The final installment of Sense and Sensibility, part of The Complete Jane Austen series, airs next Sunday at 9:00 PM. If you're a JA fan like me, then you've probably seen all or most of the Austen adaptations (Hollywood, BBC, A&E, etc.), and more than once. I believe you also have very strong opinions of those films, as I do.However, I find the PBS Masterpiece series very accessible. It’s fantastic that all of the Austen novels are presented (albeit some in shortened versions) in a series, and on more than one air date.
I understand that for steadfast and devoted “Janeites”, shortened versions of Austen’s masterpieces won’t do, and what I am about to say you may not agree with. I think we have to acknowledge many of us don’t always have time to view a full six-hour film series (Pride and Prejudice, i.e. P&P2).
Really, I look at the Masterpiece series as the solution to our schedule conundrum. Even if some of the adaptations are shorter, they still maintain infinitely better content than most offerings on cable today and, more importantly, they fit into a busy schedule. Remember, PBS aired the full version of P&P2 because it was demanded by Austen fans everywhere.
Truly, there is something worthwhile in all seven adaptations. Austen devotees can appreciate the genius of Andrew Davies, who adapted four of the series’ films. The time-deprived, like me, appreciate the accessibility of it all.
I conclude that if The Complete Jane Austen inspires us to read a beloved Jane Austen novel (sometimes for the twentieth time), then it has accomplished a great deal more than simply being a film adaptation of a classic.
Sandy Losik
Manager, Online Fundraising
"Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion."
- Pride and Prejudice
