Jane Austen Mystique Captures our Grandson’s Attention

I love Jane Austen. Who doesn’t? Last year during the pandemic I enrolled in a free lecture series sponsored somewhere in England. So it was with great surprise and enthusiasm when we learned that our 17 year old grandson loved the movie Emma. When I asked his parents why he did, they weren’t certain. So I took it upon myself to ask him what he found so fascinating. He said he really liked the Mr. Knightley character. That’s all I and my husband needed to hear. We were visiting last weekend for his high school graduation after not seeing the family for 18 months. Our grandson was the salutatorian and all around nice guy - in sports, scholastics, cooking, outdoor adventures, etc. When visiting the family we always watch some kind of movie and so we thought Pride and Prejudice was in order - the one with Colin Firth. He said he was only thirty pages from finishing the novel so we watched the first segment of the series. We also mentioned that Sense and Sensibility would be a must see because of Colonel Brandon. Our grandson was then off for a week vacation with five girls and two boys. So upon his return I sent a few texts to hint at finishing watching the shows. The photos included the shirt Mr. Darcy wore that hung in the Folger Shakespeare museum in DC, and images of Jane’s house in Chawton England that we visited. It included the note I wrote with a quill pen telling Jane how happy I was to be there. So I hope these novels inspire this kid to be and do even better things. We are obviously proud of him and now we have another reason. I’m hoping we hear more about what he thought of shows. 

BritBox Pride and Prejudice, Darcy Shirt, Jane Austen House

We love all things British - especially British tv programming. We’ve seen everything on Masterpiece. We have had Acorn for over a year and most recently decided to get BritBox. Each has its own positives, and we delight in the shows we have been able to watch. Pride and Prejudice is celebrating 25 years - the series with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. It has been remastered to HD quality on BritBox. We have watched this series so many times and started watching it again. Every time we learn something new - especially when closed caption is on and you know exactly what was said. It’s just a happy story - something we can all use right now. When we were in England we visited Jane Austen’s house in Chawton, where she wrote this masterpiece. Using a quill pen and ink, I wrote a note to her when we entered the building about how happy we were to finally be there. We also saw her last home in Winchester and where she is buried in Hampshire in Winchester Cathedral. Ironically, the Folger Shakespeare Library in DC had a Jane Austen exhibit. And wouldn’t you know there was Mr. Darcy’s shirt in plain sight. We went in after a morning walk to visit it! I’ve read just about all of Jane Austen’s works and love every one of them. She has come to life for me in her books, television programs, and by visiting her homes and burial place. If you haven’t seen this wonderful series please do take the time and watch. It’s simply unforgettable.