EVERYTHING AUSTEN CHALLENGE - MANSFIELD PARK

THE BOOK AND ITS HEROINE

Mansfield Park has the negative reputation of being disliked by more of Jane Austen's fans than any of her other novels. I've read somewhere that  "Fanny Wars" have broken out in internet discussion forums. This novel  themes are very different from those of Jane Asuten's  other books, which can be easily summed up into one sentence: Sense and Sensibility is about balancing emotions and thought, Pride and Prejudice is about judging others too quickly, Emma is about growing into adulthood, and Persuasion is about second chances. The theme of Mansfield Park, on the other hand, cannot be so easily described. Is it about ordination? Is it an allegory on Regency England? Is it about slavery? Is it about the education of children? Is it about the difference between appearances and reality? Is it about the results of breaking with society's conventions and good manners? Any, or all of those themes can, and have been recognized in  Mansfield Park.

The main problem for most of the novel's detractors is the heroine, Fanny Price. She is shy, timid, lacking in self-confidence, physically weak, and seemingly—to some, annoyingly—always right. Austen's own mother called her "insipid", and many have used the word "priggish". She is certainly not like the lively and witty Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice. But Mansfield Park also has many supporters, whose admiration and loyalty can be attributed to the depth and complexity of the themes in the book and to the main character—a young woman who is unlike most heroines found in literature.

One thing is certain, this novel is not like Jane Austen's others. The girl-gets-boy plot of her other work is mostly absent here, and the heroine's success in finding love is treated briefly, quickly, and for many readers unsatisfactorily. Only in the final chapter  Fanny gets the love she deserves.

Jane Austen 's Mansfield Park  was published on May 4, 1814 and it was Austen's third published novel; though, as with all of her novels, her name was not attached to it until after her death.

RE - WATCHING MANSFIELD PARK 1999 & 2007

Before wrapping - up  my beloved EVERYTHING AUSTEN CHALLENGE ( taking part in it was great fun!) ,  I've re-read  Austen's Mansfield Park and especially re-watched comparatively its 1999 film adaptation , starring  Frances O'Connor  ( as Fanny Price) and Jonny Lee Miller (as Edmund Bertram) and its 2007 ITV adaptation with Billie Piper (Fanny) and Blake Ritson (Edmund).

I must confess ,  my mind was caught  into a dizzy confusion seeing both EMMA 2009 's Mr Knightley and Mr Elton propose and kiss Fanny Price!  In fact, Jonny Lee Miller played Edmund Bertram in 1999 and Mr Knightley in 2009, while Blake Ritson was Edmund in 2007 and Mr Elton in 2009. But I want to be immediately clear: my favourite Edmund Bertram is my favourite Mr Knightley , Jonny Lee Miller.

Now, while I loved re-watching the 1999 film version - though not always accurate if compared to the original text - I realized I didn't like 2007 ITV adaptation  so much ( I thought I liked it when I got the DVD from Amazon last year!) once I had compared it to the oldest version. And that  for several reasons, among which:

- its fast pace, which makes many parts of the novel disappear abruptedly

- no irony nor wit

- Billie Piper is not convincingly shy or insecure, her look is too modern ,  her characterization too free and     easy to convey  the  real Fanny Price

- Hayley Atwell 's Mary Crawford loses the match if compared to wonderful Embeth Davidtz in 1999 version
- Blake Ritson's Edmund reminded me 2009 Mr Elton's  stare from time to time and I tended to ... laugh!

SCREENCAPS FROM THE 1999 FILM VERSION

SCREENCAPS FROM ITV 2007 ADAPTATION

THE GAME OF THE PROPOSALS

Yes, I know. This is not the first time I propose this game to you, but, you see, these are the best moments in these movies and I love watching, re-watching and  comparing the emotions they convey. I'm an incurable romantic, you are right. Be patient with me and take part in the game only if you really feel like or if you are as romantic as I am.

CLIP 1 . MANSFIELD PARK 1999 - Final scene

CLIP 2 . ITV MANSFIELD PARK 2007 - Final scene

 No doubt the more recent version gives us a very lively finale. While,  have you noticed how much Jonny/ Edmund's final revelation of his feelings resembles Jonny/Mr Knightley's declaration to Emma? Try to compare the two ones. Do you agree with me? So, what's your favourite adaptation? Do you also think MANSFIELD PARK is the least enjoyable among Jane Austen's novels? What about Fanny Price? Do you like her?
Now before leaving you to your reflections, I wanted to thank STEPHANIE for hosting such a wonderful challenge!

 

A RED & BLUE PENCIL - IL ROSSO E IL BLU DI MARCO LODOLI

The thick half red and half blue pencil is an object familiar to those of us who went to school in the 60s and 70s. Our teachers used to correct our tests with  it. Blue mistakes, very serious ones; red mistakes, not so serious. Now, we teachers just use red-ink pens and make our students' papers bleed.

Marco Lodoli is just 4 years older than me and a high school teacher like me. He is a very good journalist and writer, too. He publishes his articles about school in the most important Italian newspapers andt has also published novels and short stories. Well, even an extraordinary man like him suffers from frustration at being a teacher nowadays. Even he has to cope with classes of disinterested, demotivated, distracted teenagers.

His school memories from childhood are my memories from childhood, his present experiences at school are my own experiences. This is why I loved reading this book. I found myself in it.

"IL ROSSO E IL BLU" ( the red and the blue colour of the pencil I mentioned at the beginning) is opened and closed by the same words. I'm going to translate them for you. I hope I'll manage to convey Lodoli's nostalgia and tenderness:

" Primary school Ugo Bartolomei, via Asmara, Roma, 1962-1967, a life ago. In fact, when I try recollect in my memory that time, I just find few fragments I can hardly connect. But Mrs Greco, first and second year, and Mr Castelli, from the third to the fifth year, I perfectly remember. They are the first people who taught me not to cry too much ( I don't know why, I was so easily moved to tears, everything upset me), to keep my things in order, to listen, to go the whole hog. It was a silent world, completely different from the world of our restless, yelling and shouting kids of today. Mrs Greco dictated and I wrote, trying to avoid making mistakes because I didn't want to disappoint her. Mr Castelli gave us long explanations about Maths and I listened to him carefully, lined up figures, solved problems. They called me Lodoli, they were strict, demanding, melancholic: they knew everything, all the rivers in Italy, all the capitals, all about Ancient Rome History, and I thought they were immortal".

The contrast between  these sweet  melancholic memories and his present experiences at school is clashing.

Here are some of his key-ideas.

1. Our kids and teenagers don't want to suffer at all, never, neither to measure their strength. Every noble illusion is immediately left apart because it involves an  effort which is not considered worth making. Even a test is something to be rejected in the name of extreme hedonism.

2. To learn, actually learn something, costs hard work, while the religion  of our time is laughing and enjoying oneself and hard work is an offence to good humour.

3. Nowadays culture and  knowledge are useless but if they were really and deeply absorbed by ordinary people, they would be even harmful, they would sabotage the engine of the car we are travelling in and this can't be permitted. Culture and knowledge can be subversive and destroy our world , a market founded on compulsive wishes.

4. Those who want to make their best at school risk being mocked, emarginated, bullied. To make one's best is useless, if not dangerous. Our TV programmes are  crowded with people who can do very little or nothing but are under the spotlight, become rich and popular.

5. The right attitude to life should be : "Here I am, I'm trying, I'm doing my best, I just want to defeat apathy and laziness. Life is huge and there must be a place for me too, come hell or high water".

6. Our teenagers are convinced wisdom is useless today, it is something belonging to the past. We only need money and technology according to them. 

So teachers fight against windmills like Don Quixote in Cervantes's novel. But Marco Lodoli invites us to be hopeful, to insist, to start over each and any time we fail, even when it seems there is nothing to do. Even when it seems we've lost the match.

I'm convinced of that and I'm also very lucky. I've met and still meet many wonderful young people. Not the majority, but that minority is worth fighting for. Thanks Marco Lodoli.

SATURDAY NIGHT CLASSIC READING - THE AGE OF INNOCENCE

This is one of my favourite novels among the ones I've recently read. I was completely caught by the two protagonists' love story. As usual, each Saturday night I take a little time to listen to a passage intensely read by an actor and today I've chosen to propose to all of you Dominic West reading some pages from Edith Wharton's THE AGE OF INNOCENCE. You can find all my enthusiasm and my fondness in this post HERE.

By the way, do you remember Edith Wharton is visiting FLY HIGH! on January 15th 2010? CLICK HERE TO DISCOVER HOW!

Now to our man and our reading. Dominic West has a wonderful deep voice. It was such a pleasure to listen to him reading these pages I love so much ... TRY YOURSELF. CLICK ON THE URL UNDER THE PICTURE AND ENJOY! A VERY ROMANTIC  SATURDAY NIGHT TO YOU ALL!

http://www.cartenoire.co.uk/the-age-of-innocence

RA PHOTO FRIDAY - RICHARD IN LEATHER

There has been so much hue and cry for this scene in Spooks 8 episode 5 since Lucas North was wearing a black leather jacket . He was trying to play a trick on the Americans (CIA) disguised as a courier.  We hadn't seen Richard in leather since Robin Hood series 2. And since Sir Guy left us forever we have been missing him so much! But I don't particularly like Lucas's  leather biker jacket. Too big? Too stiff?

I read many comments referring to this scene as a quotation of Gisborne, especially when Lucas takes one of his gloves  off like this ...

To be honest , yes, this is one of Guy's typical gestures, but I can see very little Guy in this handsome in-leather courier. He reminds me of Ricky Deeming, instead.  A lot. Do you remember him? ( from George Gently)

I particularly love other "leather moments" in Richard's career. What about these ones below?

Dr Alec Track in a gorgeous black leather jacket and jeans at the pub

Sweet Harry J. Kennedy tenderly looking at Geraldine on their first date or

...  kissing her for the first time in a very trendy brown leather jacket and jeans.

 I didn't remember that , early in his career , Richard was already wearing leather in BBC Doctors . But , thanks to Plylly, here he is . It was 2001 and he was playing Dr Tom Steele, arrogant and lazy, in a dark leather jacket again!

We shouldn't forget this elegant upper- class gentleman above here either: Philip Turner,  from Inspector Linley Mysteries (Divine Proportion), since he is also showing off a very British look in his leather jacket.

But Richard in leather is , for all of us  and forever,  HIM... the only true  in- leather charming hero...

SIR GUY OF GISBORNE!

P.S. TONIGHT SPOOKS 8 EPISODE 6 IS ON BBC 3!

ENJOY IT!

A FALCON IN LOVE WITH A DOVE - FINALE (EP. 5-6) - PHOTO STORY

 PREVIOUS POSTS

 INTRODUCTION & EPISODE 1

EPISODE 2

EPISODE 3

EPISODE 4

Giulio, seriously injured in Armido's ambush, manages to escape and is helped by a kid , Paolino, who hid him in a hut on the beach. Giulio fights against death for long days.

In Rome Cardinal Colonna needs money to go on with his invasion of the city. Prince Savelli's offer can't be refused. In exchange of a great amount Colonna will find Giulio Branciforte, dead or alive, and his corpse must be shown to Elena, so that the girl may finally accept to marry the old prince.

Elena goes on hoping Giulio is still alive somewhere and rejects her mother pressure for a marriage with Savelli. Her sureness is shattered when she is shown...

... the corpse of a young man wearing the half of the necklace Giulio used to wear. She is desperate because she doesn't know that necklace was found by Armido on the beach and put around another man's neck.

The corpse is unrecognizable.

When Prince Savelli is rejected even after the "certainty" of Giulio's death, he decides to revenge. He denounces Elena to the Inquisition Tribunal for her sinful behaviour.

In prison Elena meets Lisetta - whom she doesn't know - who is accused of murdering a nun and who hates her deeply because she's always been in love with Giulio.

Meanwhile Giulio is safe and has joined his friends Ugone and Ferdinando with the help of Paolino. He discovers Elena is in prison and wants to save her. But ...

... someone else has helped her to escape religious justice: Prince Savelli. She has decided to marry him.

Actually she only wants revenge on Prince Savelli because she knows he has plotted against Giulio and paid for his death. She wants to kill him on their wedding bed. Unfortunately, the old prince is stronger than her ...

His rage is irrepressible and terrible, his revenge devilish.

 He orders Elena to be walled up, he wants to leave her starve there.

Meanwhile, Giulio, Ugone and Ferdinando hear that Lisetta is going to  be executed publicly. Giulio asks Colonna the permission to go to Rome and try to help her his old friend and ex-lover.

Once there he can only listened to Lisetta's confession: she has betrayed him and his friends more than once; she has met Elena in prison and treated her very badly. All this because of her blind foolish jealousy. She asks him for forgiveness before dying.

Giulio discovers the  old cardinal, whom he considers like a father, was part of Elena's mother's and Prince Savelli's  plot against him; Cardinal Colonna  convinced Elena that he was dead and she decided to revenge Giulio's death.

 Under Giulio's threat, the cardinal confesses that he knows  something has happened between the old prince and his new young wife: she has disappeared.

Giulio gets to Rome just when it is under attack  and being sacked.

Prince Savelli is killed and dies without revealing where he has hidden Giulio's beloved Elena.

Luckily, Giulio finds her just in time. The two lovers wait for the soldiers' leaving and finally they are totally free...

 ... to live their love story without any further interference. They join Donna Vittoria Colonna who has been waiting  for them in Ischia.

Read the original novella by Stendhal, THE ABBESS OF CASTRO, on line

but remember the TV series is very loosely based on it!