Alan Rickman just died...

Alan Rickman....

I'm so sad that I feel like I'm unintelligible right now. 

But what can I do when one of my favourite actors died just now? Alan Rickman is my definitive Colonel Brandon; he was my ideal man in the Jane Austen world. I used to listen to his voice reading a poem at YouTube a few years back, mesmerised by his voice. I watched him as Col Brandon watching Marianne, youthful Marianne, then reading her poems. I watched him recently as Louis XIV in A Little Chaos, again with Kate Winslet who used to portray Marianne.

It hurts, you know? Separation hurts. And for that... I can only pour my pains here...Well, not just here, but this is one of the outlets I have, so do excuse my sadness...

My Col Brandon just died. My Severus Snape just died. And it hurts so much...

This link provides you with The Guardian's version of 10 best Alan Rickman performances. I posted some Alan Rickman YouTube videos as well below, just because I love him so. Alan, rest in peace. Thank you for providing us with that smile, that humour, that voice... that beauty that is you...

Some of my favourite Alan Rickman scenes/series are below:

Breaking the patterns: Healing at cellular memory level

Again, I have data analysis to do, but my right brain kept begging me to write this down, so here we are. Right brain, the intuition wins. Let’s hope this is a useful epiphany for you dear friend, for it definitely is for me.

First, I would like to acknowledge (again) Christiane Northrup, MD (Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom) for her amazing book that I have yet finished reading, for it seems like chewing up the last bites of a very delicious meal. I am utterly most grateful for the research and wisdom she unravelled for us there. Other women I would like to thank are a sisterhood of Jane Austen fans, mainly Laurie Viera Rigler (Rude Awakening of a Jane Austen Addict) and Mariana Gheorghe, whose recent article in the Becoming Jane Fansite about Bad Tuesdays for Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy has unconsciously triggered a new shed of awareness in me.

By now, you would be quirking your nicely trimmed eyebrows, for what is the relationship between Northrup’s feminine bodily wisdom and the deceased British authoress of the Regency Period? Two phrase: cellular memories and repetitive patterns.

I love Mr. Knightley!

I feel like an outcast sometimes in the Jane Austen world, for I do NOT swoon over Fitzwilliam Darcy. I have watched the Pride & Prejudice 1995 and 2005 several times, coming out with the conclusion that I love Jennifer Ehle's Lizzy Bennet (THE Lizzy Bennet!) and I am swaying over Matthew Macfayden's Darcy (for he was so sensitive)... instead of Collin Firth's Darcy... but I'm not really into the saga of Lizzy and Darcy.

There, I've said that. Now sue me.


But on the other hand, I just recently realised how I love Mr. Knightley. The Jeremy Northam Knightley... the one in Emma 1996 (with the witty Gwyneth Palthrow). Not the Mark Strong one (many women would love Strong's Knightley... they can have him...). Jeremy's Knightley is such a sensitive person, but funny as well in his own right, and don't give the impression of someone with a toothache when you talk to him.

And here's some of my fave scenes in Emma 1996, involving Knightley:

1. When Knightley and Emma was talking in the Christmas party, and suddenly Mr. Elton just sat down between them... Jeremy's expression was too funny! And he also stifled his laughter when Mr. Elton tried to talk to Emma, though Emma obviously did not want to.

2. When Frank Churchill and Emma sang together... Knightley's jealousy was palpable, though he tried to hide it.

3. When Emma and Knightley was in the green house, and K said that he had news and that 'I know how you love news', and Emma wittily said, 'Oh yes, I always love news!' Their interaction is so cute!

4. Another ball, and that Mrs. Elton was 'taking care' of Jane Fairfax. And then Augusta Elton barked, 'Knightley!' and asked him to tell Jane how silly she was to walk in the rain. Knightley's expressions are sooo cute! I can watch the scene again and again just to see him there!

5. The ball again, where Harriet Smith did not have any partners at all... and Knightley swung over to take her to dance. He was such a genteel person there...

I just came to realise this... but I think I know why I think Knightley better than Darcy. I mean, Darcy helped tracking down Lydia... very honourable of him. But he partly did that for Elizabeth, which is of course understandable. But Knightley stood against Emma for Miss Bates (and for Emma's good as well), and he also helped Harriet without any agenda. Mr. Knightley is more down to earth to me...

Colonel Brandon is my other Austen hero. The Alan Rickman Brandon (Sense & Sensibility 1995). He's this sensitive soul, yet again... (and makes me love Severus Snape as well!).

As for Frank Churchill... let's face it. I love his voice. The Ewan McGregor one, I mean. His duet with Emma (Saw You Not My Lady) was superb!

Pic: Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley (Emma, 1996)
Pic 2: Emma (Gwyneth Palthrow) and Mr. Knightley (Jeremy Northam)

Jane Austen was very witty!

She was! I have yet to finish Sense and Sensibility the novel, but I have chuckled, smirked and laughed at how she wrote the scenes. My, oh my… she indeed had a very good sense of humour. Listen to these passages, all taken from SS Penguin Edition:

Mrs. Palmer’s eye was now caught by the drawings which hung round the room. She got up to examine them.

‘Oh! Dear, how beautiful these are! Well! How delightful! Do but look, mama, how sweet! I declare they are quite charming; I could look at them for ever.’ And then sitting down again, she very soon forgot that there were any such things in the room. (p. 105)

Austen’s satire is very apparent here:

‘Oh! My love,’ cried Mrs. Palmer to her husband, who just then entered the room – ‘You must help me persuade the Miss Dashwoods to go to town this winter.’

Her love made no answer; and after slightly bowing to the ladies, began complaining of the weather. (p. 107)

This one is so funny; I might have to ‘steal’ it in my fictions, for I often depicted a character muttering something incomprehensible.

Poor Edward [Ferrars] muttered something, but what it was, nobody knew, not even himself. (p. 228)

By and by, what about these Charlotte or ‘-t’ characters? Charlotte Lucas was silly, Charlotte Palmer was twice as silly as Mrs. Lucas, and Harriet Smith was exceedingly naïve. Something about ‘-t’ characters that JA did not particularly fond of? :-D

PS: I know admirers of Pride & Prejudice will not consent to my opinion here, but I find that SS is a more amusing book than PP. Perhaps the premise of two rather poor Dashwood sisters (well, three – but Margaret was still a teenage, so she did not count) with near zilch romantic prospect has more appeal to me than the plight of five rather rich Bennet girls. Elizabeth Bennet was an interesting, sensible character though. A mixture of Marianne and Elinor.

Each of us has a private Austen

That was the first line of 'The Jane Austen Book Club' by Karen Joy Fowler that I've just got this afternoon from Ebay (don't you love good second-hand books?). And that prompted me to think of my Jane Austen. What was she for me?

To me, Jane Austen was not only the woman responsible for my JA reading spree these two months. She was the woman who was in love with a man, so in love, that, despite the failure of the romance, picked up her quill and wrote the greatest novels of her time. She was the woman who still preserved her wittiness, even in the eye of Death. And though she might not be as gorgeous in appearance as Anne Hathaway, I do not doubt that she was as witty - perhaps even more - than Anne (no offense to my dear AH). And that she was a strong woman, able to live a spinster life in the age where a married woman is treated more appropriately than unmarried ones - except if the said lady was reasonably wealthy.

Having said that, I just want to close the short note with the fact that I've added three biographical, non-fiction Austenian books in my library (by Le Faye, Halperin and Chapman). I have this other JA Wikipedia project with Rachel, and I have to find certain information that would do the paper good. A pity that Jon Spence's book (revised edition) is not available yet!

Review of the 'JA Book Club' will come as soon as I've finished the book.

Saw you not my lady?

Did you not hear My Lady
Go down the garden singing
Blackbird and thrush were silent
To hear the alleys ringing...

Oh saw you not My Lady
Out in the garden there
Shaming the rose and lily
For she is twice as fair.

Though I am nothing to her
Though she must rarely look at me
And though I could never woo her
I love her till I die.

Surely you heard My Lady
Go down the garden singing
Silencing all the songbirds
And setting the alleys ringing...

But surely you see My Lady
Out in the garden there
Rivaling the glittering sunshine
With a glory of golden hair

Song: 'Silent Worship', Emma (1996). 'Silent Worship' is an adaptation by Arthur Somervell on an aria from Händel opera 'Tolomeo'. Emma finally became one of my favourite movies after three times viewing! Blame the lack of English subtitle (I am, after all, not a native speaker). Yet, it is such a witty movie that I desire to read the novel now!

Pics: Eliza de Feullide (Lucy Cohu) and Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Paltrow)

What's the relationship between Lady Kartini and Jane Austen?

Well, there are a few of them.
1. IMO, they're both heroines that have managed to empower women in their respective countries. Lady Kartini was born on 21st April 1879, a century after Jane Austen's birth on 16 December 1775. Kartini's renowned writing, Door Duistermis tox Licht, Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang ('After Darkness, Light is Born'), have inspired many Indonesian women to reach for higher education and become the best of themselves. I owe much of my life and education to the elegant lady. Jane Austen's six novels (well, seven, if you include 'Sanditon'), juvenillia and letters have inspired many Western women to live their life the fullest. That includes not getting married without true love and affection.

Indeed, both women are heroines to me (and I have more heroines to save for later!).

2. Kartini's birthday is 21st of April, we Indonesians have just celebrated it last Saturday. And surprise, surprise, it's the very same date with James McAvoy, the actor who played Thomas Langlois Lefroy, Jane Austen's lover in their youth. Well, except that James is still 28, so a bit too young for me (harhar!). But, happy birthday, James!








UPDATE 29 APRIL 2007:

Dang! It turned out that the info in many web pages were wrong! JMA's birthday is actually 1st of January 1979, as confirmed by GMTV Entertainment Today (where James was the guest of the day). Oh, well, that doesn't alter my admiration towards him whatsoever...

What's so special about Jane Austen?

And I have to admit that my acquaintance with the 19th century 'Lady Kartini' of England just began a month ago when I watched 'Becoming Jane'. A lot of things can be said about Miss Austen, most notably the fact that she remained unmarried despite her success with her witty and funny stories. Below is an interesting quote from Ang Lee, the director of 'Sense and Sensibility (1995)':

One of the things that made Jane Austen so special was that she recognized the duality in everything. She knew that there is almost never just one thing going on in any situation, and she recognized the heartbreak which can result when the innocents among us must finally confront the truth. But she also rejoiced in the opportunities for satire which inevitably arise when people are saying one thing and doing something else.

It is thus the truth universally acknowledged (well, at least among Austenians) that Mr. Lee is correct.