Jane Austen's Life

While listening to an uninspired reading of a passage regarding marital advice from Pride & Prejudice, the video portion of this overview of the great 18th-century author (a.k.a. 1996's hottest literary property), treats viewers to the rather weird sight of a man cleaning gunk out of a horse's hoof. Although I'm relatively well-versed in the nuances of literary criticism, I confess myself unequal to the task of drawing the appropriate parallel here between what I was hearing and seeing. Nor was this an isolated instance; throughout this thoroughly pedestrian video, the bare bones, workmanlike voice-over narrated presentation of the particulars of Jane Austen's life and selections from her work was often at odds with the lackluster footage. Two other volumes in the series--Jane Austen's Work and Jane Austen's Society--are also available. Not recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Pitman)