Danielle Conger

Susan wrote:
And yet we still watch them. I think it has to be
that we enjoy the verbal sparring that goes on, as
people in our family are quite quick-witted and enjoy
playing on each other's words.
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One of the things I did in my literature classes was to have the kids watch the movie _Clueless_ and then read _Emma_. Clueless is a rewrite of Austen's novel set in a rich California highschool world. It was lots of fun to see how the same kinds of mannerly issues played out in today's world.

Would be very interesting to watch from an unschooling perspective!

--danielle, who hated Austen for a long time, but now I really enjoy most literature from that time period (and I've read tons!) I love Radcliffe and lots of the other potboiler gothic writers

PS--check out her _Northanger Abbey_, a parody of all the gothic novels being written at the time and very different from her other novels

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Susan in VA wrote:

<<<<< Those books drive me crazy too, and my daughter too. We yell
at the PBS shows' characters as well, telling them to just TALK to
each other honestly.

One of Sarah's favorite "insults" to hurl at someoneis to call
them "a Mr. Darcy". >>>>>

When Madelyn was about 7 I went on an Austen kick. Checked out all
the books-on-tape that the library had and listened to them while
housecleaning. Madelyn, unbeknownst to me, me listened to them as
well while doing whatever (Legos or Barbies or something - this was
before we had TV). One day she asked me why Mr. Knightly and Emma
took so long to get together, it was obvious that's what was going to
happen. . . .

(wheels turning in Mercedes' head - hmmmm - this unschooling is
really cool. . . . . )


<<<< Not in the mean-spirited way it can be done in Austen's works,
though. >>>>


Ahhh, the way those Brits can just cut to the bone . . . . . gotta
love `em.



Danielle wrote:

<<<<<< One of the things I did in my literature classes was to have
the kids watch the movie _Clueless_ and then read _Emma_. Clueless is
a rewrite of Austen's novel set in a rich California highschool
world. It was lots of fun to see how the same kinds of mannerly
issues played out in today's world. >>>>

Madelyn and I watched both Clueless and the Gwyneth Paltrow version
of Emma. We liked them. I can't remember what scene it was but there
was this one look Emma (Gwyneth) gives the camera - I remember
laughing out loud - guess I'll have to watch it again. . . . .

<<<<< check out her _Northanger Abbey_, a parody of all the gothic
novels being written at the time and very different from her other
novels >>>>>>

This was the only Jane Austen work not available on tape at our
library. I'll have to check again.

Mercedes
who prefers to listen to those books read with that lovely Brit
accent. . . .