200 Years of Glorious Emma

So as I mentioned in an earlier post, I decided instead of reading through each Jane Austen novel one by one, I will instead read four chapters of one and then move on to another, then another, etc; that way each book would get posted on. I decided to do this mainly because Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion are really forgotten in the Austen fan world. Also because it is more fun this way. I started with Pride and Prejudice as it turned 200 in 2013. Then I moved on to Sense and Sensibility as it was the first book published. I should do Mansfield Park next, but decided to wait as this year is a special year. Yes 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of 1985, of which I have written a post celebrating The Breakfast Club, will be posting one on Back to the Future, and one honoring the rest of the awesome stuff that came out that year. BUT, 2015 marks another anniversary, this Christmas marks the 200th Birthday of Emma.

Emma is a very unique character unlike any of the other Austen heroines. Many people don’t like this book because they don’t like Emma. I know my friends who love Austen tend to like her least of all the Austen heroines as they think she is too shallow or silly. In fact Jane Austen herself said that in writing Emma:

“I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.”

Well I love Emma. Most likely because she and I have a lot of similarities.

Sister’s amor hating you, a guy who won’t stop following you around. In my case 3), a friend who has a trifecta of boys rejecting her, deciding to become a spinster, has meddled in friends’ love lives…need I go on?

I am who I am

There are probably many of you out there who have had similar experiences.

But Emma is more than just fluff and comedic moments. Through this novel Jane Austen was able to share her own ideas of spinsterhood and how being a spinster who could care for one’s self (like Jane was able to) was nothing to look down on or pity.

Yep, just like her modern counterpart, Cher from Clueless, there is something about that girl that is just lovable.

Not to mention Emma has the amazing Mr. Knightly.

Like with the other two books, I will also will be reviewing books and films that are either another version/interpretation of the story or based on the book with a twist. Hope you all enjoy!

Books:

Emma: A BabyLit Emotions Primer by Jennifer Adams

Jane Fairfax by Joan Aiken

Emma (Jane Austen Children’s Stories #4) by Jane Austen, adapted by Gemma Barder

A Visit to Highbury: Another View of Emma by Joan Austen-Leigh & Jane Austen

Victoria and the Rogue (An Avon True Romance #12) by Meg Cabot

“An Honest Man” by Karen M. Cox from Dangerous to Know, Jane Austen’s Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues: MODERATE edited by Christina Boyd

The Emma Project (The Rajes #4) by Sonali Dev

Mr. Knightley’s Diary (Jane Austen Heros #2) by Amanda Grange

Interference by Kay Honeyman

Emma: Manga Classics adapted by Stacy King and illustrated by Tse

Pride, Prejudice, and Personal Statements by Mary Pagones

Rational Creatures: Emma Woodhouse, Miss Bates, & Harriet Smith by Anngela Schroeder, J. Marie Croft, and Caitlin Williams; edited by Christina Boyd

Amanda by Debra White Smith

Daring Chloe (Getaway Girls #1) by Laura Jensen Walker

Film:

Clueless (1995)

Emma (1996) AKA Gwyneth Paltrow

Emma (1996) AKA Kate Beckinsale

The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

Emma (2009)

Emma Approved (2013)

We Are Family: Austentatious, Episode 1 (2015)

Big Girls Don’t Cry: Austentatious, Episode 2 (2015)

I’ll Be Watching You: Austentatious, Episode 3 (2015)

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Austentatious, Episode 4 (2015)

Call Me, Maybe: Austentatious, Episode 5 (2015)

Drive Me Crazy: Austentatious, Episode 6 (2015)

Make Me a Match: Austentatious, Episode 7 (2015)

Take a Chance on Me: Austentatious, Episode 8 (2015)

Achy Breaky Heart: Austentatious Episode 9 (2015)

Lean On Me: Austentatious Episode 10 (2015)

For more on Emma, go to Opening With…

For more quizzes, go to Lookin’ Over a Four-Leaf Clover

You’re Just Too Good Too Be True: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Romantic Moment #9

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

So I love this film and I know that everyone is expecting the most romantic moment to be the end when Kat says the poem to Patrick. But as much as I love that moment it’s not my favorite.

So 10 Things I Hate About You is a modern day telling of the Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. It is such a great movie starring the gorgeously adorable Heath Ledger, intense Julia Stiles, sweet lil’ Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and a young Gabrielle Union.

So Cameron, (Joseph Gordon Levitt), is new in town and crazy for Bianca Stratford. The only problem is that Bianca can’t date, at least not until her older sister Kat does. Bianca wants to date stupid, jerky, cad Joey. (Joey just wants to sleep with her and dump her), but once again the problem is that Bianca can’t date until Kat does. NO ONE wants to date Kat, she’s CRAZY.

She is crazy!

So Cameron decides that the only way he can get Bianca is if he can pay someone to date Kat. He has no money so he and his friend end up tricking Joey into paying someone to take her out. They choose Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), as there are so many stories circulating about the crazy stuff he has done; they conclude he’s the only one tough enough to handle Kat.

Patrick tries, but even with Cameron’s help, he’s not getting very far. He goes to different places and does different things to try to win her over, but she is just not having it.

So Kat ends up going to this party and gets completely drunk after her and Bianca have a fight. Patrick takes care of her, and the two have some real tender moments, being vulnerable and sharing confidences. She comes onto Patrick, but Patrick doesn’t want to take advantage of her. He knows that she’s upset and drunk, and would regret everything the next day. That’s right guys, Patrick is a decent guy! Aw!!

Aw!

Well the next day Kat is mad at him. She continues to be furious with him, hurt and embarrassed over her being rejected. Finally Patrick realizes that he has to do something silly and romantic to win her back.

Hmmm…

Will the plans work to date the girls? Or will it blow up in all the boys’ faces?

Most Romantic Moment: I Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You

So what Patrick decides to serenade Kat. Paying the A.V. team and the band to play Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes off of You“! 😀

So romantic

And he doesn’t just sing to her, he sings to her in front of the whole school and pays the marching band to accompany him. This is SO ROMANTIC! I aboslutely LOVE this part.

He has such a great voice, and that smile is to die for. Not only does he sing and dance, but fights off the security guards so he can continue. He’s so sweet and romantic. 😀

Aw!

To start Romance is in the Air from the beginning, go to Boom Box of Love: Say Anything (1989)

For the previous post, go to We’re Buying This Dress: Runaway Bride (1999)

For more Heath Ledger, go to The Story, We’re Living it. It’s Alive: The Brothers Grimm (2005)

For more Frankie Valli, go to Oh What A Night

For more serenading, go to I Wanna Grow Old With You: The Wedding Singer (1998)

For more modern retellings, go to Dracula. Not Myth, Nor Ravings of a Mad Irish Novelist, Oh No, He’s Real: Dracula 2000 (2000)

Color Me Red

The lovely shade of embarrassment

So tonight I was in the gym and had a very embarrassing/silly moment. But that’s life, you can’t live without them.

It all started with the T-Shirt I was wearing.

When I go to the gym I like to make sure  no one talks to me. I hate how people try and have a conversation with you when you are out of breath and can’t really talk, it’s on par with dentists who always try to talk to you when they have their hand shoved in your mouth. Why would you ask a question, if you know I can’t answer it due to the fact that your fist is in my mouth!!

See Hook agrees with me.

Anyways, so I go to the gym at night so I don’t run into anyone (or have to give up the machines when I reach the max of 30 mins) I also wear certain clothes so no one will want to talk to me. One shirt I wear is of this band that’s really weird.

Note: It wasn’t a Queen shirt. Queen isn’t weird but AWESOME!!! I wish I had a Queen shirt! ;( But I don’t. 😦

Yeah, sorry about that, I couldn’t find a copy of the shirt online. I love Queen, Queen is not weird.

So this shirt I actually got from a friend. She broke up with her boyfriend and had a huge bag of his clothes she just wanted out of her sight. Me, like the frugal person I am, jumped on that train of free stuff.

You know I never understood that obsession of giving your clothes to your girlfriend. I always thought it was kind of weird. Especially the girlfriends who make their boyfriends give them a ton of their clothes, I mean a jacket I understand, that is more of a symbol. But why does your girlfriend need like 20 of your shirts? Seriously what’s up with that?

So here I am wearing this weird shirt to make sure no one will talk to me, and the guy on duty at the gym just happens to know that band and be really into them. I mean what are the odds of that? Why do such TV-esque things happen to me?

So here I am trying to get out of a conversation like this because I know zero about this group. I act a bit cool toward him, not because I don’t want him to talk to me but because I don’t know ANYTHING about the band.

Later as I was working out, he came over to clean the machine next to me. I go to drink my water and start choking on it. Of course.

So there I am hacking up a storm and I can see the guy out of the corner of my eye.

He comes up to me and asks me if I’m okay, really worried that I might cough up a lung. I assure him I’m okay, but all I can think is I was trying to fly under the radar and completely, utterly, failed! Oh well, that’s my life.

Good thing my face was red from working out so he couldn’t tell how embarrassed I was.

So embarrassed

 

For more embarrassing moments, go to Walkin’ Round

For more “What are the Odd?” moments, go to Heeeeee’s BA-CK!

For more gym stories, go to In Rhapsody Over Clint Eastwood

For more on free stuff, go to CANDY TIME!