لَسْتُ أَدرِي

Upon my dearest friend, Lobna’s, recommendation, I watched the BBC’s mini -series adaptation for the novel “North and South” by Elizabeth Gaskell. Quoting Lobna, she said:

Spectacular soundtrack of the BBC production mini-series (North & South) based on (Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1855 classic novel (North & south). May I say that the complexity of (John Thornton) character stands equal to (Darcy) in (Pride & Prejudice), (Rochester) in (Jane Eyre), and Heathcliff in (Wuthering Heights). I enjoyed the series a lot and wish to read the novel someday. Enjoy the music :)

To tell you the truth, despite knowing the quality of BBC’s adaptations, I did not think it can be THAT good. The story’s tagline as per IMDB’s website:

North and South is a four part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s love story of Margaret Hale, a middle class southerner who is forced to move to the northern town of Milton.

It is indeed a love story, but it’s more than just that. The novel gives you a good understanding of the rise of the industrial revolution in England; tyranny of masters and greed of capitalism; early working unions struggle and inhumanity of the modem world.

It also raises a bunch of interesting questions: how far do our minds romanticize our pasts? What makes of a gentleman? Does emotional miscommunication necessarily have to come with modernity? And what if we never meet half way between our pride and prejudice?

But speaking of “Pride and Prejudice”, I was wondering why is it more famous than “North and South”? To me, the latter has more depth, breadth and height than Jane Austen’s famous piece of literature. It’s more relevant to the complexities of our modern world. Wanting and not wanting the same thing at the same time.

How strong love can grow?, the novel asks. How frank are you with yourself to not deny it? How up are we to uncover the soul behind masks? How far are you ready to understand, accept and appreciate the wild person inside of you, and others?

I can’t wait to re-watch the series and read the book. And I just wonder, when did they stop writing such quality novels?!

Margaret: I learnt something when I went back to Helstone, expecting it to be the paradise I knew as a child. Try as we might, happy as we were, we can’t go back.