Christianity Today has published its list of The 10 Most Redeeming Films of 2005, and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE clocked in at number three:

This most recent adaptation of the Jane Austen classic is witty and romantic, as you might expect, but it’s also strikingly naturalistic and a gracefully compelling look at the social world of Austen’s book. And the ultimate message: Good guys do finish first! This film beautifully illustrates the value of a person of character; though not as evident and popular as good looks or a suave manner, integrity is more lasting, foundational, and truly attractive. Keira Knightley is a screen-stealer as Lizzie, who ultimately learns the lesson of 1 Samuel 16:7: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Christianity Today’s review of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is available here.

The Editrix has been hearing from several journalists lately, all more or less wondering, “Why Jane?”

Why, indeed?

We think Karen Joy Fowler, the author of The Jane Austen Book Club, is on the right track with the first sentence of the book: “Each of us has a private Austen.” We all read Jane’s books in our own way and love them for our own reason; Ms. Fowler also has written that many of us read Jane Austen’s work differently at different times in our life.

So we are not sure if our love for Jane Austen’s work is quantifiable. That does not mean that we cannot try to quantify it, however; or even just gush.

Alert Janeite/Brontëite Cristina wrote to tell us about an article by a high school senior who is just starting out on her journey of discovering her private Austen (and already planning that trip to England…take it from the Editrix, don’t wait till you are 40 to do it!) .

Yasmeen Murshed writes about her private Austen in the Daily Star.

Austen counts as a “great” because her work has a much more serious aspect of social and familial insight and it reveals in its own wry and witty fashion her deep understanding of human relationships — that alone is testimony to her enormous talent.

Feel free to tell us about your private Austen.

Alert Janeite Adrienne sent us a link to a post from Zadeblog in which Zade delivers a delightfully snarky response to Salman Rushdie’s not-really-critical comments about Jane Austen’s failure to engage in a literary sense with the big events of her time.

As to soldiers, in terms of J.A.’s world view, she does gives them their due. What’s not to like, decoratively speaking, about a flock of young men in white breeches and short crimson jackets/tailcoats with plenty of sashes and epaulets and as much passementerie as any curtains by Mésangère? They’re good for ballrooms just like they’re still good for Quality Street toffee tins.

Zade admits that Mr. Rushdie has a point and provides a quote from Vogue to show how the media of our modern times can be really disengaged in a way that Jane Austen really is not.

Many of us have busted on her, now let’s hear what she has to say for herself.

What challenges did you face on Pride and Prejudice?

We were all approaching it as a difficult thing to tackle, because it had already been done on TV, and we wanted this version to be different. Joe [Wright, the director] felt that the high waistline was really unflattering. In the 18th century, you had a corseted waist that was more or less the natural waistline, and after the 1790s it started moving up towards empire line. Joe found out that the book (published in 1813) was actually written in 1796, and thought, ‘Anything to get us back earlier!’ So that’s what we did.

How did you differentiate between the five sisters, costume-wise?

Lizzie Bennet was the tomboy, and wore earth colours because she loved the countryside. Jane was the most refined, and yet it’s still all a bit slapdash and homemade, because the Bennets have no money.

*the Editrix lovingly caresses the Cluebat of Janeite Righteousness*

One of the main things Joe wanted was for the whole thing to have a provincial feel. Mary is the bluestocking: serious and practical. And then Lydia and Kitty are a bit Tweedledum and Tweedledee in a kind of teenage way. I tried to make it so that they’d be sort of mirror images. If one’s wearing a green dress, the other will wear a green jacket; so you always have a visual asymmetry between the two.

And Darcy?

His costume had a series of stages. The first time we see him he’s at Meriton, where he has a very stiffly tailored jacket on, and he’s quite contained and rigid. He stays in that rigid form for the first part of the film.

By the time we get to the proposal that goes wrong in the rain, we move to a similar cut, but a much softer fabric. And then later he’s got a completely different cut of coat, not interlined, and he wears it undone.

The nth degree is him walking through the mist in the morning, completely undressed by 18th-century standards. It’s absolutely unlikely, but then Lizzie’s in her nightie, so what can you say?

Indeed!

The Jane Austen Society of Australia has posted its 2006 events list on its Web site. The next event, on 18 February, will be Dr Jennifer Kloester, author of Georgette Heyer’s Regency World, speaking on “Georgette and the Great Jane.”

Dude. There’s a new book about Georgette Heyer? Why were we not informed? Somebody needs to start a HeyerBlog. (Don’t look at us, we have more than enough projects, thank you.) And will someone please send us a plane ticket to Australia directly? Thanks!

The Annual Conference in May will concentrate on Mansfield Park, as will the JASNA AGM.

ETA: Stephen Bowden reviewed the Heyer book on his blog. Clearly the Editrix has to get out more.

And we’re sure she feels much better for it.