REwatch REcap

This spring, dear reader, has been one of my absolute favorites for rewatching. And, now that the first day of summer is fast approaching and the Spring!rewatches are over, I feel like its a perfect time for reflection on the 4 REwatches we rocked via twitter.

FIRST: I've got to thank my rewatch ladies who made these possible and fantastic! @CaseeMarie (I SO could not have done these without you!) @DarbyDashwood @LadyRelaynie @So_Meow @SheBlog @Mu5icRomancer . Ladies, you're the best and never let anyone tell you different.

#REsuasion was the first of the rewatches simply because--and I do not say this lightly--it has to be my favorite of all adaptations. There is just something about this one: I can't put my finger on it, but this Persuasion, even with its textual changes, even with its event shifts, just makes me unbelievably happy. As much as I do love my Pride and Prejudice, my North and South, my Jane Eyres, I simply cannot get past the fact that whenever I just feel like watching a beautiful costume drama, I pop this one in my DVD player. 

#REsense was next, and it was fantastic. We all got silent whenever Brandon spoke, we all adored Edward and Elinor, and we were all so talkative during this rewatch. This was the first big rewatch, with more of us participating and gushing over one of our favorite costume dramas. This is also the rewatch the brilliant and fantastic Casee Marie joined me in co-hosting.

#REanger is one of those short costume dramas and is too adorable and too time friendly not to watch. It was also one many of the rewatch gals hadn't seen. Luckily, its an easy one, too, to get our little costume fan hands on, and we were off to the races. Northanger is that brilliant mix of humor, Gothic undertones, and classic Austen romance. As Austen's first novel, hints of her later characters abound. If you are careful, and rewatch it a few times: you'll find the seeds of Darcy, Elizabeth, Caroline, Fanny, Edward, Wickham and Willoughby amongst others.

#REpride is how the rewatches (for me) began and how they ended this spring season. Every beginning of Spring I rewatch the epic '95 version, and as the twitter rewatches got underway, there was no way P&P '05 was going to be left out. Sometimes the best dish comes from other costume drama fans, and boy were we dishing last night! Emma Thompson's connection, the complete textual changes, Orlando Bloom's twin....it was all in there dear reader! Don't you wish you'd joined us?

Now the rewatches are not going away. Not by a long shot! They now will be featured in fycd's week of costume, which occurs for a whole week once a month in the summer. A week of costume is a feature on the tumblr: Anything Period where I only post photos from one costume drama for a whole week. Last summer we did: Pride and Prejudice, The Young Victoria, and Marie Antoinette.

So, this means that if the week of costume is Pride and Prejudice focused, we will be rewatching Pride and Prejudice for the rewatch. I know it might sound silly, but with summer being busy for everyone, I think one rewatch a month will make the anticipation all the more fun. The first week of costume begins June 20. Pencil in June 24 for the next rewatch! What will we be watching? Well, we'll just have to wait till June 3rd to find out!  

Happy Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day here in the States and as a celebration, literary style--well mostly literary style, I thought I would share with you my favorite on screen mothers.

When I started to think about the blog post, I wondered what indeed I would do. Jane Austen's mothers are mostly foolish or mean, and Bronte's mothers are either non-existent or half mad. Mrs. Dashwood, however, was an easy and foundational choice for me. Fearless and proud, she endures the loss of her husband, house, and lifestyle to undeserved and ruthless relatives, and moves her family away from everything they know for a better chance at happiness within their constraints. While Elinor is her voice of reason, it takes a powerful woman to allow her daughter that kind of control and still be the adult head of the family. She is loving, she is kind, and--above all--she reminds her daughters to enjoy life as it comes, without grasping, scheming, or loathing.

Dear reader, you may not like old battle axe Thornton for Margaret's sake, but if you think about it, Mrs. Thornton is a thoroughly stand-up and modern mother. After the suicide of her husband, she took her two young children and raised them with economy and strict focus; she managed John's money so well he was able to lease the mill, and she continues to run it with him on a day-to-day basis. Even though she hates Margaret, she promises to learn to like her when she realizes John is in love with her; and then when John can't hate Margaret even after she's rejected him, Mrs. Thornton vows to in his stead. As a mother, Mrs. Thorton is like a tiger: fierce on the outside, but loving and protective when no one is looking.

When thinking of my featured mothers, Mrs. Bennet was not first on my list. She wasn't even on my list. At a glance, Mrs. Bennet seems like one of the least qualified women to be a mother of five daughters. She's immature, frivolous, and simply wants to get all her girls married off to the first men she can find. And then I took a second look at Mrs. Bennet, because Jane Austen is far more introspective than that. Mrs. Bennet is able to be frivolous because she has (at least) two very level-headed daughters and seeing as how she's raised them well, why should she change her style for the other three? Her immaturity can be likened to the gossip addicts of today's society. And she wants to get her daughters married so that they will be provided for, knowing she has not saved for them on her own. Really, all the Mrs. Bennet is guilty of is a melodramatic disposition and social butterfly syndrome. She is a well meaning mother, who puts her family first, and for tha she's been added to my list.

Lady Crawley is one fierce women. She is unwavering in her modern ideas, while despising shifts in modern society. Above all, she is willing to do anything to protect her granddaughter's inheritance. She holds that quiet type of motherhood: the type where her children think she expects everything of them, when really she simply wants to see them do well and be happy. Lady Crawley is continually surprised by how people see her, and can't seem to understand why one must make way for impolite society in an entrenched history. I love Violet because she is the determined matriarch, the women you think of one way when really she's another, a class act all the way. Considering how wonderful her son is, I'd say she definately nears the top of my favorite mothers list.

While all these characters are wonderful examples of literary mothers, I want to finish this blog post by saying happy mother's day to all the truly wonderful mothers celebrating. You do not just deserve today, but every day to be mother's day. We never appreciate you as much as we should, and I wish this day was more like Christmas, then you may properly feel the love and awe we give to you.

#REsense recap

Dear reader, I'm positive no one had more fun last night than us at our #REsense twitter party. My lovely beyond lovely cohoestess @CaseeMarie and some of my favorite twitter ladies: @darbydashwood, @ladyrelaynie, @sheblog, and @so_meow, dropped by to enjoy a lot of Austen, and even more Austen discussion. Wondering what some of the top rewatch moments were? They're below, or read the twitter log here.

The twitter silence any time Brandon walked on screen/talked.

There was a good 8 minutes where no one typed anything. I thought twitter might be having a meltdown, or my computer was going to blow up, then the tweets started again and everyone realized we had been silent. And then, we figured out why -- Col. Brandon, in that oh so sexy Alan Rickman voice, was telling us his history in connection with Willoughby. This happened again twice later on in the night and was an amazingly entertaining coincidence. A theory was also thrown out that most women think Snape is a closet gentleman because Rickman played Brandon. Okay, so I'm the one that brought it up and I'm the one that thinks it, but I still think its true! 

Our mutual distaste for Lucy & Fanny

There will always be one Austen character we just can't stand, or certainly love to hate. For Sense and Sensibility that title was won by both Lucy and Fanny. Two women equally ridiculous and equally spiteful.

The inevitable comparison to the '08 adaptation, and subsequent desire to watch the '08 adaptation

Need I say more? I didn't think so.

A argument must be made that Edward and Elinor rival Darcy and Elizabeth  

Darcy and Elizabeth are iconic. They're iconic because of their hate-love relationship, but during the rewatch we questioned why Elinor and Edward are seen as a lesser couple. They're are just as honorable, just as hopelessly in love, and in many ways, act more mature than Darcy and Lizzy. Therefore, I'm arguing today that, while Darcy and Lizzy can keep their reigning title, Elinor and Edward need to get a little more respect as a top Austen couple.

2 more rewatched have be forged (Forgive the medieval sword references, I've been watching too much Camelot)

YEP. Two more rewatches! Northanger Abbey  and Pride and Prejudice '05 will be our next rewatches. This will include more Austen fabulousness, more wallpapers, more photos, and lots more tweets. Pencil in April 29th for Northanger and May 20th for Pride and Prejudice. I know, it feels like a long way away, but it will SO be worth it! More details to come.

QUOTE POSTERS #002

In honor of the Sense and Sensibility rewatch tomorrow, our second quote poster is rockin' a little sense and sensibility. Feel like snagging the wallpaper? It will be posted during the rewatch tomorrow. Look for the link along with several others!

S&S rewatch, reasons to be excited

Dear reader, are you as excited for the rewatch as I am? I have my dvd all set out already, I've got all the wallpapers and photos ready. I even...I know this is bad...watched the 2008 BBC adaptation to get ready. Now, I figured there is no reason to sing the newest adaptations praises, we'll be comparing it to the fantastic '95 version in just 2 days, so why not talk a little literary today?

As Jane Austen's first published work, Sense and Sensibility asks many of the same questions as her first novel, (and her last published) Northanger Abbey: what is true love, true romance, and true good sense. What is different in S&S is that we get to see two starkly contrasted relationships grow at the same time. And while different, both relationships question what makes sense and what social sensibility dictates. And, like every Austen novel -- good sense wins, and most of the time is complimentary to social sensibility.

What I love about the novel is Austen's narrator has such a strong voice throughout. In the adaptations, Elinor takes on much of that strength. Thus, its undertone in her character deeply impacts her silent suffering. Anytime Elinor's on screen you feel her love suffocating her, you feel her desires chocking in her throat. Its a brilliant example of how, though some things are lost in translation, other, beautiful nuances take their place.

I can't wait to see what we think during the rewatch! I always love adaptation discussion.

Feel like catching up on your S&S?

Read the novel here

Watch the 2008 version here

Join the rewatch party on facebook

Set your twitter search to #REsense

Didn't catch the details? Read them here

And to all my blogging bellas, I'm so sorry I've been MIA around your comment pages and tweets. Real life's been cah-razy. I can't wait to kick back and #REsense on Friday!

Everything you need to know about the S&S rewatch

Dear readers! We're doing it again. That's right! Another rewatch!

This time? The 1997 version of Sense and Sensibility hosted by yours truly and the fantastic Casee from The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower.

When: April 8th at 8:00 pm EST

Where: Twitter: #REsense

look for @heatherfrances and @caseemarie

Who: Everyone!
Why: Because we can. And everyone loves to watch Alan Rickman play Col. Brandon, but if you want to have a twitter discussion on why David Morrissey is better, totally I'm game. (btw David Morrissey HAS a twitter (ignore the very strange profile pic. I'm pretty positive its him.) I'm sure if we @ him enough, he might be intrigued..)
Incentive: Isn't rewatching enough?! If its not, I'll be posting special links to S&S fanart wallpapers and high res images not yet posted on fycd during the April 8th rewatch. The links will only be good for the 2 hour rewatch window.

Keep checking back for more rewatch info! Of special interest: Wednesday and Thursday.