An aunty observation...

Have you ever noticed that, in many books, the annoying character is the aunt? Either the aunt or the great aunt- very often, very, very often the aunt or great aunt is annoying, bossy and strict. Often, they improve as the end draws near, of course, but have you not noticed that it's always the aunt?

 

Wooster: "My Aunt Agatha is sitting out there just waiting to pounce."

 

Let's take a look at those (great) aunts.

 

Aunt Polly

 

 

In 'Pollyanna', her aunt Polly is exactly suited to my description above. Annoying, bossy and strict. Aunt Polly is unkind and grim on top of that. And hardly ever smiles. I love it so much when Pollyanna tells her she loves her punishments. 'Oh, thank you, Aunt Polly! I love bread and milk!'

But in the end, Aunt Polly softens and becomes a much nicer person. But still, there you go, that was the first aunt.

 

Great-Aunt Josephine

 

 

I think Great-Aunt Josephine in 'Anne of Green Gables' changes rather too quickly. At first she's mean, menacing and threats to break all the golden promises she promised her niece, Diana, and then Anne comes (go, Anne) and she forgets all, becomes a bubbly, delightful thing and takes Diana and Anne on a sightseeing trip. Still, it's another Aunt who's got her less magnificent ways.

 

 

Lady Catherine the Bourgh

 

 

Even Jane Austen did it. We sometimes seem to forget that this is Mr Darcy's aunt. And what an annoying, picky, wacky one she is! This one is so stubborn, mean and proud she never changes. In fact, we see a shot of her, dully in her chair at home- face furious- when somewhere else Darcy and Elizabeth get married agaist her approval. Ha.

 

 

Aunt Shaw

I know her role is rather minor in North and South, but I had to add her. In my opinion, Aunt Shaw is dashingly annoying. I had to add her to my list.

 

 

Aunt Elizabeth

 

If you haven't read (or watched) 'Emily of the New Moon' you won't know how HORRID this aunt is. She's supposed to have a good heart, but seriously, I've read the books about five times and she only does like two good things in her life. She's horrible. When you read the books (and I definitely do recommend them, I love them to pieces) you'll notice you actually want Emily, her niece, to disobey her. She's that horrid and that strict.

'Emily of the New Moon' has many other strict aunts and uncles, including a monstrous great-aunt Nancy, who threatens to put Emily in a great clock if she's naughty... Lucy Maud Montgomery was really into that. But, I must say, isn't it fun to read! Same with all the aunts and uncles in her speldiforious book 'The Blue Castle'. Go, read it.

 

 

Aunt Pittipat

I don't know if you have the same feelings on Aunt Pittipat in Gone With the Wind as I do, but... well, yep I thought she was a dashed nuisance. Always fainting and yelling for those smelling salts of hers.

 

 

Aunt Agatha

This is how Wooster looks when he talks/thinks about her:

This is how Wooster looks when Aunt Agatha speaks to him:

That pretty much explains it, doesn't it?

 

 

I'm sure there are more annoying aunts in films and books, but for now, this is all. Do you know any more?

 

In which I tell you how it all began

 

It must have started somewhere, my complete craze for Period Drama. It did, I tell you. This all had a beginning. If something wouldn't have happened I wouldn't be here now writing a Period-Drama-related post in a Period-Drama-related blog with zillibillions of Period-Drama-related pictures and Period Drama eye candy.

 

 

Here, readers is my story: How it all began.

 

When I was a youngster ('bout eight, seven) the only period drama's I had any knowledge of were Heidi (I re and re-watched that one continuously), The Sound of Music (like every reader, this is needless to say), Mary Poppins and my beloved Little House on the Prairie which I devoured.

 

Since I had no Downton Abbey, Wives and Daughters, Sense and Sensibilty and Pride and Prejudice to rave and fangirl over, I had to be happy with what I had, and I became a Little House on the Prairie addict. I still like 'the Little House on the P.... this is such a long title, from now on I'm going to shorten it, okay?' but I'm not a fan now. Nope. I have far better things to swoon over.

Anyway, I loved those four movies and I didn't even know Pride and Prejudice existed. It's amazing I'm still alive, I know- but I survived. But then one day- I was eleven years old- my mother bought 'Pride and Prejudice 1995' on Amazon on DVD. My mother had seen it before, and whilst a sudden remembrance of how good it had been, she had been tempted to buy it again and had. (Forgive that last sentence- it was horribly phrased.)

And this....

.... Came in the letterbox.

Don't laugh at me as I say the following, please. I fell in love with the movie even before watching it. I fell in love with the cover, the far-too-small pictures at the back which I studied as closely as I could, and the story summarised in such a painfully short and byzantine (a new favourite word of mine- means 'complicated') way at the back.

I loved- adored Elizabeth's face and hairstyle and thought Darcy's cravat was the handsomest men's wear I had ever set eyes on. I loved Elizabeth's high-waist dress and studied the cover endlessly and enthusiastically.

 

 

I admit I was rather disappointed when my mother told me kindly that she and Daddy wanted to see it first, because they didn't remember how suitable it was for children.

 

After every episode they watched I literally plagued and peppered them with unending questions. 'Mother, what does Jane look like?' 'What's Elizabeth like?' 'What's their house like?' 'Who shares bedrooms with who?' 'Who's your favourite girl?' and so on and on. My mother answered them all as well as she could, quite enthusiastically- because she was loving it.

I already "lived" in P&P before watching it. I imagined a story of the Regency Bennet sisters. Don't ask me why, but Jane was the main character (and yes, she wasn't very much like Susannah Harker) and she fell in love with a mysterious man who hid in the garden, behind a bush, whilst her younger sister recited poetry in the parlour. It was a stupid story, but I knew no better.

And then, the following year I watched it. I was so amazed at its goodness. I loved it so much. It was simply perfect in every way. I must admit I didn't understand anything about the Wickham-Darcy-Georgiana and the Darcy-Jane plot line, but I didn't care a mite. Immediately this film was marked as my all-time favourite movie.

Lydia was my favourite character at that point. I loved her giggles and I just thought she was a lovely character... not good of me I know, but I kinda copied her. I still snort a lot, but that's where my snorts began. :-)

I watched Pride and Prejudice on every birthday of mine that followed. (Our family tradition is that the birthday girl/boy may choose a movie to watch). I watched it on my thirteenth and loved it even more because I understood everything. I had, by that time, also read the book, of course. I watched it for my fourteenth birthday, loved it to pieces.

By that time I had, of course, realised Jane Austen had written other books. I had read Sense and Sensibility and I had loved it. My aunt coincidentally gave me a dvd copy of the Emma Thompson version of S&S and I was wild of excitement when I watched because I loved it dearly. Not as much as P&P (that's not really possible, is it?) but almost.

That same year, we received the Elizabeth Gaskell movies from our neighbours. I enjoyed them so much... it was then that I officially became a Period Drama nut. I had also, by that time, watched some Dickens films, Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna and Downton Abbey had delightfully introduced me to a new series of swoons and dreamy sighs.

I still have a great deal of Period Dramas I feel I must quickly! watch. For example, I haven't watched Little Dorrit, or The Scarlett Pimpernel or Les Miserables. Shocking? I know. But nevertheless, one cannot deny that- despite missing out on quite a few movies- I am  and always will be a Period Drama fan.

I love Period Dramas. They are so inspirational and dreamy and amazing and... I don't know. It's ridiculously fun to spot double actors, choose your favourite dress, quote your favourite lines, pretend you are one of the characters, make up your 'what if' stories and copy the character's poise and hairstyles. Period Dramas are just ridiculously fun.

Absurdly so.