6 Period Dramas I did not like.

First, a random gif of my darling Amy Dorrit, then the post.

You all know. I adore Period Dramas. You don't need to read any of my posts to know this; you just need to use your eyeballs and look at my header and the pictures/tags in my sidebar. Period-Drama-filled. I am unashamed - I LOVE Period Dramas. (My favourites being Pride and Prejudice 1995, Emma 2009, Downton Abbey, Lark Rise to Candleford, and Testament of Youth, and Little Dorrit, and...)

But there are some that were a disappointment to me. They made me sleep, or weep, or groan in dismay. You might be a fan of these, so yes, I am prepared for fierce-and-angry-comments. Here they are, people; Period Dramas I Did Not Like. (I don't necessarily hate them. I just didn't like them.) (And they are in no particular order, although there are some in this list that annoy me a lot more than others.)

1. Persuasion 2007

Ew. When I watched this, I kind of CRINGED a lot. Everything was just a bit cinge-worthy to me, and I feel very un-Jane-Austen-like to say this in Front Of Everyone, but I didn't like it. I didn't like Anne, to start with - not because she was 'old' or 'quiet', but because she had greasy hair, a creepy smile, and she looked straight AT THE CAMERA and it ANNOYED ME SO MUCH. (Hush, Naomi. Calm down.)

Also... Captain Wentworth. (Pssst. I don't think he's that handsome.)

2. Under the Greenwood Tree

Under the Greenwood Tree was okay - I just about liked it. (It's probably my favourite on this list, too.) But it definitely doesn't rank high on my list of Period Dramas. Heh. Heh. The main thing that annoyed me was Dick Dewy. :-P First of all, he wasn't handsome. (IN MY OPINION.) Secondly, the way he fell in love with Fancy Day was just so ridiculous it makes me want to weep for humanity. Thirdly, the way he invites Fancy to the 'Par-y' by simply SAYING 'Par-y' in front of her face twice makes me criiiinge. (The pastor also annoyed me so so much. And so did the old man with the big sideburns. Just everyone.)

Basically, I didn't really mind watching this movie because we had a lot of fun watching it and laughing at about just about every character.

3. Our Mutual Friend

Okay, so adding this one to the list is KIIIND of unfair, because I only watched one episode and that's it. (Emma says that if I had watched it all, I would have ended up loving it. :-P)

Buuuut, I didn't, and therefore I did not like it at all. It was CREEPY  (I mean... finding dead bodies in a lake??? Thank you for making nice tv-series, BBC.) and all the characters were CREEPY (like, yeah, keeping sculls in a house is normal???) and just... BLEH. I didn't like it. (I do want to give this another go, though. One day.)

4. Pride and Prejudice 2005

BLEHHH. This movie drives me cruuu-ayyy-zee. Click here for zee long, numerous reasons. MWUHAHA. (It's a very long post. And very hefty. Just warning.)

5. Les Miserables

I'm sorry to say that I didn't even finish this one. :-/ I have learnt to love the music and the characters now - and I have learnt to really love the stage musical - But the movie version?! NOPE. Nopeditynope. It was too miserable and gritty and spooky and sad and scary and poor-people-y.

(The music is nice though, and I would like to give this movie another go one day. But in the meanwhile I'll rewatch the dvd's of Emma's Les Mis performance whenever I'm in a Les Mis mood.)

6. The Mill on the Floss

When people ask me, "What is your least favourite Period Drama?" - I usually say, 'Ew, Mill on the Floss - it's awwwwful." And it is awful. :-P All the characters are either really mean or really melancholy, and although I liked the main character in some parts, she disappointed me hugely. Basically, she falls in love with a tolerably nice dude and then SUDDENLY OUT OF THE BLUE kisses someone else.

Like... UM. OKAY. (How did this story get published again?)

But that's not all, because after zee kiss and zee other-man-business, the main character's annoying brother (who I hate) comes along and they both DROWN. AND THAT'S IT. LIKE REALLY. UGHHHHHHHH. BLEHHH.

(Never watch this.)

Okay, ha. I hope you enjoyed this highly negative post. I'm sorry if I offended you, or bashed your very favourite movie once again - please don't take anything personally, and please tell me whether or not you agree with my controversial sentiments. And have a very good day. :-) Keep on smiling and don't watch bad movies. :-)

What are some Period Dramas you didn't like?

Why Persuasion is my favourite JA novel // A Guest Post by Rachel

Rachel - otherwise known as Hamlette for most people - is here with a guest post for you all! She blogs regularly at her book blog and her movies-and-other-stuff blog; I always enjoy what she writes. :-) Thank you so much for writing for me, Rachel!

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My favorite Jane Austen novel is Persuasion, and has been since I first read it as a teen.  I'd previously read three of her other books, but I didn't love any of them, and I was starting to wonder why I didn't understand how Jane Austen was awesome.  Then I got to Persuasion, somewhere around the age of 18, and I understood at last.   I loved the characters, the themes, the overall story -- but mostly Anne Elliot herself.

Anne's problems stem from being too agreeable and too helpful, and since those are traits I actually value, I instantly wanted to befriend her, fictionally speaking.  And wanting to be fictional friends with characters is a pretty big thing for me -- it's what makes me love a book versus just liking it.  When you add in a guy like Captain Frederick Wentworth, who has spent all these years trying to stop loving Anne and failing utterly... well, it's almost impossible for this to not be my favorite.

Like I said, the characters aren't all that draws me to Persuasion.  I also love the themes Austen explores, themes like second chances, duty versus desire, and the importance of understanding one's self.  And I'm especially fond of how Austen explores the idea that it's far more dangerous to persuade yourself of something untrue than to allow others to persuade you.

For years, I had assumed the title referred to Anne Elliot allowing Lady Russell to persuade her not to marry Frederick Wentworth. But after my most recent re-read, I've realized it refers more to how Anne and Wentworth both persuaded themselves regarding that previous relationship.  Anne persuaded herself that she was acting for Wentworth's good when she gave him up, that their marriage would have damaged his career.  Wentworth, angry and heartbroken, persuaded himself that Anne was weak and timid.  He then spent eight years persuading himself he had forgotten her, only to discover that he could neither stop loving her nor forget her.  

If Anne and Captain Wentworth had not worked so hard to delude themselves, perhaps they could have spent the previous eight years happily together, rather than lonely and apart.  On the other hand, over those years they had both learned what life alone was like, and now will very likely value being together all the more.  Either way, I love their story and learn something new from Persuasion every time I re-read it.

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What do you think of Persuasion?

Thanks, Hamlette!