As is usual for me, at some point throughout the year I revisit one of my favourite authors and the adaptations of her novels - none other than Jane Austen. To the left you see the man who epitomises my ideal of Fitzwilliam Darcy. I take my hat off to the marvellous person who cast Colin Firth in such a role. There have been many adaptations of this novel in particular, but none seem to meet the brilliance of the most recent BBC production. The cinematic picture with Keira Knightley was grossly miscast and still could not displace the much earlier Laurence Olivier version. My love of Jane Austen reaches into the ultimate dream of no matter how bad things are there is always a suitable ending... a 'Happy Ever After'.
I often have a giggle to myself when I consider that critics and the snobbery of the literary world place Austen's books within the realm of literary classic. When you think about it, her novels are actually an earlier pop fiction within the romantic genre. A genre which in my opinion, is often mistaken to be nothing more than a denigrating trashy novel and not worthy of the attention from the higher echelons of the literary world. What do you think about that - is/should romance novels be ignored over those considered of literary value?
No comments:
Post a Comment