I am so excited about the all new miniseries Emma coming up on PBS! I know I’ll need to talk to someone about it, so a book and film discussion will be held here at the library. And since it’s Austen, we’re having afternoon tea as well.
Put it on your calendar now! Read the book, watch the broadcast (Sunday, January 24, January 31 and February 7, 9 p.m.) and come to the library to talk about it and enjoy some tea. The new adaptation will star Romola Garai in the title role as Emma, the tireless matchmaker, and Johnny Lee Miller at Mr. Knightly. I’m sure it will be wonderful, as most Masterpiece Classic productions are.
From Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia, we learn that “charming and willful Emma Woodhouse has no responsibilities other than the care of her indulgent father. To amuse herself, she plays with other people’s affairs, planning their lives the way she sees fit ” and that “the book is much concerned with the themes of self-delusion and notions of class and decorum fundamental to English society.”
This is a nice way of saying that the snobby, impetuous and often clueless Emma causes lots of problems, meddles and interferes with everyone’s business, and is a notorious matchmaker.
There is lots to talk about in Austen: class and social rank, family, relationships, status, an intricate plot, great character development, and the bucolic setting for starters.
Please register at www.jeffersonlibrary.net.