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Saturday, June 12, 2010

My Own First Impressions, or This Is How It All Began, from Carolina

It is a truth universally acknowledge that a Jane Austen fan must remember (and tell, someday and in a near future) how she or he started to like our beloved writer’s stories... so, as I am a fervent believer of this statement, I will write here my own and personal account of events.

It was a normal evening at Mexico in 2006, I was 15 and my mum got me to the cinema, we saw the cinema guide and both thought that the most “interesting” one was Pride & Prejudice, the cast seemed pretty good (I love both Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen), the story looked like something I would like (I ADORE love stories, I’m really corny, seriously) and, it was located at England (which I have love since I was 10 and knew there rained almost all the time (I love rainy days, by the way); we entered to the cinema and watched the whole movie, I fell in love with Darcy and my mum said to me “you’re a lot like Lizzie, you know?”, at the ending credits I read it was based in Jane Austen’s homonym novel… I arrived at my home and looked for information of both, Austen (I must confess that, in that time, I hadn’t heard of her… and I am so embarrassed of it!) and the book… I wanted to read it so bad!

That Christmas, a friend got me a Spanish edition of the book (I talked to him about the story and how I wanted to read it), I went through it really quickly and love it… that was my first Austen novel and I was in love with her writing skills, her irony, her wit and her sentimental credibility on issues.

In 2008, I was zapping through the T.V. and went to Hallmark Channel, a movie called Northanger Abbey (2007); I saw it and liked it a lot, when I saw at the ending credits that it was based in another novel by Austen I was amazed! After that movie I saw Emma (1996), Sense and Sensibility (199) and Mansfield Park (2007)… I searched for each one of the books, and read them (I haven’t read Persuasion and Emma, but I'm looking forward doing it this year). I have seen some movie adaptations of her books (Clueless, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Bride & Prejudice) and some inspired (in Austen’s world) movies & Series (The Jane Austen Book Club, Becoming Jane, Lost in Austen…), also, I have read a couple of Austenesque books (I must say that my favorite one is First Impressions: A Tale of Less Pride and Prejudice by Alexa Adams!), and that makes me fall more in love with Austen’s imagination.

Also, I know I have not read all her books, but, for now, my favorite ones are Northanger Abbey and, of course, Pride & Prejudice, because of their irony and I'm a lot like both: Elizabeth Bennet and Catherine Morland (because of a lot of reasons, but I am going to keep those to my own knowledge), also, I'm in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy and Henry Tilney (a mix of them would make the perfect man for me!).

I must say that I had loved to meet this extraordinary woman and talk to her about her books… I know it’s impossible, but it costs nothing to dream, right?


~ Carolina

[Note to the reader: Today is Carolina's birthday!  I think you should click her name and pop over to wish her a happy one!] 

4 comments:

  1. The P&P movie (2005) was the one that got me hooked to Austen as well! It is for my generation what the BBC version was for the generation before, I guess :)

    Happy Birthday Caroline!

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  2. Happy Birthday! You know, if anyone had said to me at the tender age of 15 that I was a lot like Lizzy, the compliment would have gone entirely to my head. How exciting that you have yet to experience the pleasures of Emma and Persuasion! I wish I could read them for the first time again! Thanks for plugging my book - what an honor to be your favorite Austenesque!

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  3. Thank you for your wishes!

    I just received The History of England by Jane Austen as a birthday gift! I am so excited to read it (also, I can't wait to start both Emma and Persuasion! I've got lots of books!

    Alexa... I LOVE your book! It is one of my all time favorites!

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  4. I loved reading about how Caroline came to know and love Austen. Everyone's journey is different, but all I can say is that I've been reading Austen for almost 40 years and I'm still excited about her stories, characters, insights, and wisdom. She makes me laugh, and she makes me a better person.

    I'm really looking forward to reading Alexa's book this summer.

    ReplyDelete

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