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The Complete Jane Austen

How many ways can a young woman find true love amid the balls, dinner parties, carriage rides, and other picturesque occasions to meet the opposite sex in turn-of-the-19th-century England? There are six transcendently satisfying scenarios, as told in a half-dozen enchanting novels by Jane Austen--one of the most beloved writers in all of literature.

Jane AustenFor the first time on U.S. television, Austen fans can now sit down to a weekly feast of all of her immortal plots, presented by MASTERPIECE® now hosted by "Bleak House" and "X-files" star Gillian Anderson. As a bonus, viewers will be treated to a new drama, "Miss Austen Regrets," based on Austen's own bittersweet love life.

"The Complete Jane Austen" features all-new productions of "Persuasion," "Northanger Abbey," "Mansfield Park," and "Sense and Sensibility." The lineup also includes the acclaimed "Emma" starring Kate Beckinsale, and the Emmy award-winning "Pride and Prejudice" that made Colin Firth a drop-dead leading man. Four of the titles--"Northanger Abbey," "Sense and Sensibility," "Emma," and "Pride and Prejudice"--were adapted by celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies, whose "Bleak House" on MASTERPIECE was one of the most highly praised television dramas of 2006.

"Persuasion" (90 minutes) Sunday, January 13 at 8 p.m.
Sally Hawkins appears as Anne Elliot, destined for spinsterhood at age 27 after being persuaded eight years earlier to refuse the proposal of dashing Captain Wentworth. Then chance brings them together again, but now he is rich and free to play the field among eligible young beauties.

"Northanger Abbey" (90 minutes) Sunday, January 20 at 8 p.m.
In Austen's gentle parody of gothic fiction, Felicity Jones plays romance addict Catherine Morland. Invited to a medieval country house that appeals to her most lurid fantasies, she forms a close friendship with the younger son on the estate, Henry Tilney, but their budding romance is mysteriously cut short.

"Mansfield Park" (90 minutes) Monday, January 28 at 9 p.m.
In one of Austen's most complex plots, Billie Piper stars as Fanny Price, who goes to live with prosperous relatives at Mansfield Park. Fanny navigates a labyrinth of intrigues and affairs among the occupants of the house, while her cousin Edmund Bertram remains her stalwart confidant.

"Miss Austen Regrets" (90 minutes) Sunday, February 3 at 8 p.m.
Jane Austen wrote about romance and courtship from personal experience, so it is hard to believe that she never married. This biopic dramatizes Austen's lost loves: Harris Bigg, whose proposal she accepted and then rejected; Edward Brydges, whom she also refused; the tongue-tied vicar she teased mercilessly; and the young surgeon who arrived on the scene too late to steal her heart.

"Pride and Prejudice" (three two-hour episodes) Sunday, February 10 to 24 at 8 p.m.
Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle is Elizabeth Bennet in the definitive adaptation of the most-loved of all Austen novels. With five daughters, no sons, and an entailed estate, the elder Bennets are in dire straits to arrange advantageous marriages. Wedding bells ring three times, but the path to true love is tortuous indeed.

"Emma" (107 minutes) Coming in March
Kate Beckinsale stars in the title role as the tireless matchmaker who professes no interest in matrimony for herself, only for her orphaned protegee, Harriet Smith. Still, Emma does feel a certain twinge for Frank Churchill.

"Sense and Sensibility" (two 90 minute episodes) Coming in March and April
Hattie Morahan plays levelheaded Elinor Dashwood and Charity Wakefield is her impulsive sister Marianne. Though poor, they attract a trio of very promising gentlemen: soon-to-be wealthy Edward Ferrars, heroic Colonel Brandon, and Byronic John Willoughby.

Jane-uary at Kansas City Public Library

In partnership with KCPT, the Kansas City Public Library celebrates the life and works of Jane Austen with programs and events throughout January. Admission for all programs is free. However, with the exception of The Reel Jane Austen Film Series, reservations are encouraged. Click here to reserve your seat or call 816.701.3407.

Kansas City Public Library