Disclaimer: Any rants on my part regarding the recent hike in fuel prices will not be done here. Suffice to say, driving aimlessly is no longer an affordable past time. I’ve given up my car privileges.
For now though, this entry is dedicated to literature.
Margaret Hale: You think that because you are rich, and my father is in…
reduced circumstances, that you can have me for your possession! I suppose I
should expect no less from someone in trade!
John Thornton: I don’t
want to possess you! I wish to marry you because I love you!
That one line almost makes me want to smack the back of
Margaret’s head and force her to reconsider her words. Almost.
I think I’m in danger of having my sense of reality
completely distorted if I don’t quit watching period films and costume dramas soon.
I just can’t help myself and its dead infuriating!
After my latest encounter with BBC’s adaptation of ‘North
and South’ however, I have a declaration to make:
I can scarcely believe I’m saying this, but Mr. Fitzwilliam
Darcy has been replaced by Mr. John Thornton as the most eligible fictional
character ever written. For the moment, at least. And just as long as
Thornton’s character is played by Richard Armitage. Heh. I’ll admit it’s a
shallow decision, considering I haven’t even read the book, but if the miniseries
is anything like the book, then I’m perfectly content. Mr. Thornton makes Mr.
Darcy look like a pampered man, and that’s a shocking first for me.
‘North and South’ was written by Elizabeth Gaskell, the
story taking place in 1851, England. The Regency period has ended, the setting
is now during the Victorian times and the Industrial Revolution is in full
swing. Margaret Hale is a young woman from the south who is forced to move up
north with her family. It is there where she meets John Thornton, a man with a
temper whom she takes an immediate dislike to. You can guess how the story
ends. It’s much like Pride and Prejudice, but with different sets of characters
in a different time, and where romance is not the only theme. Gaskell takes on
realistic approach, as opposed to using her story for escapism. From what I can
gather from the miniseries and a little background reading on her biography,
Gaskell’s plots acutely point out to the reader the social working conditions
of her time, the issues of unionism and labour, the relationship between
factory owners and workers, and the question of morality in a time when the
country is undergoing rapid industrialisation and modernisation. It’s the age
of machinery and mechanical inventions. Gaskell paints a greyer picture
compared to Austen’s lush portrait of customs and country sides. I have no
preferences between the two because they both reflect the concerns of their own
epoch. There are fewer formalities to adhere to in Gaskell’s time (no bowing required,
for example), but I love how the rule of propriety still stands even then. In a
respectable society, men do not court women simply for folly or one night
stands (although I’m conveniently leaving out brothels here), and it was
frowned upon to show improper affection if the couple have no plans to wed. It
sounds almost Islamic!
As for the miniseries, Margaret Hale was decently portrayed,
but Armitage stood out in every scene as John Thornton. Where Darcy seemed
arrogant and dismissive at first sight, Thornton was worse, seen as brutal and
cruel. I was intrigued and wondered how on earth this story was going to put
Thornton in a better light, since his first appearance was less than beguiling.
As the story progresses, you find that he doesn’t really change or improve, but
your opinion of him gradually shifts. You’re able to see him in a clearer light
and understand how he became the man that he was. He doesn’t pretend to shroud
himself in mystery (which I can’t stand); he’s very frank about who he is and
you’ll love him even more for it. It helps that he’s got a dishy accent to
boot. And who can resist the cravat? By the time the credits roll, without
realizing it, you’re left smitten.
Ah, I don’t know. These are probably the thoughts of a girl
who’s stubbornly clutching on the last vestiges of fanciful notions before they
give way altogether to a harsher, starker reality.
My sister chides me for rambling about fantasy romances from
another country, another culture, another time and era, when I can’t be
bothered to go looking for my own story.
I like dissecting and analyzing the stories of others; it’s
a lot more interesting. Better the best friend than the leading lady.
The truth is it’s so much easier to fall in love with love,
than to fall in love.
One certain family member never lets it rest. “Still single?
At 21?!”
I always grin back.
“No pressure.”
Enough said here.
P/s I think I’m suffering from football withdrawal symptoms,
which explains why I’ve gone soft in the head. Can’t wait for Euro 2008 to
start! For oil prices will rise (Malaysia), suicide rates will go up (Japan),
bombs will go off (Sri Lanka), the Qur’an will be used for target practice
(Iraq), lands will be occupied (Palestine), quakes will hit (China), typhoons will come (Myanmar), poverty will
increase and religion will be scorned at (all around the world) but football must go on.
Any detection of sarcasm is purely speculation on your part.
I don’t have the stomach for anything else right now. Allow
me football. Allow me that one happy thought.
