Jane Austen in Hollywood

Jane Austen in Hollywood

by Sayre Greenfield and Linda Troost
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date: 04/12/2000

Share This eBook:

  $32.99

In 1995 and 1996 six film or television adaptations of Jane Austen's novels were produced—an unprecedented number. More amazing, all were critical and/or box office successes. What accounts for this explosion of interest? Much of the appeal of these films lies in our nostalgic desire at the end of the millennium for an age of greater politeness and sexual reticence. Austen's ridicule of deceit and pretentiousness also appeals to our fin de siècle sensibilities. The novels were changed, however, to enhance their appeal to a wide popular audience, and the revisions reveal much about our own culture and its values. These recent productions espouse explicitly twentieth-century feminist notions and reshape the Austenian hero to make him conform to modern expectations. Linda Troost and Sayre Greenfield present fourteen essays examining the phenomenon of Jane Austen as cultural icon, providing thoughtful and sympathetic insights on the films through a variety of critical approaches. The contributors debate whether these productions enhance or undercut the subtle feminism that Austen promoted in her novels. From Persuasion to Pride and Prejudice, from the three Emmas (including Clueless ) to Sense and Sensibility, these films succeed because they flatter our intelligence and education. And they have as much to tell us about ourselves as they do about the world of Jane Austen. This second edition includes a new chapter on the recent film version of Mansfield Park.

ISBN:
9780813137766
9780813137766
Category:
Literature: history & criticism
Format:
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date:
04-12-2000
Language:
English
Publisher:
The University Press of Kentucky

This item is delivered digitally

Reviews

Be the first to review Jane Austen in Hollywood.