Plays, Persuasion, and Pictures

This week I had a chance to go to two plays my university put on. The first was based on my absolute favorite Jane Austen novel Persuasion. It's definitely my favorite classic as well, and rivalling with Harry Potter for my second place as best book (I lump series together in one--you can't really get a sense of the entire story with just one book).

I love Persuasion so much. I think it's Jane Austen's most underrated work. Of course, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility which are probably her three most popular works are brilliant as well, but for me nothing tops Persuasion. We studied it in my British Literature class this year, and whoever thinks Austen just writes the female fantasy is sorely mistaken. And yes, her settings are small, but so is our life. Ah, I just love it!

The one thing about the play Persuasion that I didn't care for is the fact that they often had flashbacks to when Anne and Frederick first met. In the novel, that is brushed over in about three pages, and most of it is about how Anne had been persuaded to give him up. I just don't like the focus being on that. To me, as Austen told it, the story is about Anne and Frederick managing their new situation, not dwelling on the old one.

And last night there was a free performance of a play based on Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. I haven't read this book yet, but after seeing the play I definitely want to! It's been a long time since I've been so frustrated at a character as I was at Dorian, and I'd love to get into more depth with his character in the book. Plus, Wilde is just so clever!