Latest news with #Austen
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"Jane Austen Wrecked My Life" is a rom-com for book lovers plagued by reality's disappointments
With "Jane Austen Wrecked My Life," writer-director Laura Piani delivers a rom-com tailor-made for Austen devotees that centers on a modern-day echo of "Persuasion"'s Anne Elliot, a woman named Agathe (Camille Rutherford), who is loveless and yet resists the charms of her Shakespeare & Company coworker, Félix (Pablo Pauly) — except when she doesn't. Agathe harbors the romantic notion that she is living in the wrong century and struggles to finish a book inspired by a fantasy. In the grip of a serious case of writer's block, her life takes a fortuitous turn when she is accepted at a Jane Austen retreat after Félix secretly submits an application on her behalf. This twist of fate leads to a chance encounter with Oliver (Charlie Anson), Austen's great-great-great-grandnephew, and it's hate at first sight. (How Austen!) Agathe's vomiting on Oliver's shoes is not an auspicious start, nor is calling him 'unbearable, arrogant, and totally stuck up' within earshot. Never mind the moment she accidentally exposes herself to him. Of course, they are perfect for each other, but as situations prompt a détente, Félix arrives to accompany Agathe to the retreat's Ball, widening the path for romantic folly. 'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life' features many literary references and running gags to charm viewers. Piani spoke with Salon about making the film and her love of Austen. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. 'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life' is about getting inspiration. What inspired you to write and direct this very literary story as a film, rather than pen it as a novel? I was a screenwriter for 12 years, so my language is screenwriting, and I have such a huge admiration for writers. Maybe one day I'll write a novel, but I really wanted to do a rom-com. As a viewer, I was missing the arthouse rom-coms from the '90s in England; it seemed like they disappeared. So, it was a desire to write something that I wanted to see as a viewer. It comes from my experience working as a bookseller at Shakespeare and Co., where I have been working for a long time — this place as a theater stage like in 'The Shop Around the Corner,' a place where you have so many people who like to read and who dream of writing. How do you make it with high ideals about literature and love? Agathe kind of stands in her own way, like many an Austen heroine. She is blocked personally (sexually), professionally (writing) and psychologically (she hates being in a car). I like that she is both stubborn (she won't do what she doesn't want to) and determined (she will do what she wants). She wants things on her terms. But she suffers from impostor syndrome and feels like life could pass her by. How did you conceive of her character? When I started to think about the character, I wanted to write a story about grief — a woman who is blocked and going to face her desire. That would be her journey. And I didn't want to make a rom-com about a woman being saved by a man or by love. I wanted to make a 2025 rom-com where a woman could have a dream other than finding love. So, she would not have impossible romantic expectations. I like it when characters have dreams — not just goals, but something bigger. If she is not able to write anything because she writes one chapter and feels like such an impostor that she stops, or she is not capable of falling in love or engaging with anyone because she fantasizes too much, and reality is always too disappointing, who can she blame? Then I thought about Jane Austen as a comedic way to open the path for so many impossible romantic expectations. She could be feeling that what she writes is not important enough or too light. I heard that rom-coms are a girly, cheesy genre. But it is a very political genre. When you talk about love and romance, you talk about how people live. It can be very deep and entertaining, and that's what Jane Austen did. To answer your question, how did I work on this character? I tried to blend a very modern, contemporary character's journey with elements of Jane Austen's work. 'Persuasion' inspired me the most, and Agathe quotes from the book, saying she feels it is 'too late.' I love that 'Persuasion' was written 300 years ago by a woman who had to address the fact that many women are made to feel that it is 'too late' for them. This is so modern! I built the character inspired by Jane Austen's 'Persuasion,' on Jane Austen's life, and on my own experience as a reader, a writer and a bookseller —and my own grief, because I was grieving at the time I wrote I met the actress who I chose because of her melancholy and weirdness. I love Camille Rutherford because she is not only extremely beautiful, but she doesn't care about being beautiful. She is all about physical comedy and can do all kinds of absurd slapstick. She is not precious, but she is timeless and can play in a Jane Austen book. Together, we created this character who was in my mind and became her interpretation. The more contradictions the character has, the more relatable she is. Agathe has a Jane Austen for every circumstance. Who is your Austen character? What is beautiful about Jane Austen is that you can encounter books and characters all your life and change. I feel closest to Anne Elliot myself, because of the weird mix of humor and her melancholy, which is what I tried to do with the tone of the film. But I am also Elizabeth Bennet from 'Pride and Prejudice,' sometimes. You also feature many other literary references, such as Agathe shelving Julio Cortázar's 'Hopscotch,' consulting the 'I Ching,' namedropping Octavio Paz, and more. What prompted the specific literary references, and what authors inspire you? There is one book that changed my life — it didn't wreck my life — 'The Golden Notebook' by Doris Lessing. I read it at the right age. What is so exciting and beautiful and mysterious are the encounters we have with books. You have books next to your bed or in your living room for so many years, and somehow you choose a book, and it answers so many questions or creates new ones. I am so amazed by these moments and these encounters with books. I remember being a child and being very disappointed with the idea of having only one life to live. Then I learned how to read, and I discovered you could have as many lives as you wanted because you have books. One of the most compelling, exciting experiences I had as a child was reading "The Diary of Selma Lagerlöf." She was a Swedish writer who received the Nobel Prize. She had a disability, and she was sent to the city for [therapy] and became a writer because she had a long train journey. I remember the emotion of being a child and discovering another child's diary about what it means to write. It was mind-blowing. The book I dream to adapt because of the language and story is 'Light Years' by James Salter. Everyone who loves reading has to deal with the huge frustration of not being able to read enough. It's a sickness. Can you talk about developing the comedy in the film? There is wordplay, there are sight gags (spitting llamas), there are pratfalls (in a forest), and embarrassment humor (the multiple nude scenes). Every scene features a kind of punchline — some witty, some somber. I think it is my own taste as a viewer. I became a cinephile because I discovered Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch, and I never got over it. They are the masters. I love physical comedy and slapstick as much as a weird line a character would think and say out loud. I try to mix what I like about life. Comedy is about shame and what we are all trying to hide — all the things that make us poor human creatures — this is the treasure of comedy, being able to laugh about that, but it can be very sad. I love when you feel the core of comedy is a deep sadness, and it is such a catharsis to laugh about it. I looked at actors who were able to physically accommodate that. Camille was funnier and weirder and clumsier — and happier. The Ball sequence is particularly interesting because we get the entire romance without dialogue. Can you discuss the love triangle in general and that scene in particular? The love triangle is timeless. It's been done so often, but it is wonderful to explore. I love this dilemma. I wanted the ball scene to be a tribute to all the books and films we love and that we have in mind when we think about Jane Austen. I also wanted it to be the emotional peak of this love triangle. I like that it is more about the bodies and the way they look at each other, which is so cinematic. Silence brings you back to the beginning of cinema. It was a very low-budget film, so we had constraints on what we could afford, but I wanted it to be magical and fulfilling for the audience, so I wanted the camera to dance with the characters. It's the only time the camera is moving. We didn't have money for big lights. We watched 'Amadeus' and thought, "We will put candles everywhere!" We had no money to buy period costumes. A week before shooting the scene, I realized I would not be able to teach them how to dance, so I called an emergency dance teacher who taught them the choreography in four hours! Do you think, as Oliver does, that Jane Austen is overrated and limited in scope? People who say that didn't read her. It's a posture. I confess I did not like 'Emma' when I had to read it in college. I hate Emma! But 'Clueless' is the best adaptation ever! It's soo good. Emma is the only character who is unbearable to me. But Austen does make a point through that character. I'm not sure she likes her so much either. What Austen easter eggs did you hide in 'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life' that Austen fans should look for? Two things. When she is inspired after the fantasy in the Chinese restaurant, and she is writing in her room, the desk is full of Jane Austen's books, and the shadow of Austen's face is on the books. And, at the very end, when Agathe imagines the hand of her father touching her shoulder, on her desk is the big book of correspondence between Jane Austen and [her sister] Cassandra. 'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life' is now playing in theaters nationwide.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Netflix fans have 'new favourite film' with 'heart-wrenching' period drama
Netflix has been the home of some of the most popular period dramas in recent years, with the likes of Bridgerton and The Crown taking the world by storm, and now the streaming service has added a new romance to its collection The final, enthralling and completed novel by the literary icon Jane Austen has been transformed into a screen adaptation that features an A-list star delivering the dramatics of the 19th century. Austen aficionados and period drama enthusiasts are forever in pursuit of the acclaimed author's tales. Despite their existence for hundreds of years, the captivating wit of her characters and fiery romance within her stories leave readers yearning for more. Persuasion ticks both boxes and hence the film's launch in 2022 sparked considerable excitement amongst devotees of Austen's work. These sentiments were echoed on Rotten Tomatoes where an audience member posted: "People are mad it's not your usual Austen adaptation. It's funny, it's modern, it's cute, it's heart-wrenching... It'll make you laugh and make you cry. It's one of my favourite movies. Even if the two have zero chemistry!". With Dakota Johnson, whose casting was itself a topic of debate, starring as protagonist Anne Elliot following her resettling in Bath, England, the movie navigates her life there. At 27, the Englishwoman relocates with her family to save money, opting to let out their family manor to an admiral and his spouse, reports Surrey Live. Coincidentally, the admiral's sister-in-law's brother is Frederick Wentworth, Anne's former fiance from 1806 whom she parted from owing to her family's influence. Fast forward eight years and they're both unwed, fate orchestrates their reunion granting them another shot at love. One review reads: "I love this version of Persuasion. It's visually beautiful; the use of colour and light, the outdoor scenes, costumes, and even the wallpaper! Just gorgeous. It also captures the humour of Jane Austen's novel in a way that feels more playful than previous versions. "Anne speaking directly to the camera lends itself to the viewer being in on the joke. I'll admit I was ready to dislike Dakota Johnson as Anne but was pleasantly surprised with her portrayal." The film took a bold stance in casting an American actress to play a quintessentially British character and decided to go for a more playful take, which has left some viewers divided. One person penned: "Dakota Johnson's accent is all over the place, and her acting skills are lacking. The story is so convoluted you can't keep up... especially if you are aware of what it truly is about... steer clear of this one." While others have lauded the film's bravery for trying to put a modern spin on a classic tale. They said: "Ahead of its time, this is that film which makes fools of its reviewers quickest off the mark. Granted, it is a jarring first watch, especially for Austen-genre enthusiasts. Its fourth-wall-breaking, modernised dialogue and playful actor interpretations are unexpected." Cosmo Jarvis, who plays Johnson's love interest, is one of the main attractions in this film, which also boasts performances from Richard E. Grant and young British talent Mia McKenna. Why not take a trip back in time and see if this period drama can win you over? The 2022 hit adaptation of Persuasion is now available to stream on Netflix.
Spectator
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Why is the BBC making stuff up about Jane Austen?
Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius began by saying that 'getting into her mind isn't easy' – something you'd never have guessed from the rest of the episode, where both the narrator and the talking heads were able to tell us exactly what Austen was thinking and feeling at any given time. Like many Austen biographies, this one laments her sister Cassandra's decision to burn most of her letters, but then takes full advantage of how little we consequently know about her to portray (or possibly make up) a woman whose attitudes are spookily close to its own. In a previous era, this might have meant presenting Austen as a gentle and contentedly domestic aunt. Now of course it means that 'at a time when women were supposed to know their place, Austen ripped up the rulebook'. Equipped with its privileged access to her mind, Monday's programme further explained that after 'feeling a lack of autonomy', she decided 'to pursue the route of being an independent woman'. Some irksome pedants (me, for instance) might suggest that in order to make Austen a proper feminist heroine, the programme has to contort even the little we know to fit a preordained narrative. Either that, or ignore it completely. Need Austen to be a pioneering female voice in the male world of novel-writing? Simply erase all the other women – Maria Edgeworth, Fanny Burney, Ann Radcliffe etc. – who were already successful novelists. Occasionally, too, we had the strange sight of Austen biographers contributing to accounts different from the ones in their own biographies. In 2013's The Real Jane Austen, Paula Byrne describes cousin Eliza arriving at the Austens' Steventon rectory in 1786 and visiting periodically after that, including for several months in 1792-3.
Sunday World
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
We dip into the stunning, scenic and storied English city
bath finder | As Jane Austen turns 250, we head to the city that the author once called home And for the celebrated British author of the 1817 novel it has certainly proved the case. It's Jane Austen's 250th birthday this year, but the passage of two and a half centuries hasn't sated the worldwide appetite for her literary works, two more being Emma and Mansfield Park. Quite the opposite, in fact, with everything from Bridget Jones to Bridgerton giving new life to her iconic creations, and the universal truth that 'we are all fools in love', in recent years. The historic ancient Roman baths And so it is, on a sunny spring day in 2025, that I find myself gazing up at a lifelike figurine of Mr Darcy, or at least what we all imagine the brooding heartthrob to look like ever since a sopping wet Colin Firth emerged from a lake in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The white shirt, presumably now dry, sold at auction for £25,000 in the UK last year. But there are still plenty of other Irish linen shirts, as well as Regency-style day dresses, shawls and bonnets in the vein of Elizabeth Bennet to try on at The Jane Austen Centre in Bath, Somerset. Austen's hometown of Hampshire, where she was born and died at just 41, naturally holds the greatest claim to the scribe on this, her semiquincentennial. The Jane Austen Festival's fab costumes Some 68 miles away, however, Bath also boasts a special place in the heart of Janeites all over the globe, with the 'City of Pleasures', where she lived for five years, the backdrop to two of her six novels. Whether you've devoured her entire back catalogue, or never read a single word, the fascinating immersive centre ( is as good a jumping off point as any for visitors hoping to get a better understanding of the trailblazing writer and the imprint she left on the world. Remarkably, yet in keeping with the social mores of the day when young women were expected to be more concerned with finding a husband than their narrative voice, it wasn't until after death that her name appeared on her books, originally simply credited as being penned 'By a Lady'. Spires in the skyline But, between Austen-themed festivals, food offerings and filming locations, among other frivolities, the Georgian city, reachable from Bristol Airport in about 40 minutes by bus, more than makes up for it today. Flanked by my very own Martha Lloyd, Austen's closest friend, on a two-night trip to Bath, I jumped aboard the unmistakable red Tootbus to get a sense (and sensibility) of where to begin. Priced from £24.50, the company ( offers a number of hop on-hop off tours including Bath Discovery and Hop on with Jane Austen in Bath, although must-see attractions like historic Bath Abbey and the ancient Roman Baths are all perfectly walkable, even in a flouncy ball dress. Sally Lunn's restaurant Conveniently, there was a stop for both routes taken by the double-decker right outside my hotel: one taking in more city centre landmarks like the famed Royal Crescent and Guildhall Market, the other sweeping high above the city past the spectacular Pulteney Bridge and Prior Park Landscape Garden. Based on North Parade, that's not the only good reason to stay at the four-star Abbey Hotel, with the boutique property also just a proverbial stone's throw from the main shopping street, and its maze of side streets running the gamut from high fashion to handmade fudge. Conscious of another of Jane's pearls of wisdom, to 'go and eat and drink a little more, and you will do very well', I took a creamy vanilla slab of the stuff back to my suitably refined double room for later, before heading for dinner at the nearby Sally Lunn's restaurant ( , home to the yeast dough bun that is to Bath what the blaa is to Waterford, and where everything is served on a slab of the bread — and all the better for it. . You couldn't possibly celebrate the author's milestone birthday, though, without indulging in the tower of dainty sandwiches and delicate cakes that were popular in her day, and still to this one, and there are traditional tea rooms on virtually every corner of the World Heritage city. After following in her footsteps on a hugely entertaining walking tour run by Strictly Jane Austen ( , and hearing of her ill-fated love affair with Limerick lawyer Thomas Lefroy, who went on to become Chief Justice of Ireland, and who's widely accepted as the inspiration for Mr Darcy, we finished with afternoon tea at the elegant Gainsborough hotel ( . Today's parents may be frantic trying to decipher the true meaning of their teens' textspeak, but as our charming part-Irish guide Theresa Roche explains, when it came to flirting, back then it was all about the art of the fan, which certainly seems a lot more sophisticated than simply swiping left or right. Not that Jane and her peers were the first to help turn Bath into the most fashionable city outside of London. The Abbey Hotel, Bath The true source of its popularity — and, obviously, its name — sprang up far earlier with its healing waters, and you know what they say: when in Rome, or in this case Bath, do as the Romans do. As well as exploring the original bathing site, elsewhere you can simmer away in the warm mineral-rich waters at the modern-day Thermae Bath Spa, before relaxing in a Roman steam room, with the £42 admission price worth it for the amazing rooftop view of the city alone ( . For all this year's pageantry, Jane, it has to be said, had a complicated relationship with the city, where the family fell on hard times after the death of her father, something which is being explored by an exhibition entitled, 'The Most Tiresome Place in the World: Jane Austen & Bath', running at No. 1 Royal Crescent until November. Over two centuries on, and two days later, however, for this 'obstinate, headstrong girl', at least, there is much to ardently admire about Bath. See and for more Deirdre exploring in Bath ■ How to get there: Aer Lingus Regional operates flights between Dublin and Bristol up to three times daily, with fares starting at €29.99 one-way. The airline also operates a Cork to Bristol service up to two times daily, with fares starting at €39.99 one-way. Book at ■ Where to stay: The central Abbey Hotel has everything from Cosy Print rooms to Gallery Family rooms, starting from £157 per night, including a hearty breakfast. There are even dog-friendly rooms so you can bring four-legged members of the family. Visit ■ Where to eat: Jane probably wasn't a lover of pizza, but those empire line frocks would have been handy for feasting on bulging burgers and bottomless brunch in Bath Pizza Co, which is a former train station. ■ Come for the reasonably-priced fare, and stay for the live music and friendly staff. See
Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘It is a truth universally acknowledged….' Jane Austen wrote the most perfect opening line – and we've been spoofing it ever since!
'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.' – Pride and Prejudice (1813), Jane Austen Few opening lines in literature are as instantly recognisable—or as frequently parodied—as Jane Austen's iconic opening sentence from Pride and Prejudice (1813). At first glance, it reads like a wry social decree, a tongue-in-cheek proclamation of Regency England's marital economics, or, given the universality of the line, India's arranged marriage tradition. Austen's genius lies in cloaking subversion in propriety. The line's lofty phrasing—'a truth universally acknowledged'—mimics the grand pronouncements of Enlightenment thinkers, only to undercut itself with the absurdity of its claim. Is it really a universal truth that every wealthy bachelor is desperate to marry? Or is this merely what society—particularly mothers with unmarried daughters—desperately wants to believe? The next sentence confirms the satire: 'However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be… this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.' Here, Austen skewers the entitlement and presumption of a society that treats marriage as both a financial necessity for women and a foregone conclusion for men. Part of the sentence's staying power is its adaptability. It has been repurposed for everything from zombie parodies ('It is a truth … a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains') to Bridget Jones's self-deprecating diary ('It is a truth … when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces'). Yet its endurance also speaks to uncomfortable continuities. Though women today (theoretically) have more autonomy, the pressure to marry—or to justify not marrying—persists. How many rom-coms still peddle the idea that a successful woman's life is incomplete without a partner? How often are single women asked, 'Why aren't you settled yet?' Austen's line, for all its 19th-century specificity, still resonates because the machinery of societal expectation hasn't fully dismantled. A perfect first line does more than hook a reader—it sets the tone for everything that follows. Austen's does so masterfully, as she establishes the voice (arch, all-knowing, and observant), introduces theme (marriage, money, and the absurdity of social norms), and invites complicity (readers in on the joke become co-conspirators in Austen's satire), all in a pithy 23 words. Indeed, for a master wordsmith, less is more. Two centuries later, the line remains a benchmark for writers. It proves that the best openings are capable of meaning new things to each generation. As Austen might say: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a great first line must be in want of endless reinterpretation. ('Drawing a Line' is an eight-column weekly series exploring the stories behind literature's most iconic opening lines. Each column offers interpretation, not definitive analysis—because great lines, like great books, invite many readings.) Aishwarya Khosla is a journalist currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics. She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks. She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year. She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home. Write to her at or You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More
