Greetings to our British friends–please tell us what you think about the new production!

The Jane Austen Society (the British one) is apparently not real happy with Andrew Davies and his big mouth.

Mr Davies said sex was in all Austen’s novels and he had no apologies to make for his raunchy version of Sense and Sensibility being screened on BBC1 tomorrow.

Mr Davies was speaking after being accused by Patrick Stokes, chairman of the Jane Austen Society and a relative of the author, of “degrading fine English literature” through including sex scenes in his new version

[. . .]

Mr Stokes, the author’s great- great-nephew, believes making the story so racy detracts from Austen’s main theme – the fact that women of the time depended on marriage for social and economic security.

“Sexing this story up says more about the BBC than Jane Austen,” Mr Stokes was reported as saying.

“It is lowering itself by degrading fine English literature in the battle for ratings.

“While it is good that it draws people’s attention to her works, there is not a lot you can do if someone makes a hash of it.”

Isn’t that the truth. But we still think (and hope!) that Mr. Davies’ comments were mostly marketing; but we agree that even his comments do a disservice to Jane Austen.

The Miami Herald has an interview with Andrew Davies.

Martyn Drake complains about the new adaptation on his blog.

There’s yet another bloody Jane Austen remake! I give up! Just how many ways can you film Sense and Sensability? I mean, REALLY? I’m so fed up that I’m intending to write my own adaptation called Sensors and Sensorbility which is set in the year 300,000 on board a spaceship. Virtually all characters are androids. It’ll be a costume drama with a difference AND will have expensive Visual Effects!

Amusing, but we have some issues with his math.

I’ve decided to put this point across to Broadcast’s letter page. It’s getting on my nerves that we’re getting the fourth or fifth TV adaptation of this book. There’s only so much you do with it for crying out loud!

We only count three in the last thirty years, unless you count Kandukondain Kandukondain–which wasn’t a TV adaptation–and come to think of it, neither was the Ang Lee film. Uh…he does realize all these Jane Austen adaptations are of different books, right?

In other news (and breaking our no-six-degrees-of-Jane-Austen-rule) Mr. Wisley married Fanny Price, and our head just exploded from the meta-ness of it all (though they are an adorable couple and we wish them much joy).

Happy New Year to all!