I've always loved the story of Alice In Wonderland. I first saw the old Disney film when I was a kid, and it was always one of my favorites. I think a lot of people my age tended to overlook it in favor of the newer movies of the time, such as the Lion King, etc. For whatever reason, I always enjoyed it, and I think it's because I sensed that there was something more going on. I loved the story, and loved to imagine visiting Wonderland, but I was drawn to the mysteriousness, as well. I came to this conclusion after "rediscovering" the movie in high school. It's captivating because it's not really apparent what's going on. Disney movies are great, but usually the moral is fairly simple and straightforward. There's nothing wrong with that, because the demographic can understand it. You can watch and enjoy a movie like Toy Story again as an adult, but you probably won't draw anything groundbreaking from it. I think the story of Alice In Wonderland (the book and films) are different in that way. A mark of a great story is that is has something that can appeal and engage to audiences of all ages. That's what Alice is.
Stories like Alice blur the line between content for adults and children, and I think it's unnecessary to even categorize it. Alice is essentially an "adult" story packaged as a "children's" story. Because it does both so well, I think it would be hard to call it one or the other.
I think the films are a bit easier to categorize. The old 1951 version definitely had the heir of a children's film. The animation was in line with what was popular at the time, and some of the childish and humorous elements were played up in order to appeal to kids. No doubt an adult can enjoy the film, but it's targeted towards children.
Honestly, I think the Burton version is the opposite. In line with Burton's legacy of dark motifs, his adaptation of Alice is still funny, but in a much darker way than the original Disney film. The film is live action, as opposed to animated, and I think Burton chose to play up some of the creepier elements as opposed to the childish elements. Adults can take more from the Burton film than the animated one. If I were to show the Burton film to someone under the age of 13, I don't think they would catch some of the nuance, and they might even get scared by the imagery.
Jane Bennet's Role in Pride & Prejudice
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that Jane is so openly described as the prettiest of the Bennet sisters. Right off the bat, we're introduced to someone who's the oldest and most beautiful, and Jane somewhat sets the standard for her sisters. I think this is really the role she plays in the novel. She's the "true north" to an extent. She does things in the "right" and traditional way, and as a result, she doesn't go through too many tribulations as far as her relationship goes. The other sisters are less than perfect, stray from the traditional path, and as a result, they go through all kinds of crap with their relationships.
Especially to 21st century readers unfamiliar with the time period, Jane sets the expectation. I have no idea how love and courtship during this time period worked, but Jane served as the expectation for me. When the other characters strayed from Jane's "perfect" model of romance, you knew they were making a mistake.
Jane sets this expectation for readers, only to have it ripped to shreds by the end of the novel. We're given the formula for romantic success, and when Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship works out, we can throw that formula out the window. We're fed a successful and traditional story in the form of Jane, and Elizabeth reminds us that love is weird and hard to predict.
I think it's this foil relationship that makes the end of Pride & Prejudice and the success of Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship so satisfying. Based on the other sisters, we have every expectation that the only path to a successful relationship is the traditional way. The fact that Elizabeth and Darcy ended up happily married was a bit of a plot twist, and it makes Pride and Prejudice that much better.