube clips of various Private Lives productions
Telegraph article on the play and the Telegraph review
Review at The Guardian
Times online article on the play and Times online review
Mail online review
Playbill article with a photogallery
Interview with Matthew Macfadyen
and another ” at the Guardian

[Posted by Deb]

Book reviews · Books · Jane Austen · Jane Austen Sequels

Guest Post ~ Author Maya Slater

May 25, 2009May 25, 2009 BookLady DebLeave a comment

book cover private diary darcy Gentle Readers: Maya Slater has penned a guest post for us on her book The Private Diary of Mr Darcy – and as I mention in my previous post, it is quite an entertaining read! Thank you Ms. Slater for sharing your thoughts with us [and those of Mr. Darcy!]

INTRODUCING: The Private Diary of Mr Darcy, the American edition to be published on June 15^th by W.W.Norton.

‘What book would you most love to read, if only it had been written?’

I found myself answering, without hesitation, ‘Oh, Mr Darcy’s diary.’ Everyone round the table laughed, and the moment passed. But the idea stayed with me for months, till finally I had to give in to it, and start writing.

It’s not as though Mr Darcy was the kind of man to have kept an intimate diary of his own volition. He started it as a child when his mother gave him a moleskin notebook, gently suggesting he should make it his confidant. A few days later she was dead, and keeping a diary became a sacred duty to him.

The final volume of his diary, published under the title The Private Diary of Mr Darcy*, begins on the day that he first sets eyes on Elizabeth Bennet – although she makes no impression on him whatsoever. It concludes as they happily plan their wedding. In between, he unburdens himself of many secrets, and lives through the weeks and months when he is absent from Pride and Prejudice: that first winter when Mr Bingley has deserted Jane, the following summer when Elizabeth has turned him down, the anxious search for Lydia and Wickham.

Of course the diary is private. Much of what it contains would shock his female acquaintance, describing as it does his life as a rich bachelor about town. His gentlemen friends too would be astonished – at the uncertainties, weaknesses and powerful emotions confided by this politely reticent and formal young man. It is not surprising that he decides to abandon it when he marries: it would not do for his wife to discover it.

Throughout, it is Mr Darcy who has directed operations; I have merely followed where he led.

MAYA SLATER

*The British edition (Phoenix, 2007) was titled Mr Darcy’s Diary.

[ See also the full Maya Slater interview at Bookzone.tv [type in < Maya Slater > in the “search video” box and click on the book cover] and my previous post with additional links here ]

The opening question, by the way, is quite thought-provoking – anyone want to add their thoughts? –

What book would you most love to read, if only it had been written?

Jane Austen · Query

Food for Thought: Austen Astrology

February 19, 2009February 19, 2009 Janeite Kelly13 Comments

Does the following sound familiar? Remind you of anyone??

Aquarians “basically possess strong and attractive personalities. They fall into two principle types: one shy, sensitive, gentle and patient; the other exuberant, lively and exhibitionist, sometimes hiding their considerable depths of their character under a cloak of frivolity. …. In spite of the often intensely magnetic forthcoming and open personality of the more extrovert kind of Aquarian, and of their desire to help humanity, neither type makes friends easily. They sometimes appear to condescend to others and take too little trouble to cultivate the acquaintance of people who do not particularly appeal to them. They do not give themselves easily – perhaps their judgment of human nature is too good for that – and are sometimes accounted cold. But once they decide that someone is worthy of their friendship or love, they can exert an almost hypnotic and irresistible mental attraction on them and will themselves become tenacious friends or lovers, ready to sacrifice everything for their partners and be faithful to them for life. However, they are sometimes disappointed emotionally because their own high personal ideas cause them to demand more of others than is reasonable. And if they are deceived their anger is terrible. If disillusioned, they do not forgive.”

It does a lot to explain the personality of Mr. Darcy… Wouldn’t you agree?

Was Jane at all interested in astrology?? Born 16 December, she would have been Sagittarius — The Archer. Interesting that the sign is described as the “bow & arrow,” but also as a sign with a burden or struggle. Hmm…

What sign accounts for Lizzy Bennet’s characteristics??

If you have any particulars among the other novels, What about star signs for any of the characters in Austen’s novels??

Jane Austen · News

An “Elizabeth & Darcy” Getaway Anyone??

February 15, 2009February 16, 2009 BookLady Deb2 Comments

norarobertsinnx-topper-medium1 — Inn Boonsboro - Nora Roberts

The latest news of a literary nature – and where our Dear Jane figures in – is the opening of the Nora Roberts’s Inn Boonsboro in Boonsboro, Maryland on February 17, 2009. Ms. Roberts, the author of over 170 novels (also under the name of J.D. Robb), has been renovating this seven bedroom bed & breakfast over the past two years. Wanting each of the rooms to be decorated with a fictional romantic theme, her biggest problem was finding in the literary canon seven happy couples! As she says,

Romeo and Juliet? Dead. Tristan and Isolde? Dead. Not happy. Dead, dead, dead. Rhett Butler and Scarlett? He didn’t give a damn. You try finding seven of them!

But seven she did find, and a rousing cast of characters of pure romance and happiness could not be better represented!

Nick & Nora Charles ~ sleak art deco and fussy Hollywood glamour
Lt. Eve Dallas & Rourke [from Roberts’s In Death Series] ~ modern with antique touches
Marguerite & Percy [Baroness Orczy’s Scarlet Pimpernel] ~ the opulence of 18th-century France
Shakespeare’s Titania & Oberon [A Midsummer Night’s Dream] ~ an organic, fanciful theme, as though waltzing in a magical forest
Jane & Rochester [Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre] ~ with a fainting couch and free-standing copper tub for soaking in heather-scented water
Elizabeth & Darcy [Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice] ~ a Regency period flavor, airy and traditional
Buttercup & Westley [William Goldman’s The Princess Bride] ~ an Old World style, fun and charming

inn-boonsboro-princess-bride-room — Buttercup & Westley ~ The Princess Bride

There is also a non-themed suite called the Penthouse ~ lush, plush and baronial.

See the Inn Boonsboro website, where you can view some of the rooms [but alas! not the Darcy’s]; but you can take a video tour of the Inn. And just to whet your appetite, read this description of the Elizabeth & Darcy room:

Miss Bennett [sic] and Mr. Darcy would certainly approve of the distinction with which we’ve appointed our Regency-style guest room. The king bed, adorned by a richly-appointed head- and footboard, invites you to slip under the soft cashmere throw, settle back on our multitude of pillows to enjoy the 32″ flat screen TV. Or curl up with a book on the sumptuous velvet side chair with a cup of complementary tea or glass of wine and enjoy the peace of an English country house.

The exquisitely refined bath is a fine marriage of English charm and modern contrivance with a traditional claw-foot slipper tub designed for long bubble baths and a shower enhanced by four body jets. Let our English Lavender bath amenities transport you back to the courtly and romantic age of Pride and Prejudice.

Prices range from $220-280. / weekday night; $250-300. / weekend night; there are also various packages.

[For further information, see these articles at USA Today and the Herald-Mail]

Off to western Maryland , anyone?? ~ sign me up!

Deb

Jane Austen · Movies · News

Jane in the 21st Century ~ or Was There Life Before Blogs and Facebook?

February 11, 2009January 10, 2010 BookLady Deb8 Comments

I have decided to open a Facebook account for our Jane Austen Region here in Vermont. One, because I hear tell from the New York JASNA Region and a few others who have done this that it is great way to reach out to the younger people in the area who are Austen fans, and Two, because it is just so easy!

I had set up an account last April, but never did anything with it…no profile, no pictures, no postings – I mean really, who wants to know that daily goings-on of a bookworm anyway? I envisioned posts like:

Deborah bought an estate of books today.
Deborah sold 3 books today.
Deborah cleaned and mylared 50 books today.
Deborah went to the post office today, same as yesterday.
Deborah spent too much time on her blogs today.
Deborah had peanut butter & jelly for lunch today – dinner isn’t looking much better.

etc., you get the picture; I mean really, WHO CARES?!

As my email was changing (thanks to the mighty Verizon-Fairpoint conversion), I was editing all my information on every site (a veritable nightmare), went into Facebookand found I had FIVE friends who wanted to connect with me. So I quickly filled everything out, uploaded a picture, found more friends, and now feel like I am comfortably in the 21st-century, though quite sure I will not spend a lot of time there – I am already way-too-tied to the computer as it is – but I did set up this Jane Austen account and will use it to advertise our events and connect with other Austen-folks out there. [I invite you to join us!]

A quick search however, was quite the eye-opener – the number of Austen-related accounts is absolutely mind-boggling, the number of members in each even more so, and I didn’t even search every possible combination, so know there must be many more. Some, like ours, are JASNA Chapter sites; some are quite funny; some anti-Austen / pro-Bronte, some hate Mr. Darcy, some want to be enslaved by Mr. Darcy!; some prefer Knightley or Henry Tilney [Mags, you should be running this one!]; and don’t even try to locate all the ones just on Pride & Prejudice – the book, the movies, the characters, the movie stars, on and on it goes. I really do wonder if anyone actually works or studies anymore! All manner of Austen-related things turn up – see for instance the recent “Austenbook” that renders the entire story of Pride & Prejudice into a Facebook posting – it’s near perfect! http://www.much-ado.net/austenbook/

And as always, a funny story ~ I was searching “Pride & Prejudice” and the results included all sorts combinations, and while scrolling down the first few, I discover my son’s name! – now this was a shock! – I mean my son is a great young man, but he and Jane Austen are like oil and water (he once called me from college to ask if she was dead yet!), and I have always tempered my effusions about her whilst in his presence – so as my son and I are “friends” on Facebook, I can look at his profile – and what to my surprise but I find he has listed P&P as one of his favorite books! – here’s his list: Crime and Punishment, Siddhartha, Where the Red Fern Grows, Into Thin Air, Undaunted Courage, Killer Angels, Pride and Prejudice, The Incredible Journey, Into the Wild, Eiger Dreams – there it is in black & white!- every Austen-lover’s dream! to pass it on! I recall he read P&P in high school after I bribed him into it for a pair of hiking boots; he read it, passed a quiz on its finer points and did confess to liking it, but to go PUBLIC with that??! Anyway, my faith is restored and I have hope for the world! [and he is adamant that it is not on there as a “chick-magnet”!]

So I give you a sampling [and member numbers on the date I searched]: take your pick and join any and all! It’s a whole new world out there – yikes! whatever would Jane say! [note: I abbreviate her name (JA) and novel titles]

Searching “Jane Austen Society”:

The Honorable Ladies Society for the Appreciation of Jane Austen [JA]- 30
JA Appreciation Society – 25
People who are vexed by people who are vexed by JA society – 22
JA Tea Society – 10
JA Adoration society -1
The Mr. Collins Appreciation society – 231 [!]
PEERS [period events & entertainments re-creation society] – 184
I want to live in a costume drama – 173
JA made my expectations too high – 147 [with a “ditching Mr. Darcy” logo]
Students of a JA persuasion – 908
Ms. Sharp appreciation society – 77
Ultimate chick-flick appreciation society – 51
The Finer things club – 25
Bronte sisters pawn JA – 22
English Majors against JA [EMAJA] – 17
JA’s novels explain the universe – 13
Society for advocates for sound grammar & syntax – 13
The not so JA movie club –
I want to live in JA’s times – 7
Card & Quill society [see website: A Social Club for nostalgic ladies]
Amen to breeches, cravats & top hats! [with 5 reasons to join: Darcy, Wentworth, Mr. Thornton, Henry Tilney, & Roger Hamley]

Searching “Jane Austen”: [more than 500 results, many just names]

Jane Austen – 20,671 fans [+1; I just joined…]
JA fan club – 21,753
I love Mr. Darcy enough to make JA uncomfortable – 8,002
JA gave me unrealistic expectations of love – 4,393
I should be a JA character – 3, 185
JA books are ruining my sense of reality and I love it! – 2,617
Which JA character are you? – 4,013 [monthly active users]
Which JA heroine are you? – 1,168 [monthly users]

Searching “Pride & Prejudice”:

Addicted to P&P – 15, 684
BBC P&P appreciation society – 6,792
I can recite the BBC version of P&P word for word – 3, 978
I can’t stop watching P&P! – 3,154
If my life could be a book, I would want it to be P&P – 859
Which P&P guy are you? -76
For the love of P&P – 840
Darcy is for lovers- we love P&P – 609
For those who ardently admire & adore P&P – 503
Why can’t we dance like they do in P&P? – 610
Not only have I seen the movie, but I’ve actually read P&P – 286

Searching “Elizabeth Bennet”:

All I ever needed to know I learned from Elizabeth Bennet – 696
I love Mr. Darcy so much, it’s enough to make E.B. uncomfortable – 178
I wish I were E.B. – 154
In a perfect world, I’d be E.B., and Mr. Darcy would be my man – 125
My secret identity is E.B. – 24
I wish I were E.B. (so I could have sex with Mr. Darcy) – 6

Searching “Mr. Darcy”:

Colin Firth will always be my Mr. Darcy – 22,443
I refuse to settle for anything less than Mr. Darcy – 15,022
Every girl should have a Mr. Darcy in her life – 8,195
Take me to Pemberley, Mr. Darcy – 3,119
I have Mr. Darcy syndrome & it is f___ing up my life! – 771
Girls waiting for men to romantically wander out of the mists toward them – 1391
Mr. Darcy is an idiot – 45

Searching “Sense & Sensibility”:

We very much dislike Willoughby – 84
I know S&S by heart – 162

Searching “Mr. Knightley”:

Mr. Darcy … Mr Knightley… and other honorable gentlemen we love – 725
Mr. Knightley is better than Mr. Darcy – 36
I am going to marry one of the men in JA’s novels – 2,671

Searching “Henry Tilney”:

Basically I am in love with fictional men – 6, 129 [up to 6,164 today]
Henry Tilney is my gothic hero – 338

Searching “Captain Wentworth”:

I love Captain Wentworth – 414
All the good men lived 200 years ago in lonely women’s imaginations – 527

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

What’s scary is this is just a sampling! and while we can assume there is overlap in numbers, we are still talking about upwards of 30,000 people! [shouldn’t we introduce them all to JASNA??] But I do take great comfort in the very obvious fact that Jane Austen in alive and well and joyfully being bandied about cyberspace!

[Now I think I must needs go & create my own “I love my Captain Wentworth Paper-doll” page!]

Jane Austen · News

Mr. Darcy Portrait Sells

January 23, 2009January 23, 2009 BookLady Deb2 Comments

The Darcy portrait of Colin Firth that we all wanted in our very own living rooms, has sold at auction for £12,000, nearly double the estimated value; very nice really… the money all goes to charity.

“This painting sold for double its estimated value for the simple reason that the series so captured the heart of the viewing public, particularly the fairer sex,” said Julian Roup, a spokesman for Bonhams auction house.

[see this BBC article]

darcy-firth-portrait1

Jane Austen · News

Andrew Davies, the doodler…

January 13, 2009January 13, 2009 BookLady Deb3 Comments

Thanks to an alert Janeite and Laurie Viera Rigler’s facebook site, we have the following delightful doodles from the king of costume drama, Andrew Davies:

andrew-davies-doodle1

andrew-davies-doodle2

Well, now we know what Mr. Darcy was really thinking (or at least in the mind of Andrew Davies!)…yikes!

You can go to the National Doodle Day site for more information and other celebrity doodles.

Jane Austen · Movies · News

On the Block ~ Mr. Darcy…

January 7, 2009January 7, 2009 BookLady Deb1 Comment

The portrait of Mr. Darcy (a.k.a. Colin Firth) that was used in the pivotal scene (Elizabeth gazing at Darcy’s portrait hanging in the portrait hall at Pemberley) in the 1995 A&E production of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice will be sold at auction on January 21, 2009 at Bonham’s Gentlemans Library Sale; the sale also includes a letter from Firth. The painting is expected to fetch £7,000 and the proceeds will go to charity ~ Oxfam and the Southampton and Winchester Vistors Group [see the Telegraph.co.uk and BBC News online for more information, including a downloadable copy of Firth’s letter at the BBC site ( and note the misspelling of “Pemberly” in the BBC article!)]

darcy-firth-portrait