Greatest Literary Romances Meme

As today is one of those dreaded organizing and cleaning** sorts of days, I thought I would grab Sylvia's meme.  Personally I don't mind a good romance now and then.  Here are my answers:

I've read it
I want to read it
I've seen the movie*
I have it on DVD
I want to marry the leading man/lady!

The list:

1 Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë, 1847 -- I loved this book.  I know Cathy and Heathcliff get on some people's nerves, but there was something about those windswept moors!  It's due for a reread soon!

2 Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, 1813 -- Oh yes, Mr. Darcy.  Colin Firth.  Yummy.  Nothing more needs said.

3 Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare, 1597 -- I just read and watched this earlier this year.  Very sad, but very good!

4 Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë, 1847 -- Good old Jane. The first time I read this I liked it well enough.  Not sure about Jane.  The second time I loved it.

5 Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell, 1936 -- I know I should at least see the movie, but I just haven't the inclination.

6 The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje, 1992 -- I never did get around to seeing the movie.  Is it worthwhile?

7 Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier, 1938 --  Love Daphne Du Maurier.  Rebecca is great!

8 Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak, 1957 -- I did see the recent remake of this film, but not the original.  It's another case of I want to read the book and then see the movie (the Julie Christie verion).

9 Lady Chatterley's Lover, DH Lawrence, 1928 -- I plan on reading Lawrence soon. 

10 Far from The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy, 1874  -- Loved Tess, and I want to read more Hardy now.

11 = My Fair Lady, Alan Jay Lerner, 1956

The African Queen, CS Forester, 1935

13 The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald, 1925* -- I've read this one several times and saw the recent remake of it.  I want to read more of his work as well, as this is the only work of his I've gotten to so far.

14 Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen, 1811 -- I haven't read this one, but I plan on reading all of Austen in the coming year.  Of course I've managed to see all the films...

15 = The Way We Were, Arthur Laurents, 1972* -- Oh, yeah.  Saw this one when I was younger. 

War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy, 1865 -- Yes!  Is there a worthwhile movie adaptation?  Not sure how it could be done.

17 Frenchman's Creek, Daphne du Maurier, 1942* -- This was another great Du Maurier book and the film was pretty good, too. 

18 Persuasion, Jane Austen, 1818 -- My favorite Austen novel.  The movie is very good, too!

19 Take a Girl Like You, Kingsley Amis, 1960 --Not familiar with this one, must look it up.

20 Daniel Deronda, George Eliot, 1876* -- I'd love to read this, I've seen the movie within the last year.

Addition:

Maurice, E.M. Forester, 1971 (posth.) -- Another one I want to read.  I've even heard it has a happy ending!!

**I've been working on cleaning and organizing.  Blah.  So far it has meant shifting things from one place to another.  So while my bedroom is starting to look quite nice, I will now have to clean the areas where odds and ends have been shifted to.  Do you ever feel like you have "too much stuff"?  I am feeling that way.  I wish (at least for the moment) that I had one of those nice, neat Scandinavian homes with the light colored wood, and all simple lines.  And it was quite empty of stuff (only my books of course).  I hate to admit that I am some sort of packrat, but I have come to the conclusion that I am indeed just that--at least on a small scale.  I am trying to get rid off loose papers and magazines (remember that nasty silverfish problem?  Actually I haven't seen any, but I am still weary there are more hiding).  It is just so hard to get rid of things people might have given you or letters or cards that people sent.  But I am working to find some sort of happy balance.  It's weird to think you come into the world with absolutely nothing and you leave...well, like I said, too much stuff.

Comments

[Sylvia]

Another vote for Mr. Darcy! ;)

[oolookitty]

You should definitely see the David Lean "Dr. Zhivago"; it's gorgeous. I'm also one of those people who adored "The English Patient", and will even tell you to watch "Gone with the Wind"; it may be long, but it's actually quite good and I bet you'll get swept up. Just remember that it's a product of its pre-civil rights time, and don't judge it too harshly; just concentrate on Scarlett and Rhett and be happy that we've come a long way since the late thirties.

BTW, I love "Rebecca" too, but HATED the movie. They destroyed Max DeWinter's whole character and motivation, IMHO, by catering to the morals of the period. Feh.

[tanabata]

I love the movie 'The English Patient' and would certainly recommend watching it.

[LindaY]

"Love means never having to say you're sorry" is from LOVE STORY by Erich Segal, not from THE WAY WE WERE. Or did someone use that line in that movie, too? (Never have seen it.) It's also parodied in WHAT'S UP, DOC, which also stars Ryan O'Neal.

[Dorothy W.]

I hope the cleaning has gone well! I wouldn't want to have to do my myself ... I enjoyed The English Patient pretty well and think you might like it too. I'm curious about some of the books on the list I haven't read, particularly Lady Chatterley's Lover.

[Danielle]

Sylvia--That is one movie I can watch over and over...
Oolookitty--I have the David Lean version, but I wanted to read the book first. I had planned on reading it last year, but you know how those plans go sometimes! I will have to add The English Patient to my Netflix queue. I suspect I will get to Gone With the Wind eventually. I think I have caught parts of it, but I have never watched it all the way through. I love the book Rebecca, too. I saw the old B&W version, but to be honest I don't remember details of it as it has been so long ago.
Tanabata--Okay, I am off to add it to my Netflix queue! :)
Linda--Oops!! You are right!! I am getting my movies mixed up. That line was not in The Way We Were. I will have to fix my post and correct it. I wonder why I have that one on my mind! Thanks for the heads up!!
Dorothy--Well, I didn't quite get everything done I wanted to, but I want to relax for the rest of the evening now. There is always next weekend! I definitely plan on watching The English Patient, it sounds like it was well received. I am also curious about Lady Chatterly's Lover. I wonder if it is still "racy" by today's standards or if modern readers just think, ho hum? I still plan on reading something else by him first, but hopefully I will get to it.

[Sylvia]

Ah, well, when it comes to movie versions, I'm partial to the older David Rintoul version. It is more true to the book.

[Helen Barnes]

Mr. Darcy/Colin Firth, yum indeed!
I see we have many favourite reads in common. Do read 'A Girl like you'! I enjoyed the movie, with Hayley Mills, and then read the book. I think I liked the movie better. Kingsley Amis' book 'Only two can play' was a good book, but an even better movie with Peter Sellers and Mai Zetterling. His opening line is about rampant stags on the bedroom wall paper. PS plays a librarian I think, or maybe a newspaper reporter, but he is funny as whichever character.
Ithink I read 'Jane Eyre' at least ten times andloved it even more with each read. The Orson Welles movie has never been bettered in my opinion.Enjoy all that wonderful reading you have yet to do! I really miss my school library and all the new books that used to come my way. I have difficulty finding a really good read these days!

[Danielle]

Sylvia--I have not seen the Rintoul version--I will have to add it to my Netflix queue.
Helen--Thanks for the suggestions. Lately I have been at a loss for good movies to get from Netflix, so I will be adding the Peter Sellers! It's really nice to read something and it only gets better (rather than being disappointed by it the second time around). I missed so many classics when I was younger I usually have something good waiting for me on my shelves--there is nothing worse than not having a good book to grab!

[citronyella]

My opinions on War & Peace film adaptations:

the early 50s Hollywood version with Mel Ferrer, Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda is short but Audrey will always be Natasha to me. Henry Fonda imo was too tall and thin to be my vision of Pierre, but Mel Ferrer was adequately stern as Prince Andrei, although again, too tall based on Tolstoy's description. The 70s Russian version was long and had a great many battle scenes, dont recall much about characterization. The BBC version from the 70s had Anthony Hopkins as Pierre and he was Magnificent!!!!! a long serialization for TV but worth the watch, a lot of characterization, not too many battle scenes, Princess Marya was done well, Andrei and Natasha not so wonderfully but adequately. Anthony Hopkins was amazing (did i mention this already? lol!). hope this helps.

[Danielle]

Citronyella--Yes, that does help! Now the Anthony Hopkins version, you say? LOL. I will have to add both to my Netflix queue. I might have to wait until a longer vacation weekend to watch though, I expect they must be more than the usual two hours?!