SELF-CONFESSIONS OF A BBC 18TH/19TH CENTURY PERIOD DRAMA QUEEN

I have a confession to make. “I love men in top hats and cravats! “ If you had told me that I did or would 15 years ago, I would have instructed you call 1-800-Get-Lost.

I must thank my English Prof brother “Fish” who insisted so long ago that I read Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice along with all the painful novels written by Barbara Pym. I happen to admire the hell out of the guy, so I read them out of my respect and admiration for him; although I must confess that the novels were read under duress and a sense of obligation. I was so relieved when I finished them and have often pondered why “Fish” held them in such high regard. I have come to conclusion that it comes down to the ‘rectory’. I am prepared for his challenge. I even have the hymns selected. Take me on Fish!

Then came the day when Fish presented himself at our home with BBC’s drama of Pride and Prejudice. Emphatically Fish stated that I would love it. I thought silently, ‘not likely’. I had no intention of watching it. My husband insisted we should watch the first of the 6 episodes to appease him. We did and I was hooked...all night for 6 hours straight. I fell in love with Mr. Darcy. Colin Firth will always be my Mr. Darcy.

The “Fish” returned with a vengeance with BBC’s drama of Bronte’s Jane Eyre. I had never read the book and protested as I had seen the William Hurt version and hated the movie. Again my sensible husband thought we should watch the first episode. We did and I was hooked...all night; for 4 hours straight. Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre had the most erotic boot porn I’ve ever seen. Whoever said you had to get naked?


Enough is enough right? The “Fish” returned a few weeks ago with BBC’s drama series of Elizabeth Gaskell’s North & South. I put my foot down. I was not watching it! My husband started watching the series while I worked on other assignments. Curiosity was killing me and the next thing I (pride and prejudice) knew; I was sitting there beside him (sense and sensibility) and watched the entire series without a spoken word. This time the hero was not the man in the top hat and cravat but the female heroine Margaret Hale.

CONTRASTING THE STORIES

Pride and Prejudice and North and South have interesting similarities yet profound differences. Pride and Prejudice focuses on the effect that social mores and class influences have on the lives of the characters. Elizabeth Bennett and her sister Jane were, in Darcy’s opinion, beneath and unworthy of Bingley and himself, due to the socially inferior family they were born into. Many of the social conventions during this historical period tended to shackle the human spirit and thwart the possibility for love to come to fruition between individuals who may have been otherwise suited. While these obstacles were overcome in Pride and Prejudice, we wonder whether Austen has made the leap toward the fantastical, if not unbelievable, in bridging the chasm between the classes.

Fortunately for the world, the industrial revolution came along and down came the walls of many of the absurd conventions of the eighteenth century. The notion that an English Gentleman would be disgraced if he had to get his hands dirty in order to save the honour and integrity of his family was dispelled by Gaskell in North and South. Margaret Hale recognized that she herself was guilty of romanticizing the North (Milton), after having had the opportunity to contrast it with life in the mundane, more conventional south. The development of her attachment to Mr. Thornton evolved as she observed his propensity to become increasingly more sensitive to the condition and plight of his workers, thereby making him more human. Thornton pointed out that initially the industrial revolution would bring about hardship and difficulty, but that society would benefit over time from its development.

It is interesting that Margaret Hale was the conduit for Thornton’s transformation. She brought out the best in his character; she was acutely aware of his flaws as a person but continued to defend his character throughout the story despite the opinion of those who were willing to write him off as a monster. It is also interesting to note that she was ultimately portrayed as his economic equal at the conclusion of the story; unlikely to have occurred during Austen’s eighteenth century England. The industrial revolution, it can be argued, contributed to a greater level of humanization within society. The Hale/Thornton romance was for me more compelling and identifiable as it occurred within a wider context of human struggle. They just needed a little boot porn to top it off ;)

MY VOTE:

Best Story:
☼ North & South

Best man in a top hat and cravat:
☼ Mr. Thornton

Best Heroine:
☼ Margaret Hale

Best Storyteller:
☼ BBC