Austenland

Ahh, Jane Austen. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Ignore the copy of Jane Eyre. 

This past week, I went to see the movie "Austenland", starring Keri Russell. I was the only person in the theater, probably because it was a Wednesday night, I had to go to a rather overpriced hipster theater to see it, and it has gotten terrible reviews.

Well sue me, I liked it.

Basically, you have to be a fan of Austen. And you probably have to be a girl/woman. And you must be a little forgiving of the whole thing. Oh, and having an inherent fondness for Brett McKenzie definitely helps.

As you might suspect, I really love Jane Austen. I often repeat that I went through a period of about a year where I read Pride & Prejudice over and over... at least once a month. I'd read it on my lunch break, at my desk, and when I finished I would wait a day or so and start over again. It never ever gets old. My favorite thing about Jane Austen is that you can read her works in many different lights. You can take a moral lesson from Sense & Sensibility  about correct actions and not getting carried away by emotions, you can examine social norms & levels in Emma  and Mansfield Park, you can learn about knowing yourself in Emma and Pride & Prejudice. Or you can laugh at all of them. Or you can just fall into the world of balls and muslin.

OR, if you're in a particular mood, you can just settle back and enjoy the inevitable love story.

To enjoy "Austenland", you just had to let go a little bit. Keri Russell is instantly lovable in any movie. There were lovely costumes. The whole plot and Austenland itself was really silly and not quite believable, but it wasn't supposed to be. You were just supposed to relax and suspend a little disbelief.


I'm 3/4 of the way through The Friendly Jane Austen and it is ACE! So, so interesting and informative. It's got lots of interviews with professors, writers, actors, and critics concerning different aspects of the novels and the themes therein. I'm super excited to revisit all of her novels once I'm done with this book. HIGHLY recommended for any Jane Austen fan.