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Saturday, April 30, 2016

Period Drama S Quiz


In this fun little quiz all the answers start with S and the questions come from various period dramas. Have fun!

To Play: Read the questions below and guess the answers. All answers start with the letter S. Leave your guesses in a comment and I'll respond with your score. You may only guess once for each question so think hard about your answers before you respond! Answers to this game will be posted next Saturday.

Scoring: 1 point for each correct S answers. Highest possible score is 10 points!


Period Drama Quiz Questions:

1. What double S initials are the first and married last name of Mrs. Elton's sister in Emma?

2. What S is the English county that Emma Woodhouse lived in?

3. What S is the first name of Mr. Rivers in Jane Eyre?

4. What S is the name of the country vicarage Jane Austen lived in as a child?

5. What S is the surname of young Miss Harriet in Emma?

6. What S is the surname of Esther in Bleak House?

7. What S is the name of the Lone Ranger's horse?

8. What S is the name of a fictional seaside resort and the title of an unfinished Jane Austen work?

9. What S is the first name of Miss Grey, the rich lady Mr. Willoughby married in Sense and Sensibility?

10. What S in the surname of Anne in Anne of Green Gables?



Thursday, April 28, 2016

Jane Austen Would You Rather


A while back Cordy from Write On, Cordy! tagged me in a Jane Austen Would You Rather tag. There's some really fun questions here! Sorry Cordy for taking so long to repost this. I hope y'all enjoy these questions and take some time to answer them yourself.


Who would you rather have act as your matchmaker, Lady Russell (from Persuasion) or Mrs. Jennings?  Mrs. Jennings. I actually have quite an appreciation for her motherly kindness even though she is a bit embarrassing at times. She made very good matched for her two daughters and Marianne Dashwood that combined personality matching (and kind regard, if not love) with being comfortably well settled in their married life. Even her matching Elinor up with Colonel Brandon (towards the end of the book) was not a bad match at all had their hearts not already been tied to others. Lady Russell means well I'm sure but she worries too much about rank and wealth.



Who would you like as a pen pal from Jane Austen's works? Probably Fanny Price. She was a faithful correspondent to her brother William and she keeps her letters newsy. I'd love to have her a a pen pal!


Who would you rather go on a walk with, Colonel Fitzwilliam or Captain Benwick? That's a tricky one because they both sound delightful! But while a country walk around Rosings with the good humored Colonel Fitzwilliam sounds lovely, I think I'd rather have a brisk seaside jaunt with the poetry spouting Captain Benwick!



Who would you rather have to befriend, Mrs. Elton or Lucy Steele? Mrs. Elton. I am very like Jane Fairfax so I think I could befriend Mrs. Elton fairly well, at least she speaks her mind most of the time. Lucy Steele is much more of a double crossing type person who says one thing to your face and does another behind your back, I couldn't handle that type of person.


Who would you rather have as a sibling, John Knightley or Mary [Musgrove] (from Persuasion, not Mary Bennet)? John Knightley. He's kind and has a great snarky sense of humor (reminds me of my dad actually). Mary Musgrove is just plain annoying!


Who would you rather dance with? (Very open book!) Hard one! Probably Henry Tilney but perhaps Mr. Knightley - both elegant dancers and gentlemanly partners.


Who would you rather refuse, Mr. Collins or Mr. Elton? Mr. Elton. At least he would get the point right off and not persist on ignoring my refusal.


Who would you rather match-make for, Miss Bates or Mary Bennet? Mary Bennet. I think a studious young minister should be easy enough to find as she could help him to write his sermons, or what about a foreign missionary!


Who would you rather have as a best friend? Eleanor Tilney, always and forever. She's one of my favorite characters in Northanger Abbey and I just love her practical good sense, sweetness and good humor.


Who would you rather argue with? (Mrs. Bennet, Lady Catherine, Emma Woodhouse, Mr. Woodhouse, Mr. Palmer, Mrs. Jennings, Fanny Dashwood, Captain Wentworth, Mr. Darcy, ect.)
From the list I think that Captain Wentworth would be the most interesting person to argue with, challenging because he always makes sense, fun because his sense of humor always comes through.


Would you rather wander the grounds of Pemberley and risk being 'discovered' or wander over the downs surrounding Barton Cottage in the rain and twist an ankle? Usually I'd choose physical pain over emotional strain but Pemberley would be awesome to explore and meeting Mr. Darcy wouldn't be horrible. He can keep his wet shirts through!


Where would you live in Austen's works? That's hard to decide! There's a lot of interesting places to visit such as Bath, Lyme Regis or Pemberley but I feel like a small village such as Highbury in Emma would be more my speed. So I think I might like to live at Donwell Abbey (Mr. Knightley's residence in Emma). But I also like the idea of a country parsonage so maybe Mr. Tilney's smaller house at Woodston from Northanger Abbey.


Now It's Your Turn To Answer:
Who would you rather have act as your matchmaker, Lady Russell (from Persuasion) or Mrs. Jennings?
Who would you like as a pen pal from Jane Austen's works?
Who would you rather go on a walk with, Colonel Fitzwilliam or Captain Benwick?
Who would you rather have to befriend, Mrs. Elton or Lucy Steele?
Who would you rather have as a sibling, John Knightley or Mary (from Persuasion, not Mary Bennet)?
Who would you rather dance with? (Very open book!)
Who would you rather refuse, Mr. Collins or Mr. Elton?
Who would you rather match-make for, Miss Bates or Mary Bennet?
Who would you rather have as a best friend?
Who would you rather argue with? (Mrs. Bennet, Lady Catherine, Emma Woodhouse, Mr. Woodhouse, Mr. Palmer, Mrs. Jennings, Fanny Dashwood, Captain Wentworth, Mr. Darcy, ect.) 
Would you rather wander the grounds of Pemberley and risk being 'discovered' or wander over the downs surrounding Barton Cottage in the rain and twist an ankle?
Where would you live in Austen's works?



Monday, April 4, 2016

March 2016 Period Drama Challenge Recap & Tag Questions


Sorry this post is up a bit late. I started back to work in March and have been very busy.

As the part of the 2016 Period Drama Challenge at the end of each month I'll be posting a list of the participants, reviews for that month and give you some tag questions to answer. 

 So far there have been 59 comments on the Period Drama Challenge post. 18 people have said they will be participating in the challenge. From those participants links to 50 film reviews have been left in the comments.

 If you haven't left the links to your period drama film reviews from March on the original post go and do it now or comment here! :) 

 And if you haven't entered the 2016 Period Drama Challenge there's still plenty of time to do so!


18 Participants:
Rose of An Old Fashioned Girl - 10 films
Heidi of Along The Brandywine - 5 films (may do more)
Hamlette of Hamlette's Soliloquy - 12-15 films
Tom of Motion Picture Gems - 8 films
Birdie of Lady of the Manor - 8 films
Lois Johnson - 8 films
 Éowyn of High Noon - 5 films
Faith of Just Way Too Boss - 5 films
Abby P of Lavender Spring - 5 films
Catherine of Based On The Book - 5 films
Mary Horton of Sunshine and Scribblings - 5 films
Carissa Horton of Musings Of An Introvert - 10 films
Jenelle Schmidt of JenelleSchmidt.com - ? films
Jayne M of Adventures At Tiny Toadstool - 12-15 films
Miss Laurie of Old-Fashioned Charm - 12-15 films
McKenna of It's The Little Things - 12-15 films
The Gibson Girl - 5 films
Becky of Becky's Book Reviews - 8 films


22 Reviews:
How Green Was My Valley by Catherine
Rurouni Kenshin by Faith
Vanity Fair (1998) by Lois Johnson
Arabian Nights' (2000) by Catherine
 Mini reviews for Anne of Green Gables, Mr. Holmes, Home Fires, Pollyanna and Downton Abbey (Series 6) by Becky
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, (Season 1) by Becky
When Calls the Heart by Carissa Horton
Bill by Catherine
Mercy Street by Abby P
Lark Rise to Candleford (Season 1) by Becky
Poldark (Season 1) by Birdie
Miss Potter by Becky
The Imitation Game by Carissa Horton
Tess of the D'Urbevilles (2008) by Catherine
Lark Rise to Candleford by Lois Johnson
Populaire (2012) by Birdie

P.S. And I have failed this month in posting any film reviews. I've started many reviews but after I started back to work and am trying to juggle my time. Hopefully I'll do better in April.

 March Tag Questions: 
(Answer here in the comments or on your blog)
1. What period dramas did you view in March?
2. What is your favorite period drama soundtrack?
3. If you could attend a ball in a Jane Austen story what would be the color of your ballgown and who would you dance with?
4. Do you prefer watching period dramas by yourself or with friends/family? Why?
5. What period dramas are you looking forward to viewing in April 2016?





Saturday, April 2, 2016

Period Drama Scrambles Game {3} - Answers!


These are the answers to the Period Drama Scrambles Game {3} from last week. Everyone did such a great job with their answers, I think most everyone got all of them! Your scores are below. Thanks for playing!


Period Drama Scrambles

Answer: Northanger Abbey


Answer: Daniel Deronda


Answer: The Book Thief


Answer: Bleak House


Answer: Cranford


Answer: Lorna Doone


Answer: The Importance Of Being Earnest


Answer: The Scarlet Pimpernel


Answer: Much Ado About Nothing


Answer: Anne Of Green Gables

~*~

Players Scores:
Naomi Bennet - 10 points
Kerry - 10 points
Emma Jane - 9 points
Abby P - 10 points
Sarah - 10 points
Miss Sneyd - 10 points
Esther Romaine - 10 points
Shieldmaiden of Rohan - 10 points
Lois Johnston - 10 points
Mary Horton - 9 points
Ashley - 10 points
Juliette - 10 points
Emily Ruth - 10 points
Heidi - 10 points
Emily G. - 10 points
Lepidoptera - 10 points
Hamlette - 10 points





Friday, April 1, 2016

Love & Friendship Trailer!


A most delightful trailer for Love & Friendship (2016), the new adaptation of Jane Austen's minor work Lady Susan, has been released!

First go over to IMDb or YouTube and watch the trailer: once, twice, or ten times (like I have!), then come back and we'll discuss!

DeCourcy Family (plus Frederica Vernon)

Did you laugh? I laughed a LOT and my sister watched it right before going into work and she was quoting the silly lines over to herself and giggling. :)


Lady Susan and Reginald DeCourcy

From the trailer Love & Friendship (2016) looks:

  • Witty - terribly funny!
  • Very close to the original story, minus the letter writing.
  • Very well cast, actors are talented in their craft.
  • Costumes and scenes are very rich and beautiful - for instance Lady Susan and her daughter are dressed in mourning as is proper. 
  • There's the addition of a companion/lady's maid for Lady Susan named Mrs. Cross who has red hair!  Perhaps she will be a means of foiling Lady Susan's plans? 
  • Very distinctly set in the 1790's and the costumes and hairstyles very clearly reflect that - perhaps odd for what one thinks of a Jane Austen adaptation, but it is a different sort of story from all of her other novels. So exciting!

Miss Cross and Lady Susan meeting Catherine and Reginald


Now here's some technical stuff.

The text from the trailer: "Lady Susan has no husband, no money, but she has a plan: marry off her daughter, find herself a rich husband and rendezvous with her lover. A lady's work is never done. Based on Jane Austen's comic genius. From writer and director Whit Stillman."


Premier Dates: May 13th, 2016 (USA) and 27 May 2016 (UK) in limited cinemas. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23rd and was well received by Janeites such a Margaret Sullivan of AustenBlog (read her review here).


Cast Of Characters: 
I've done some screencaps from the trailer to give some idea of what the characters look like. Their costumes are lovely and most sound exceedingly delightful!

Kate Beckinsale as Lady Susan Vernon

Chloë Sevigny as Alicia Johnson

Morfydd Clark as Frederica Vernon

Xavier Samuel as Reginald DeCourcy

Tom Bennett as Sir James Martin
His lines in the trailer were hillarious! I think he's going to be the most comical character in the whole film! 

Jemma Redgrave as Lady DeCourcy

James Fleet as Sir Reginald DeCourcy
 This is his third Jane Austen film! (The others are Sense & Sensibility 1996 and Death Comes To Pemberley.)

Kelly Campbell as Mrs. Cross
 A new addition to the story.

Justin Edwards as Charles Vernon

Emma Greenwell as Catherine Vernon

Lochlainn O Mearáinn as Lord Manwaring

Jenn Murray as Lady Lucy Manwaring

Stephen Fry as Mr. Johnson
(with Jenn Murray as Lady Lucy Manwaring)


My Thoughts: The more I worked with the screencaps the more the costumes in Love & Friendship (2016) remind me of costumes from Sense and Sensibility (1995), Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Northanger Abbey (1987), although much more elegant than the latter. They are certainly different from the early 1800's clothing that one sees in most other Jane Austen adaptations but that only helps me to identify it as one of her much earlier works and give an idea of how the time period was when she was a girl. I'm muchly encourage and excited to see that the trailer doesn't show anything that could be considered inappropriate, so I am in high hopes of a fairly clean film. Overall I'm quite excited to see this movie! And I'm going to listen to my audiobook version of Lady Susan in preparation.  


After watching the trailer are you excited about this film?

What are your thoughts of the cast and costumes?