Period Drama Tag

Once again I must apologise for my long absence. The reason is the season (wow, I'm a poet today). At this time of year I identify a lot with bears as I too feel an urge to go into hibernation for the winter.

Hamlette tagged me with a period drama tag, and that was just the enticement I needed to get out from my blogging hibernation, at least for long enough to write this post;)


1. What's your favorite Period Drama movie? 

The Young Victoria, no doubt! That is  such a sweet and beautiful movie with brilliant actors!
                      


2. What's your favorite Period Drama series? 

Emma (2009)! I love every minute of it!

                     


3. Which Period Drama do you dislike the most?

I really didn't like the 1986 version of Northanger Abbey. It was just disturbing and all wrong.

4. Anne of Green Gables or Little Dorrit? 

Anne, of course! (I haven't actually watched Little Dorrit, but even if I had my answer would remain the same)

                       


5. Your favorite Period Drama dresses? 

Now, this ones a little harder... The list is very long, but I shall try to confine myself to a few:)

Emma (2009)

Agent Carter

The Young Victoria

Cinderella

6. Who's your favorite Period Drama character? (Okay, pick at least five) 

1. Elizabeth Bennet - do I really need an explanation?

                             

2. Peggy Carter - she is just perfection - independent, strong and with a wardrobe to die for.
                                   

3. Henry Tilney - he is sweet and funny and perfect in every way.

                    

4. Anne Shirley - imaginative, dreamy and my fictional bosom friend

                            

(I know the question said to pick 5, but my brain short circuited and I simply can not think of a fifth one)

7. If you could join a royal ball, which dress would you wear? (Pick a Period Drama dress) 

This was so hard! But in the end I went with this dreamy Cinderella dress (from an adaption of Cinderella no less).
                           


8. What's your favorite Jane Austen movie? 

As we're talking strictly of movies, I'm gonna go with Sense & Sensibility (1995). I've always loved how subtly they're incorporating all the humour. And the casting was brilliant!

                     

9. Downton Abbey or Call the Midwife? 

I don't particularly care for Downton Abbey and I haven't watched Call The Midwife, so I'll say neither.


10. Sybil Crawley, Jenny Lee, Emma Woodhouse or Marian of Knighton?

I don't know Sybil Crawley and Jenny Lee, and I like the 2 remaining almost equally. But for the sake of choosing one (and because I recently watched Emma) I'll go with Emma Woodhouse.

                     

11. Which couples of a Period Drama do you like the most? (Pick at least four) 

Margaret & Mr Thornton - what can I say to express the perfection that is this couple? I think what I like the most about them is that as they grow to really know each other love grows as well.
                                   

Anne & Gilbert - no 2 persons were ever as destined for another as Anne and Gilbert. And though it took Anne a while to realise that, Gilbert were always there for her.

                       

Emma & Mr Knightley - what I particularly like about Emma and Mr Knightley is that they've known each other forever and thus have a deep understanding and respect for each other. And then they realise they are in love, and I just can't properly articulate how much I love them as a couple.

                            

Queen Victoria & Albert - another couple where the key words are patience and longing. Their whole courtship was so sweet and innocent. And the length of it made it  all the more fulfilling when they finally got married.

                      


12. And last, which Period Drama villain do you like the most?

The villains I like are usually the ones who are kind of in a grey area, but if I should pick one who is definitely a villain it must be Sir Guy of Gisborne from BBC's Robin Hood. 
                               
This was fun!
Nothing beats reminiscing about period dramas:)

Literary quote of the week

Three posts in one week..I am on FIRE!!! (insert awkward pause where no one gets my Sherlock reference)

Well, this week's quote is a bit deeper than they use to, but I think it contains an important piece of insight:

 "As she realized what might have been, she grew to be thankful for what was."

- Elizabeth Gaskell - North & South

 

North & South

For several years I had heard people exclaiming over North & South the BBC-series, and so I decided to watch it at last.

And it was great...so great I had to read the book right away, and I had actually planned to dedicate this
post entirely to the book, and only use half a paragraph to either say the book was so much better than the series or obsess about the series being the best adaption ever (P&P95 level).

Except when I read the book, I found that none of the statements were true. Instead I found that the book and the series are complimentary pieces - separately they are good, but together they create a bigger picture of perfection.
So therefore it is impossible to separate the two, when talking of the perfection of the story.

But for those who aren't familiar with the story, here is a brief (and spoiler free) summary:

Margaret Hale lives with her parents in the small village of Helstone in South England, where her father is the rector. However, at a point her father feels obligated to give up his living, due to conscientious doubts, and removes the family to the industrial town Milton, in the North. Here he befriends Mr. Thornton, who is a local mill owner. Margaret has a hard time adjusting to differences in thoughts and conducts, comparing to the rural village she is used to. 
Throw in an impending strike, where she takes side with the workers, leading to some heated arguments between herself and Mr. Thornton, and you pretty much have the gist of it.


As I already stated above, I simply loved the story. Some people compare it to Pride & Prejudice (and it's true there are some parallels), but I think it's a completely different story, a little darker and more realistic than anything Austen would write.

The characters are probably the main reason I liked the series so much, comparing to the book, for in the book the secondary characters only have a few appearances, whereas in the series they are brought forward, and their relevance to the story is underlined a lot. And also I actually didn't like many of the characters in the book, but in the series I found them more likeable.
But to avoid this getting to messy, let me take one character at the time.


I really liked the main character, Margaret Hale. In the series I had a pretty neutral opinion of her, but when I read the book, I discovered, it was because, I didn't know the background of her actions. In the series she continually says things that puts her in awkward situations, but in the book it is explained, why she does everything, and that brings the difference in habits in the North versus the South out beautifully.
Also, she is very strong and very capable of taking action
when necessary. During the book she is given a huge amount of responsibilities for one so young, because her parents are to weak to make the decisions,but she bears it all with  great strength. And I also admire her patience - I really found her family tiresome and annoying at times.
I don't know how common it was at that time to write strong literary heroines - but Margaret Hale is definitely a very remarkable heroine.

On to the hero - Mr. Thornton.
It is very hard not to start rambling about his many perfections, but I will try to restrain myself. If it is possible, I loved him even more in the book, than in the series. He is just as close to perfection as is humanly possible (no, I'm not exaggerating.. if you don't believe me..read the book).
He is a perfect example of the dark brooding hero, that you love from the very first moment. He is determined, has strong opinions, is capable of deep feeling, is thoroughly trustworthy, has a strong sense of honor, shows kindness without expecting anything in return....I could go on, but I think you get the picture. He is definitely my new favorite literary hero (actually I didn't have one before, never could decide on only one).
Another thing I noticed, is that he hardly changes during the course of the book, the main change is in Margaret, as she learns just how good a man he is.

And the relationship between the two... it's just so beautiful, that it deserves it's own section.

I admit, their encounters are a bit more dramatic in the series than in the book, where they are probably more realistic, but I think both approaches work quite well.

Their first meeting, however, I definitely liked the best in the book. Mostly because, in the the series Mr. Thornton displayed a big flaw of character, making Margaret dislike him - however, he didn't even have that flaw in the book. There, the first meeting consisted of them sitting, waiting for Margaret's father, and having an awkward up stilted conversation, leading to Margaret thinking Mr. Thornton coarse and unrefined, and Mr. Thornton thinking that she thinks he is beneath her.
See - same effect, but less drama and Mr. Thornton remains perfect.

And from then on, it is just great reading - how Mr. Thornton slowly falls in love her, resulting in many pages of suppressed emotions.
How Margaret gets to know and understand his character better.
The unavoidable rift, leading Margaret to think she has lost his respect and only then realizing her own feelings.
How you wait 400 pages for them to finally find each other - and then it is all suddenly resolved and ended in less than a page...
Yes, I admit, the ending is quite abrupt, but not all authors give the readers the luxury of an epilogue with the aftermath.

Then..the other characters...
I actually disliked almost all of the supporting characters (book verse), I found Mr. Hale to be weak minded, and pushing all the pressure onto his daughter in times of trouble.
Mrs. Hale was proud, and always complaining over her living conditions.
Mrs. Shaw and Edith were proud, selfish and never took Margarets feelings into account.
In the series, however, I liked them much more.

A character I actually liked in the book, was Nicholas Higgins, the worker whose family Margaret befriends, and a big part of the strike later on. Again I felt I got a bigger insight to his character, reading the book. He showed a big sense of duty, both to his own family but also in matters he felt responsible for. And a great kindness, when he swallowed his pride, and asked for work at Mr. Thornton's mill, in order to provide for the orphans after a colleague whose death he felt responsible for. A really likable character.

Another character, that is mostly forgotten in the series, but that I really liked in the book, was Henry Lennox. I know he is just a minor character, and when I saw the series, I merely thought him an annoying distraction from the true plot. But in the book I actually liked him a lot, and felt a little sorry for him when he lost Margaret not one, but two times. And even in the end he didn't harbor any bitter feelings against her, but readily helped her throughout the book, and even arranged a meeting between her and Mr. Thornton in order for them to talk undisturbed. That shows a largeness of character, I think is admirable.

But all in all..a great story, that I would recommend to anyone.