Totally agree–and thanks for putting it so elegantly.

It made no sense at all either in the terms of the programme or her biography. That comment made me furious. I thought the portrayal of JA by Olivia Williams was excellent both in acting and in the way it was written – sardonic, attached to her family, and aware (as is expressly said by her brother’s housekeeper) that whatever life you choose you have regrets. I had the impression of someone bursting with energy both for creation and living, and thwarted by the boundaries placed around women in her day and her own illness. A complex woman, not a sad-eyed forlorn romantic. Good stuff.

Probably because you’re female. Most of my literary heroes are male, but then I’m male too. I make an exception for Austen, although that wasn’t always the case.

>Why should we always expect Miss Austen to be sort of strange creature, I think she was a normal woman like others.
Of course she was. I have no doubts about that.
But *this* Haden thing, if true, would seem more pathetic than a ‘not strange creature, but very normal’

-the 2nd time is about him taking notice of Fanny regarding her piano playing, then going on in her own special way about his being called away by the Doctor to Capt. Blake’s.

-the third is more about Edward not coming
We have had no Edward.- Our circle is formed; only Mr. Tilson & Mr Haden.- We are not so happy as we were.

-the 4th; once again it is with regards to Fanny;
…the Drawing room was thus arranged, on the sofa-side the two Ladies, Henry and myself making the best of it, on the opposite side Fanny and Mr. Haden in two chairs (I believe at least they had two chairs) talking together uninterruptedly.
(the last emphasis is mine)
The reference to ‘two chairs’ makes me think Fanny and Mr Haden were sitting close together
On the same page further mention of him with regards to Henry’s illness once again.

-And then the important 5th time. .. sort of wonderful nondescript Creature on two legs, something between a Man & an Angel
This is JA IMO, the writer, talking . She describes people objectively. Compare another description in a letter to Fanny in Feb 1817, about Henry and Edward (I don’t know which ones, there are so many);
Henry is generally thought very good-looking but not so handsome as Edward.- I think I prefer his face.-
I think they may be some children in the family (Lizzy’s?)

She could have called Mr H an angel because he cured Henry.
Anyway this description comes after she has noticed his attentions to Fanny.

-the last mention is in a short note like letter to him to return and thank him for some books and expressing hope of seeing him again before they leave on Sunday so that ‘goodbye’ can be said.

So all those deep soulful looks of longing etc in MAR don’t ring true to me.

(the post has become very long so I won’t write anything else – about Rev. Bridges, for instance)

And the third one would be the one about the only way to found a Mr. Darcy is making him up. I loved those 3, altough I can imagine this one break many fantasy bubbles among fans, he, he. But for years I have been wondering about the fact that many of my literary heroes have been created by women writers (only Faramir by Tolkien and Jean de Pardaillan by Zevaco might be the exceptions that conffirm the rule), and therefore unfortunately, they might be only figments of female imagination.

Thanks Boris for the link on how to purchase the CD.

Not quite sure what I expected.
Olivia Williams is pretty good, I thought.

The first half hour or so was rather strange – lack of substance, sort of – because Olivia Williams kept reminding me of Lydia instead of Jane Austen. Not her fault at all. She did what she was asked to by the script writer and director.

But was JA that crazy as shown?
Are they mixing up satire of JA’s letters with something else? Then again – it’s the difference in personal interpretation, and so …*shrugs* ..it’s just that JA seemed like Lydia. Well almost.

Towards the end it got better – substance-wise.

Some points i noted;
-The film starts with marriage – ends with marriage – and there is this whole talk of marriage and men in between.
-mouthing dialogues from her books grated on my nerves.
-Felt like cheering when Edward tells Fanny to read her aunt’s novels again if she thinks they are all about love and marriage – and when OW says very firmly that Tom lefroy wasn’t the one, and it hurt for about 5 minutes.
-I liked the the underlying thread of their financial problems and her tragic illness.
-and of course it was far far better than the other one – ‘Becoming Jane’.