I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest Jane Austen fan in the world (being more of a fantasy person) but I do enjoy her books and characters rather a lot when I do read them! 🙂
So when I saw that it’s “I Love Austen Week” over at Hamlette’s Soliliquy, I thought it was the perfect excuse to do this neat tag she has, talk about some Jane Austen favorites, and to mention a Jane-Austen-related project I’m really excited about which I’ve been looking forward to sharing with y’all! 😀
The Vintage Jane Asuten is an upcoming series, by six different awesome authors, of retellings of Jane Austen’s novels, with a twist… they’re are set in 1930s America.
I adore retellings of any kind, and I’d never read an Austen retelling before… so although I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, I really enjoyed the ones in this series that I’ve beta-read so far! If you enjoy Jane Austen at all, you’re going to want to make sure to check these out. 🙂
Fun side-note: I designed the website for the series! (Because I’ve recently discovered that webdesign is so. fun.) So pop over there if you’d like to see more about the series!
Even more fun: the first book, Emmeline by Sarah Holman, is actually releasing tomorrow (February 18)!
It’s a retelling of Emma and it’s delightful. ❤ (I’ll be reviewing it next week, so stay tuned. :))
Today (Feb 17) is the last day to preorder Emmeline (here) — if you do, you can enter a giveaway for an Amazon giftcard (details here). You can also add it on Goodreads… because I am Goodreads-obsessed. 😉
Okay, now on to the tag… because tags are fun!
(I ❤ this picture)
I Love Austen Week Tag
1. Which did you experience first, a Jane Austen book or a movie based on one?
Book. I read Pride and Prejudice a very long time ago, on something of a whim, and greatly enjoyed it. I then proceeded to neglect reading the rest, until a couple of bookclub reads a few years ago got me into them, and I’m at long last finishing up all her books with Mansfield Park, which I’m currently reading.
2. What is your favorite Austen book?
Pride and Prejudice and Emma.
P&P was my first, and to me is still the most classic (plus Darcy is in it, which is reason enough; and he and Elizabeth are awesome).
Emma is a recent addition to my Jane Austen knowledge (I only read it last year) and I enjoyed it immensely because it’s unexpectedly brilliant (and because Mr. Knightley, of course).
3. Favorite heroine? Why do you like her best?
Um… not sure… I guess I’ll go with Elizabeth Bennet. I’m not sure why I liked her (possibly because she was the first I met and because she has spirit) but she’s great. 🙂
4. Favorite hero? Why do you like him best?
Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley.
Mr. Knightley is so… Mr. Knightley. *can’t describe* He just… IS.
Mr. Darcy is rather antisocial and such but he’s a really great guy deep down, and that’s my favorite. He’s just awesome. 🙂
5. Do you have a favorite film adaptation of Austen’s work?
I’m fond of both Pride and Prejudice versions I’ve seen (Kiera Knightley’s and BBC), and of Emma Thompson’s Sense and Sensibility (which I feel is an excellent adaption in general), and I did really enjoy the Persuasion I’ve seen, as well as the Emmas… I don’t know if I have a favorite. I still prefer the books to the film versions, in general. 🙂
6. Have your Austen tastes changed over the years? (Did you start out liking one story best, but now like another better? Did you think she was boring at first, then changed your mind? Etc.)
I’m not sure… I do think that I’m glad I only read Emma recently, because I don’t know if I would have appreciated it as much, several years ago.
7. Do you have any cool Austen-themed things (mugs, t-shirts, etc)? (Feel free to share photos if you want.)
Um… not really? I have a hardcover all-in-one collection of all the novels, and I also have a few of the movies, but nothing particular other than that… unless the website I made for the Vintage Jane Austen book project counts as a “cool Austen-themed thing” that I have. 😛
8. If you could ask Jane Austen one question, what would you ask her?
I’d ask her what she thinks of the continued fascination and remaking of her novels, 200 years later, and for her thoughts on if people are missing the point of her jabs at society and only focusing on the romance aspect. 😛
9. Imagine someone is making a new film of any Jane Austen story you choose, and you get to cast the leads. What story do you want filmed, and who would you choose to act in it?
Pride and Prejudice with Richard Armitage as Mr. Darcy. (Actually, he’d make a good Mr. Knightley too…) Not sure who else to cast, though.
Because obviously.
10. Share up to five favorite Jane Austen quotations!
Mr. Darcy is very quotable, so most of what he said… But I’ll just put one down of his for now.
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
— Pride and Prejudice (Mr. Darcy)
…
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
— Northanger Abbey (Henry Tilney)
…
“We do not look in great cities for our best morality.”
— Mansfield Park (Edmund Bertram)
…
Poor Edward muttered something; but what it was, nobody knew, not even himself.
— Sense and Sensibility
…
…Everything Mr. Knightley said in Emma. XD
…
(I’m also rather fond of the lengthy quote in Emma from Mr. Knightley’s brother about having to go see people for a dull event through the cold when he’d rather be comfortably at home; it appeals to my introvert-ish nature. :P)
Deborah O'Carroll (Road of a Writer) 
Yay! So glad you did the tag! I loved it! Isn’t it so hard to describe why we like a character? ‘I’m not sure why I like her, but she’s great’ and ‘Mr. Knightley. He just… Is’ is the same way I described why I like the people in my tag too. THAT WEBSITE IS BEAUTIFUL! you did a lovely job and its super cool, all those retellings, can’t wait to read them! Yes! People totally DO miss out on the underlying points of Austen’s works! Great tag, loved reading it.
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Thanks! And YES, it’s sometimes so hard to describe why! They’re just… awesome, is all! (I guess if it takes a whole book to make us like a character, it would be hard to summarize that briefly… because the answer should be “read the book!” XD) Thank you!! I’m so glad you like the site! I can’t wait to read the retellings too — I just know they’re going to be awesome! Glad you agree. Thank you so much for your comment! ❤
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Excited for this vintage Jane Austen collection! And by the way, the website looks amazing! Great job, Deborah! ^_^
Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley … yes, those two are my favorites, I think. 🙂 I’m also fond of Elinor Dashwood (that is her name, right? Haha, don’t judge me, Jane Austen fans!) And I like Elizabeth Bennet.
Lovely tag! I enjoyed! 🙂
P.S. I don’t know if you’ve seen, but my blog’s been updated. It has a new address: shantellemary.blogspot.com (I just took out the ‘h’ to simplify it.)
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Yay! I’m excited too! 😀 And thank you so much! ^_^
Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley are the best! 😀 (Yes, it’s Elinor Dashwood. :)) She and Elizabeth are great too.
Thanks, Shantelle, I’m glad! 🙂
Yes indeed, I did see that! At least, I meandered over to your blog (with the h) and had a mini-heart-attack because I got a “blog not found” message! :O But fortunately I remembered you said something about changing some things, on your latest youtube video, so I found the new link from your Goodreads page… XD Thanks so much for the updated link! The new look is perfectly lovely! ❤
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Neat tag! 😀
I’ve only read Sense and Sensibility, which I LOVED. I’ve been wanting to read Pride and Prejudice for a while, but it’s length…scares me. XD
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Thanks! ‘Twas fun! ^_^
S&S is quite good! And believe me, I totally understand length daunting-ness. 😉 Buuut I read somewhere that S&S is 119,000 words and Pride and Prejudice is 120,000… so they’re actually about the same length? Anyways, it’s so good, if you ever get to reading it! 😀
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This is such a fun tag! And thanks for sharing the website, you did a beautiful job on it! I’ll be interested to check out the novels when they come out.
I loved your quotes, especially that last one, it made me smile 🙂
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Aww, thank you so much! ^_^ And I hope you do — I think they’re going to be so fun. 🙂
Thanks! Edward’s just… poor awkward man. ❤ 😉
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This post was so fun! And I’m with you, I’m not a huge Jane Austen fan, but I do enjoy her stuff on the raaare occasions I read them, and the movies are great!
BUT YOUR WEBSITE. I know I’ve already flailed, BUT I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!! It’s just…it’s perfect. PERFECT.
That’s so cool you’ve almost read all of the books. I’ve only read like…3? I don’t even know. Not many, anyway! Haha. I’m determined to read Emma one day at least though. IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. BECAUSE MR. KNIGHTLEY. AND THINGS.
Okay, I love your point on how we all tend to focus on the romance side of the stories, and not appreciate the jabs at society. Jane Austen might not be entirely pleased with what we’ve done to her works. I don’t know. xD It’s HER fault for making such ships like Darcy x Elizabeth and Knightley x Emma. I mean, come on! ALL THE PRECIOUS SHIPS.
Richard Armitage as Mr. Darcy? *clutches heart* I…I CAN’T. I think I’d die of happiness if they ever did that.
Mr. Darcy is very quotable, it’s true! But I adore ALL the quotes you did. I just adore this whole post! ❤
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Yep, they’re fun indeed, even for us not-totally-obsessed people. ^_^
ACK THANK YOU SO MUUUCH!!!! <333 You make my day! ^_____^ Just–just… THANK YOU! 😀
Well, there really are only 6 of them, so you've read like half? XD Which isn't bad. 😉 But YES you must read Emma someday!!! BECAUSE KNIGHTLEY. He's even better in the book. 😀 You will love it! Maybe we should read it on the PE bookclub someday or something (goodness, I need to do something about that and see if we can bring it back. o.o).
Eheh, yes. XD Well, the precious ships ARE precious, so there is that! 😉 It's definitely the most fun thing about it, even if the jabs at society are still sooo true in our modern times. 😛 (The ships though. <333)
I'm trying to remember if you've seen North and South because that's probably as close as we'll get to RA-as-Darcy, since he's kind of almost Darcy-ish in that. 😀 (But yes, wouldn't that be amazing??)
Thank youuu! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! ^_^
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Ooo….!!!! Richard Armitage as Darcy… yes, that is what the film world has been waiting for.
I like the book, but have been unimpressed with all adaptaions of it for the screen because …. THEIR DARCY IT NOT RIGHT. All the time… sometimes their Lizzies, Wickham’s, etc. have been pretty good (in one film or another) but their Darcy always FAILS MISERABLY. 😉
But you called it. Armitage would be absolute perfection… now I am torn up with waiting for this to become reality, so I can actually enjoy a P&P movie. 😉 (And it’s probably not going to!!!! *sobs!* )
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Haha, I’m glad you agree. XD And yes, although I do like the Darcy characters in the film/show, he’s just not quite THE Darcy of the book! The book Darcy is just so much better. 😀
Wouldn’t he, though?? (And I’m sorry! We’ll just have to make do with him in North and South… which isn’t the same… :P)
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Haha. I love that lengthy quote of Mr. John Knightley’s, too. He’s hilarious. 😀
Oh! And I really like the question you came up with to ask Jane Austen. I would certainly be interested in knowing her opinion on that, too. 🙂
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Isn’t it the best? 😀 He definitely is hilarious, yes. XD
Thanks! I’m just really curious about that… too bad we can’t actually ask her! 😉
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I really enjoyed reading this! And I’ll definitely be checking out the Vintage Jane Austen page. I’ve enjoyed quite a few Austen pastiches, from Bridget Jones’s Diary to Amanda Grange’s Mr. Darcy’s Diary and the others she wrote for the other heroes. These look like a cool twist!
I had totally forgotten that line from S&S — guess I’m due for a re-read! Poor Edward 🙂
Thanks for joining the party!
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Thank you! I hope you do — they are pretty neat! 🙂 I’ll have to check out those ones you mentioned as well.
Poor Edward, indeed! 😉 He’s so awkward and just the best. XD
Thank you for hosting it!! I had so much fun! ^_^
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Ah, I enjoyed this so much! I can definitely see Mr. Darcy as the Regency version of your favorite kind of hero. 🙂 And he and Elizabeth . . . the chemistry! Mr. Knightley is wonderful, too.
I think the website you designed is one of the coolest Austen-themed items ever. 😀 You are so talented at it!
I love the question you would ask Jane Austen! Totally want to hear the answer.
I agree with you: Richard Armitage is the Darcy-est actor I’ve ever seen. It’s such a pity no one in the movie business ever thought of that.
I love your quotes! I forgot that one by Edward, but that is such a quintessential line. I can picture Everett doing that, too. 😉 So glad you’re part of Edward’s fan club! Elinor would be quietly proud.
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Thanks Kelsey! And yes, he’s definitely that. 😉
Aww, thank you! I’m SO pleased you like the site — since it’s partially for you, of course! ^_^
Wouldn’t it be so neat to hear her answer? *wishes wistfully*
YES, he’s so Darcy-ish! Oh well… it’s nice to imagine, anyway. 😉
I don’t know why but I’ve loved that line about Edward since I first read it. XD Yes, Everett would do that too. 😀 *high-five for Edward Ferrars fan club*
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I am quite intrigued by the idea of a 1930s Jane Austen story collection! I am sure they will be delightful reads.
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Hurray, I’m glad they intrigue you! I’ve certainly been enjoying them. 🙂 Thanks for dropping by! ^_^
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