Jane Austen

Last night I watched Becoming Jane, which was absolutely beautiful. The cinematography was enchanting, the costumes, set design and location breathtaking, and the acting divine. The story itself is heartbreaking. But the three British girls I watched it with agree that if Jane Austen had had a happier ending, then she wouldn't have found it necessary to write such great love stories. It was a sacrifice. It was filmed in Dublin and rural Ireland instead of Hampshire, England, the birthplace of Jane Austen. The reason being because Hampshire is now groomed and manicured and they were looking for a sense of countryside that felt more unchanged. It made me want to start reading Pride and Prejudice again immediately, which I did.

I already received my syllabus for the Austen and the Brontes module I am taking next semester. I need to have Pride and Prejudice read by the first seminar in January. We will also be examining Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre. I read Jane Eyre cover to cover the first couple of weeks I was in England. I think I am at the perfect point in my life to appreciate true romantic classics. Even if one has read a book before, every time they pick it up again it has new relevance because the reader has changed. I feel very changed, and I have only been here two months.

Watching the movie last night made me realize how 200+ years ago, everything was poetic. I am currently finding it difficult to romanticize my memories and write any decent poetry. Then again, I spend a lot more time thinking about how I have nothing to write about than actually attempting to write. I have to have a 6-10 poem collection in the first week of December, and a 15-20 poem collection for my dissertation next spring. Better get writing...