Wednesday 4 July 2007

Bishop-kicking

Trying to decide which of the many screen versions of Pride and Prejudice we should study I had an idea: the students can vote, by SMS! How decline of western civilisation is that? But can I receive SMS's if I don't have a mobile phone myself?


I generally recommend non-violence, but just the same I was very pleased today to read the late Reverend Isaac Hunt describing Tom Paine as a 'sovereign-deposing, bishop-kicking, title-levelling' advocate of mob rule.

Father Ted, you are missed.

21 comments:

TimT said...

Got a package from my folks today containing two of my Jane Austen books, P&P and S&S. I shall certainly enjoy re-reading them shortly. It's curious to hold them again; I got P&P in a shed that was at the back of a flat in Annandale I lived at for a year - it has several names written on it, and appears to have been used as a school text.

I always found Bridget Jones Diary to be an interesting take on the P&P plot - the book, I mean. (The movie is interesting, too, but not really in the same league). I think Helen Fielding hit on exactly the right tone in the novel. Despite not being part of the target audience, I derived a great deal of enjoyment from it.

M-H said...

You can receive and send SMSs from a computer. Try googling "sms from a computer" and you'll get several Aussie sites.

Anonymous said...

But what if they pick the wrong one? ;)

Pride and Extreme Prejudice.

(Seriously, though, how many serious contenders are there? Judging by my own university experience I'd have thought that all of the miniseries were too long. On the other hand, most of the movie versions are pretty bad...)

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

They need to see Colin Firth all drippy wet and soulful in his clingy Regency undies. If that's not an education then I'm sure I don't know what is.

kate said...

Pav that scene always reminds me of sitting with my tute group in Robin Grove's office in first year. Very earnest discussion of the Un-Austen-ness of the interpretation etc.

I'd fast forward through it entirely, except that my partner likes to talk along with the dialogue immediately after (he also does the nodding head bowing thing while asking after my family). Of course, watching S&S means saying "Nooo, for I must away" as many times as possible.

lucy tartan said...

Danger of earnestness duly noted. I'd love to be a fly on the wall at your place to see the audience interactions Kate.

Random: yes, I agree most of the adaptations are not great but there are ways of looking at them where that doesn't matter much. Although some are a lot worse than others.

And yes, they *do* absolutely need to see the Colin Firth miniseries. It's Significant, epoch-making etc. We'll just look at one episode, probably the Pemberley one. In the week we focus on adaptations we'll also have a free movie screening in the campus cinema and I'll advertise it around to the general uni community since my students won't fill the cinema up. I'm hoping that way to round up a few Janeites to advertise the conference to them. So which movie is chosen isn't that important. But I think I had better pick one myself and not ask them to vote. That was a joke actually, though I understand why it fell flat on its face.

The choice is out of these P&P adaptations:

1940 P&P starring Laurence Olivier & Greer Garson

Bridget Jones's Diary

2005 P&P with Keira Knightley and assorted pirates

2003 modernised P&P made in Salt Lake City and espousing Mormon family values

Bride and Prejudice.

Zoe said...

Can't you do a double bill of Laurence and the Mormons?

lucy tartan said...

Why did you pick those two?

Mindy said...

1940's version more likely to get your Janeophiles I think. The other more mainstream ones, and Bollywood might get 'missed it at the cinema might as well watch if for free' people and the Mormon one might just get you some weirdos, or the Xtians protesting outside or something. Sounds very interesting though.

Anonymous said...

Did you see there is a new version of Mansfield Park with Billie Piper (Dr. Who) as Fanny?

Anonymous said...

DRRINK!!!!

Feck arse!!




Fr. Jack

boynton said...

I like the 40's version.

They don't abridge olde novels like they used to.

And radical statement: I prefer Garson to Ehle as EB.

Zoe said...

(1) for the magic "any savage can dance" and (2)because you can riff off "Big Love" in the publicity.

(Speaking of which, Down With That Kind of Thing!)

Ben.H said...

When my fast-approaching midlife crisis arrives, I shall buy a drumkit. I was going to have the bass drum painted with the logo of my imaginary band, The Bishop Kickers, but now I'm torn between that and Laurence And The Mormons.

Shameful confession: I haven't seen any film or TV adaption of P&P, but assumed I had until reading this post.

Anonymous said...

Totally unrelated to this topic but haven't visited for a while and just read your post re opening jars.
My strongest advice is to
pop yourself down to your nearest Howard's Storage World and invest in your very own "Jarkey" - a kind of plastic spanner-ish implement. 100% guaranteed to open EVERY jar EVERY time. This wonderful invention has reduced the stress in my culinary life immeasurably.....hubby feels a bit redundant, poor thing.
You CAN eat those olives after all!

Emily
(It's been so long, I forgot my pw so have to go anon)

Anonymous said...

The AEC might collect the SMS's for you.

(Whatever happened to the Beeb's adaptations of P & P -- or is that too easy?)

lucy tartan said...

They're just too long for a single sitting - but we will look at one episode of the 1996 series. For it is Significant.

R.H. said...

Dear darlings, I've been wondering if blog soda pop would like my essay on Hal Porter.

-Robert.

(Don't rush to reply)

Ms Batville said...

Have been missing for a while too. Nice to be back.

I am no technophobe but confess to being scared by the ease of SMS - too easy to spell badly.

Dean Rizzetti said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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