"Which of my all important nothings should I tell you first?" ~ Jane Austen, in a letter to her sister

Pages

Friday, February 11, 2011

I'm in love . . . with Downton Abbey

A few weeks ago a co-worker, Allen, told me about Downton Abbey. It's a new Masterpiece Classic miniseries on PBS. Allen works in Washington, D.C., and I only see him once or twice a year so I've never actually met his wife, but I know that we have something in common. This is how he knew I would like the series. You see, his wife and are both Janeites. What is a Janeite you say?


Jane·ite [ jáyn t ] (plural Jane·ites) noun

Definition:
devotee of Jane Austen: an expert on or admirer of the life and works of the English novelist, Jane Austen
You're shocked, I know. I mean, if you have read any of my other posts then obviously you know I'm a Janeite.

When Allen told me how much his wife absolutely loves this series I definitely took heed of his advice. I knew I would forget so I sent myself a reminder email. Still, it was 3 weeks before I stumbled upon that email and then I finally watched the first of four 1 hour, 23 minute, episodes.

And I was hooked immediately. I love it! It's so very Jane Austen (though off by about 100 years) in it's comedy of manners. It's wicked in a way you wouldn't expect from a British period show. And it's so well-made. The settings, the acting, oh, and the costumes! I love the costumes.

Try it. It's available on PBS.org for a limited time: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/index.html. 

Here's a sample with the lovely Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville: 


2 comments:

  1. I am so going to have to check this out with my son Tristin. He and I love Jane! Thanks for the share.

    ReplyDelete
  2. G - let me know what you think. I'm eagerly waiting for season 2 now.

    ReplyDelete