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http://dancewithjaneausten.com/

free and very fun dance event. all welcome, no partner needed. come in period costume or not, as you choose.

I finished rereading Mansfield Park. I enjoyed it a lot more this time around. While I'm not a Fanny hater, she has never been one of my favorite characters. The last time I read it (more than 10 years ago) I just could not get into it. But I guess knowing what to expect this time helped. This time I really enjoyed the supporting characters and of course Austen's wonderful way with words.

Today I re-watched both the 1999 and the 2007 film versions. I enjoyed parts of both films, but I still think there is no good version of Mansfield Park out there.

I wonder if a good film version of the story can be made. Fanny in the novel is so widely hated that if she were presented as is, a lot of people would hate it. But changing her so much really hurts the story. This is especially true of the 1999 film. Mary Crawford and Fanny seem so similar that the only way to give them any contrast is to make Miss Crawford seem really trashy. And this totally undercuts Austen's purpose of the story.

Mansfield Park is a sort of disclaimer to Pride and Prejudice. In Pride and Prejudice Elisabeth is healthy, witty and good while Miss de Bourgh is sickly, cross, has no conversation and is not good. Austen is showing with Fanny and Miss Crawford that health and wit have little to do with true goodness.

I'm glad that the 2007 film kept Fanny sweet. But they erased all her flaws and left her so bland she's just a Mary Sue. And we know Austen would never approve of that. Remember her "Pictures of perfection make me sick and wicked" line.

So I'm curious, what would all of you suggest? How could a film version stay true to Austen and yet not make the audience want to smack Fanny?

Here's my idea: What annoys me about Fanny is she doesn't seem to grow much as a character. While she certainly does grow some. I don't think it's enough. While at the beginning of the novel she can hardly confront anyone, by the end of it the only way she can get through confronting people is largely by crying buckets. If a film version lessened the crying and emphasized Fanny's gaining courage through her refusal of Henry Crawford it might help make her a less annoying character but still keep her largely the way Austen wrote her.

I realize the whole idea of changing Austen might seem offensive to some people but there it is.

Any other ideas?

p.s. - Is it just me or is this Austen fiction getting out of hand? I love Shannon Hale but this! - too werid!