Okay, I will make what may be a somewhat shocking confession: I’m really not that big of an Austen fan. Oh, I’ve read the biggies–Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma–but they don’t draw me back for repeat reads over and over again. I’ve enjoyed the movie adaptations I’ve seen, but I haven’t gone out of my way to see them. I’m more of a “if it happens to be on Masterpiece Theater and I happen to have the time” kind of girl when it comes to watching Austen movies. And I haven’t had any particular desire to seek out any of the modern Austen sequels that have become so popular of late.
So, when I checked the TV menu last night and found an hour-long show called Lost in Austen was on my PBS station, I was only mildly intrigued. But there was nothing else I wanted to watch, so I decided to give it a whirl.
And, oh my goodness, am I glad I did! Lost in Austen is about a modern-day Londoner, Amanda Price, whose favorite book is Pride and Predudice. She reads it over and over again as an escape from the coarse rudeness and lack of romanticism in modern life. And then, one night, after her boyfriend proposes to her and then passes out on the couch, drunk, she hears a noise in her bathroom. When she goes to investigate, she discovers Elizabeth Bennett in her bathtub. Shortly thereafter, she and Elizabeth switch places.
I won’t reveal more than that because, well, it would be a spoiler, but I think what made this so much fun for me is that it really is seeing the historical romance through the eyes of a modern woman, which is the way we read Austen and all modern romance novels with historical settings. Not to mention, it is very funny.
The entire show is made up of four one-hour episodes, and I’m already eagerly anticipating episode 2. In the meantime, I reckon I’ll fire up the DVR and watch episode 1 a few times more!
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