I know I read this book in high school (voluntarily, not assigned), but thank goodness I forgot everything about it. All I knew going in was that everyone loves Colonel Brandon, at least as portrayed by Alan Rickman.
My biggest takeaway from reading it now is that it’s funny! I know Austen often pokes fun at society and class, but I didn’t expect so much of the humor to feel fresh and relevant. The scene where Mrs. Jennings is convinced that Brandon just proposed to Elinor and has a whole conversation with her, each talking about something entirely different, is comedy gold. If they cut that scene in any of the film adaptations, I’ll be very disappointed. There are a lot of other funny scenes, too, particularly with the Palmers and with the Miss Steeles, and in general, my ideal adaptation would play up all the comedic elements and downplay all the drama. Melodrama would also be acceptable and entirely appropriate, though, given the theme of excessive sensibility and overwrought emotions.
