An Embarrassment of Riches
Saturday October 16, 2010
As a high school sophomore I once earned major nerd street cred by getting
my coach to excuse me from junior varsity tennis practice so I could go home and
watch Jane Eyre on PBS. This earned me snorting laughter from my
teammates and a used copy of the book later presented at the tennis awards
dinner. (That battered paperback was--and remains--the only "award" for sports
participation I have ever received. It was the "most creative excuse for
skipping practice" award.) In any normal universe I would have been embarrassed.
But on my own nerdy planet, I was proud. I may have been assigned to play
bottom-of-the-roster doubles with a partner who hated my weak backhand in
particular and my bookish guts in general, but in my mind I had struck a blow: a
mighty blow for all the girls picked last.I was not embarrassed then and I am not embarrassed now to admit that Jane
is my homegirl. I have been finding Jane's tale compelling since I was twelve
and bored and desperately scouring the house for something I had not yet read.
My exasperated mother shoved a volume from a set of books we kept on our coffee
table as décor into my hands and ordered me to read it. I was doubly astonished:
at how riveting the story was, but also that it had been living there under my
nose for my entire life as an ignored piece of red leatherette furniture.
The 2007 Masterpiece Theatre production of Jane Eyre is my favorite screen version to date
. The casting is near-perfect and even minor
characters (notably Adèle and Mrs. Fairfax) have warmth and depth they are not
usually allowed. The chemistry between Jane and Mr. Rochester is undeniable and
plays out against a visually lush landscape in an astonishingly sensual manner.
(Fluttering red scarves in windows! Flocks of birds exploding from trees! Jane
and Edward getting horizontal--in a completely clothed and Victorian way, of
course!) The ending is satisfyingly triumphant in all its "Reader, I married
him" glory. If you gravitate to underdog stories and have a need to spend 240
minutes with your television and a pan of brownies, this is for you.Posted by Alison
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Posted by tsanko on October 18, 2010 at 06:58 AM PDT #
I have favorite books too, and it's amazing how you do indeed find the books that you read over and over again, almost under your nose sometimes.
Posted by Samuel John Klein on October 18, 2010 at 07:36 PM PDT #