My niece recently showed me the YouTube link to a series of creative and funny changes to the endings of movies, called “How It Should Have Ended.” They made me laugh, until I started to think about Jane Austen. What if her books had ended differently?
EMMA
Emma could have easily missed her opportunity with Mr. Knightley, slowly evolving into a wealthy version of the incessant Miss Bates. Or why couldn’t Emma have been a good match with Frank Churchill? He made her laugh and act her age; they could have gone on double dates with Mr. Knightley and Jane Fairfax.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
God forbid if Elizabeth Bennett had been forced into marriage with Mr. Collins in order to beat the entail. Hard as I try, though, I just can’t imagine her winding up with him, or even Wickham, or ever deferring to Lady de Bourgh. Maybe she would have enjoyed the freedom of living with Jane and Mr. Bingley, being the lovable spinster aunt to their children and continuing to use her sharp wit in society.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
Elinor Dashwood could have fallen in love with the similarly-minded Colonel Brandon and missed all of that heartache with Lucy and Edward. Actually, why not really shake things up and let her mother Mrs. Dashwood find love again with Colonel Brandon? And why not let Marianne run off to London to enjoy a bohemian life of romance, balls, literature and music? She could have become the 19th century version of Anais Nin or Frida Kahlo.
PERSUASION
An alternative ending to Persuasion is easy—a marriage between the young Anne Elliott and the newly enlisted Frederick Wentworth that is welcomed and approved by Sir Walter and Lady Russell. Although I guess that would be way too easy. Maybe Anne Elliott could go through some psychotherapy to find a way to stand up to her oafish father and self-infatuated sisters, and then she could write about her experiences and becomes a famous and rich author.
Although it is fun to imagine alternative endings, it makes me appreciate all the more the artistry and talent of Jane Austen. She has created engaging and beloved characters and timeless plots that endure to this day.
Showing posts with label Mrs. Bennett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mrs. Bennett. Show all posts
Monday, November 12, 2012
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
How Jane Austen Saved Me: An overly dramatic story, I admit it
No-one ever wants to get THAT kind of call, but I got it. The kind of call that makes time stand still and fear blossom in your chest. I got “the call” in which I learned my husband had been involved in a car accident and was being transported to the ER by an ambulance. No details were known except that the truck he had been driving had been totaled and no-one else had been involved.
Seven hours, 1 CT scan, 3 nurses, 2 doctors, multiple heart-wrenching calls, and many stitches later, my husband was released under my supervision with a nasty gash on his head, a concussion, and several broken ribs. For a week, he was out of action—mainly confined to his Lazy-Boy chair in a haze of meds. During this time I was out of action also—I literally dropped every work-related and personal obligation to sit at home with him. I didn’t even want to leave the house for fear I might miss something...
Okay, okay, you might say—what is this, I’m not reading this blog to hear about truck accidents, pain, and fear, where is the Jane Austen?! No worries, have patience, I am coming to it right now.
During this week, that is when Jane Austen saved me. In between answering phone calls and emails and making sure my husband was okay, I happened to open Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. And even with my fears about health insurance coverage and future employment options and traumatic brain injuries, I actually smiled at her descriptions of society interactions and personalities. I tore through the book and headed to Pride and Prejudice. I found strength and courage from Elizabeth Bennett and resolved not to give in to histrionics like her mother.
Emma and Persuasion reinforced a sense of courage, determination, and redemption.
I devoured all of Jane Austen’s six main works. And because of that, I sat with my husband with a sense of calm, patience, and hope. My husband slowly healed, our health insurance eventually came through, the support from our family and friends was amazing, and we both ultimately returned to work and life.
THAT is how Jane Austen saved me.
Seven hours, 1 CT scan, 3 nurses, 2 doctors, multiple heart-wrenching calls, and many stitches later, my husband was released under my supervision with a nasty gash on his head, a concussion, and several broken ribs. For a week, he was out of action—mainly confined to his Lazy-Boy chair in a haze of meds. During this time I was out of action also—I literally dropped every work-related and personal obligation to sit at home with him. I didn’t even want to leave the house for fear I might miss something...
Okay, okay, you might say—what is this, I’m not reading this blog to hear about truck accidents, pain, and fear, where is the Jane Austen?! No worries, have patience, I am coming to it right now.
During this week, that is when Jane Austen saved me. In between answering phone calls and emails and making sure my husband was okay, I happened to open Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. And even with my fears about health insurance coverage and future employment options and traumatic brain injuries, I actually smiled at her descriptions of society interactions and personalities. I tore through the book and headed to Pride and Prejudice. I found strength and courage from Elizabeth Bennett and resolved not to give in to histrionics like her mother.
Emma and Persuasion reinforced a sense of courage, determination, and redemption.
I devoured all of Jane Austen’s six main works. And because of that, I sat with my husband with a sense of calm, patience, and hope. My husband slowly healed, our health insurance eventually came through, the support from our family and friends was amazing, and we both ultimately returned to work and life.
THAT is how Jane Austen saved me.
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