For anyone who enjoys reading Jane Austen novels and pretending that they are living in 19th Century England, gallivanting at parties and turning away suitors left and right, here is a list of a few Jane Austen related things, besides the novels themselves, that are worth checking out. In no particular order…

1. Pride & Prejudice: The BBC Mini-Series (1995) starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy

If you want the complete story, from cover to cover, acted out brilliantly by a dreamy Colin Firth, watch this.  It’s a solid six or so hours, but it’s fantastic.  Nothing is left out, and because it’s a BBC mini-series, it’s beautiful.  I loved all the casting and execution.  If you love Pride & Prejudice (or don’t have time to read the book) this is a perfect choice.

2. Pride & Prejudice (2005) directed by Joe Wright

This is by no means a comprehensive telling of the novel, but it is breathtaking.  Keira Knightly plays a perfect Elizabeth Bennett, but she is not the only perfect casting.  Donald Sutherland, Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan, and the dreamy Matthew Macfadyen are just a few of the colorful cast of characters brought to life in this picturesque film.  It is a near perfect adaptation of a Jane Austen novel, smashed into only two hours.  Highly recommended.

3. Emma: Masterpiece Classics (2010)

Watching the recent portrayal of Emma involved much gasping, swooning, and “aww”-ing.  Again, the miniseries itself was beautiful.  Romola Garai plays the best Emma since Alicia Silverstone in “Clueless.”  She’s adorable, sneaky, a all together naive.  Not to overshadow Gwyneth Paltrow’s Emma, but I just feel that when BBC does an Austen mini-series, it’s like recreating the bible for them.  And they do it right every time.

4. Quirk Classics Parodies

These books certainly aren’t for everyone.  But if you enjoy cheeky zombie movies and appreciate a well-done parody, give it a try.  Pride & Prejudice and Zombies and Sense & Sensibility and Sea Monsters are just as awesome as they sound.  The authors, different on each, are hilarious writers.  Even if you haven’t read the Austen original, as I hadn’t on Sea Monsters, it’s still worth the read.  If you know Austen, you can only imagine what they have done to make these stories much more exciting and much more ridiculous.  I cannot imagine ever going through a novel and transforming it into an entirely new, yet surprisingly familiar, story.  But that’s why these guys (hopefully) get paid the big bucks.

5.  Clueless (1995) directed by Amy Heckerling, starring everybody

You may think this is a stretch, but…if you’ve read Emma, or watched the mini-series, watch Clueless and love it.  Alicia Silverstone plays the modern Emma, living in a posh Beverly Hills world, surrounded by her equally spoiled friends.  Watch as she takes in a new project (Tai) and learns about herself, and who she really loves… This movie is a classic for more reasons than one, but knowing the story of Emma and watching the story of Cher, is even more fun.