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New Emma Film: A Regency #Valentine

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Mr. Darcy, a character in Jane Eyre Gets Real by Annabelle Troy, has a secret fondness for the film adaptation of Emma starring #GwynethPaltrow. So he wasn’t sure how he’d feel about the “new” Emma adaptation, made in 2020. #Mr.Darcy is here to say he was pleasantly surprised. The original Emma is an elegant, pastel-toned drama with arch comic touches; the recent depiction a vividly colored, brisk comedy. The heroine is played by #Anya Taylor-Joy, of Queen’s Gambit fame, and she makes a younger, less conventionally beautiful but in many ways more compelling Miss Woodhouse. Taylor-Joy is not afraid to … Continue reading New Emma Film: A Regency #Valentine

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Very Victorian #Vaccine Problems

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Edward Jennings contributed greatly to the advancement of vaccines when, in 1798, he administered them for smallpox. How did he get the idea? Well, as a little boy he’d had smallpox himself and survived, becoming immune to the disease. As #Covid19 vaccines begin to be rolled out across the USA, the cast of Annabelle Troy’s novel Jane Eyre Gets Real reminds you that no era is immune to problems, least of all the Victorians: The Syringe Won’t Go Through Your Sleeve You Prefer to Stick With Opiates Your Cat Wants A Shot, Too After You’re Pricked, You Sleep For A … Continue reading Very Victorian #Vaccine Problems

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Fan Favorite #DawnWells Mourned by Heidi

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Heidi is the only juvenile character in the novel Jane Eyre Gets Real by Annabelle Troy. The little Swiss girl originally created by Johanna Spyri has watched a lot of reruns on #YouTube since being transported to contemporary New York City. She has become fond of the silly 1960’s sitcom #Gilligan’sIsland. With her own nature being sunny and open, Heidi found a kindred spirit in Mary Ann Summers, the unassuming character played by Dawn Wells. A country girl marooned with nothing to wear but cut-offs and gingham blouses, Mary Ann makes the best of a bad situation by baking coconut … Continue reading Fan Favorite #DawnWells Mourned by Heidi

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Christmas Fairy Tales

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In an all-too literal world, Alice in Wonderland–appearing courtesy of #LewisCarroll in the novel Jane Eyre Gets Real–recommends the following old-fashioned diversions: The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home by Charles Dickens: an early Dickens novel where a chirping cricket acts as a young family’s guardian angel. Set during #Christmas, it was a Victorian sentimental favorite and was produced several times on the stage, both in England and Russia. Grimm’s Fairy Tales: Get a complete edition of the original stories (there should be over 200 tales), preferably in a leather-bound, gilt-edged edition. #Disney adaptations notwithstanding, these are … Continue reading Christmas Fairy Tales

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Meri Kurisumasu: #Christmas in Japan

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Jane Eyre, the main character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, has been stressed out for over two centuries. Knowing that Xmas, especially in the time of #Covid, may be especially hard for people this year, she recommends looking outside of yourself to gain perspective. For instance, don’t think about holidays past, think about the wacky yet endearing way Xmas is celebrated in Japan! Only one percent of Japanese are Christians, so December 25th is very much a secular event. While many citizens buy really tiny trees–think #CharlieBrownChristmas–to decorate their tiny homes, department stores go all out with giant trees, flashing … Continue reading Meri Kurisumasu: #Christmas in Japan

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No Glitter Litter This #Xmas

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David Copperfield, probably the most likeable character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, a novel by Annabelle Troy, has always been concerned with the #environment. He’d like you to know that in 2019 scientists began lobbying for a major ban on glitter products, such as tinsel and garlands, because they have been making their way into rivers and oceans, seriously damaging marine life. The United Kingdom has taken a stance on this, with major retailers including Waitrose and John Lewis having already stopped stocking all glittery things. In the USA there is online shop Bioglitter, which offers a product which biodegrades … Continue reading No Glitter Litter This #Xmas

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Wild #Turkey: Try Something New This #Thanksgiving!

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Hester Prynne, the Purantical character in Jane Eyre Gets Real by Annabelle Troy, remembers when all turkeys were wild. This means a large bird typically with bronze-colored feathers, a fan-shaped tail and wings marked with black and white bars. To modern palates, used to domesticated fowl, it might taste a bit dry and tough, with even the white meat seeming as strong as the dark. Hester’s tip: soak your bird overnight in cold, lightly salted water (after you have plucked it, of course). While these parts may not be edible–or worth the trouble to make them so–it is always good … Continue reading Wild #Turkey: Try Something New This #Thanksgiving!

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The Case of Sherlock Holmes’s Sister

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In Annabelle Troy’s novel Jane Eyre Gets Real #SherlockHolmes is one of the most sardonic characters. A new movie now showing on #Netflix portrays him in a more sympathetic light, as the older brother of a spirited girl named Enola. Based on the Young Adult series by Nancy Springer (which started to be published at the turn of this century), Enola is a teenager raised by her suffragette mother–played in the movie by Helena Bonham Carter, As her brothers Mycroft and Sherlock are much older, they have already embarked on their own lives at the time of Enola’s birth and … Continue reading The Case of Sherlock Holmes’s Sister

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R U As Unique As This Turtle?

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Alice in Wonderland, created by Lewis Carroll and appearing in the novel Jane Eyre Gets Real, is no stranger to the madcap. Therefore, she was entranced to learn of a rare yellow #turtle spotted in West Bengal, #India earlier this week. A farmer working in his paddy fields saw the turtle and decided to bring it home, struck by its unusual coloring. It was handed over to scientists who declared they had never seen anything quite like it before. The turtle’s golden hue shared by curry, sunshine and daffodils, is probably a result of lack of pigment–he simply didn’t make … Continue reading R U As Unique As This Turtle?

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Halloween Party Like It’s 1899

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Dorian Gray may be the most macabre character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, the novel by Annabelle Troy. Therefore, he appreciates the value of a good #Halloween celebration. Victorians considered the holiday far more fitting for adults than for children; it didn’t really become a kid’s affair until the 1920’s. October 31st was a day when Victorians could let their hair down and have a romping good time. Known to be preoccupied with death–probably because their relatives, offspring and friends were often dying, at home and slowly–19th century folk viewed Halloween as an occasion when the tables could be turned … Continue reading Halloween Party Like It’s 1899