Library & LR news

At the age of 13, I wanted to be Elizabeth Bennett (Jennifer Ehle) and marry Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth). Why? Because I obsessively watched Andrew Davies fantastic adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice every Sunday night for 6 weeks on BBC1. Fourteen years later, after viewing the series again, I still want to be Lizzy and I’d marry Colin Firth whatever role he plays.

Pride & Prejudice follows the life of Elizabeth Bennett as she deals with matters of marriage, morals, upbringing and education in an aristocratic society. Producer Sue Birtwistle and Director Simon Langton bring the story and characters to life and not only deliver a fresh, lively story but change the way in which the BBC approach and produce future classic novel adaptations. The dialogue of the characters rarely differs from that of the book but Davies cleverly employs various techniques to overcome the inherent difficulties with adapting a classic book for a television series aimed at a modern audience.

If I consult my battered copy of The Making of Pride and Prejudice by Sue Entwistle and Susie Conklin, which I religiously carried around with me whilst my parents dutifully drove me to the many filming locations, it informs me that the adaptation took 18 months to make; that each episode cost £1 million to produce; was filmed in 24 locations; that costume designer Dinah Collin made most of the costumes herself and composer Carl Davis wrote the original score.

Pride & Prejudice, along with the 1995 and 1996 releases of Sense and Sensibility, Emma and Persuasion sparked a Jane Austen hysteria in the world of literature, kickstarted the career of Colin Firth and inspired Helen Fielding to write the hugely successful Bridget Jone’s Diary.

October is the perfect time of year to curl up on the sofa when the nights draw in and you feel like something comforting to watch. So, head over to 823.7 aus in the off air DVD collection on the ground floor of the University Library. If you feel inspired to read the book then you will find it on the 2nd floor of the University Library at 823.7 aus or, even easier, search the library catagloue for the ebook and read it online.

Q. Which actor/actress who stars in the adaptation is actually related to Jane Austen?