Skip to main content

Pride And Prejudice and Its Ilk

I finally had the opportunity to watch Pride and Prejudice (Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen) last Monday. 

Well, it was a holiday and Dylan was sound asleep at an unusually early time (thanks to his workout in the swimming pool!). The VCD was a bit jumpy (thanks to same little boy) and I had to polish it a bit on my jeans.  But when I managed to view the film in two stretches from start to finish, I was left marvelling all over again at how well Jane Austen can put a story of human relationship together.  Yes, I know... it wasn't her book.. it was a flashy movie garnished with beautifully dramatic characters and glorious scenery... but it was still her story.  Knightley gave a pretty good interpretation of Elizabeth Bennet's sense of independence and of course, Macfadyen gave just enough smoulder to his enigmatic and yet vulnerable Mr. Darcy.  I'm glad there was no hint of wimp.  Too many wimps in today's world...
My favourite book of Jane Austen's genre is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and still remains Jane Eyre but Pride and Prejudice comes a close second.  Hobbling behind is Sense and Sensibility.  But it needs to be stated that Shakespeare's works have no comparison, as far as I'm concerned.  Every time I read his words, new meanings and understandings leap out and I see different colours and shades.  Every time.  Not many authors have that capability.

Of course the cinema helps a lot... it is amazing how easy it is to teach literature in class if a particular tale has a film counterpart.  I was almost afraid to show the BBC version of Macbeth to my class of randy Form Four students...the Lady Macbeth was a bit on the lascivious side.   But they seem to have survived the exposure pretty well. 

Well, all I can say is... give me more Keira and Matthew! 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Royal Commonwealth Essay Competition 2009

Another great opportunity for our young people to show what they can do! The Royal Commonwealth Essay Competition has four different age bands, 'Classes'. Each Class offers five topics, plus the Commonwealth Question and the Charlton Athletic Community Trust Question. As we hope to reach a diverse student body across the Commonwealth, there are options for both academic and creative minds.  The Competition deadline is 1st March 2009   CLASS A - Born 1990-1992  1400-1750 words  All questions can be answered by writing an essay or a story which explores the topic in an interesting and relevant way.   Can I help you?  Bullying is an issue which concerns young people throughout the Commonwealth. Why does it matter and what can be done about it?   It is 200 years since Charles Darwin was born and 150 years since the publication of "On the origin of Species". In your view, what evolutionary developments are neede...
24 comments
Read more

Why It Is Frightening To Be A Teacher

Frightening to be a teacher?  Sounds laughable, right?  But I do feel fear when I am in school as a teacher or an administrator.  Some people would call me paranoid but I think it is better to be paranoid than to be in a dock in some courtroom or at a hospital bedside some place. Let me twist a Robbie Burns poem How do I fear thee (O' burden of a teacher)? Let me count the ways... 1. In Loco Parentis In English, that means 'in the place of a parent'.  In legal terms, that means a teacher is expected to be as responsible as a parent for the safety of his or her students while they are within the school grounds or under his or her care.  And they may be liable in the same way a parent would be, where the law is concerned. I attended a course by an IAB lecturer way back in 2000 and listened in horror as she detailed the many different ways I could've been in trouble with regard to the way I dealt with students.  If a rock falls on a student within ...
5 comments
Read more

How Challenging Teaching In Sabah Can Be

As a teacher, I have had many memorable experiences but one of the most fascinating has got to be observing my colleagues from other states as they deal with their first days in Sabah. Born and bred in Sabah, I never really had much reason or opportunity to question what sort of image Sabah presented to the outside world (which includes other states in Malaysia) until I went to university in Kuala Lumpur.  And, of course, when I began working as a teacher. My first inkling of how 'scary' Sabah can be to outsiders came during my third year in university.  I had coursemates who quickly got married ... it was the first time I had ever heard of 'nikah gantung'.  Apparently, they could get married but it was a sort of 'marriage on hold' (if such a thing exists..).  What mattered was that they could get a marriage certificate that would help 'save' them from the jungles of Sabah and Sarawak.  Then, during the briefing I attended to receive my first posti...
7 comments
Read more