- Jane Austen - Angela Gorton
There is much contemporary fiction that plays with Jane Austen's works. There have been sequels. There have been leaps into other genres. Here are some of the most recent releases:
The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet (2008)
This novel by Colleen McCullough tells the story of the Bennet daughters, in particular that “other” Bennet sister Mary, twenty years after the events of Pride & Prejudice.
Murder at Mansfield Park (2010)
Lynn Shepherd’s novel completely reconstructs Austen’s Mansfield Park, making the shy, submissive Fanny Price into a scheming gold-digger, Mary Crawford into a heroine and Mrs Norris into Edmund’s stepmother. Then there’s the addition of a dead body or two to turn Austen’s tale into a murder mystery.
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (2009)
This novel was born out of the concept of combining masterpiece literature with characters that have a strong fan base (in this case, zombies). Author Seth Grahame-Smith kept the original story progression of Pride & Prejudice in tact, but added an extra story element whereby the English countryside is afflicted by an influx of zombies and Elizabeth Bennet has the skills to save the day.
Mr Darcy, Vampyre (2009)
This book by Amanda Grange taps into two streams of popularity that will no doubt earn it some attention. The first is that it positions Mr Darcy, the iconic and most famous romantic hero there ever was, as the star. The second is that the story falls into the category of vampire fiction, which although it has always been popular, it has enjoyed a massive surge in popularity in the last couple of years.
Lost In Austen (2008)
This telemovie rewrote Pride & Prejudice by injecting a modern-day character into the fold. The modern woman, Amanda Price, has her dream come true when she swaps places with Elizabeth Bennet. Through her meddling, she changes the course of events in the famous book and threatens to win the heart of Mr Darcy for herself.
Why Are Writers Giving Jane Austen’s Novels a Makeover?
There are a few conceivable reasons why Austen’s classic novels are being revised by contemporary writers. But first and foremost it should be said that writers are doing it simply because they can. The works of Jane Austen are in the public domain, meaning, they not the intellectual of anyone and they are not protected by copyright law. Thus, people can use and alter the materials as they wish.
A cynical perspective would suggest that the motivation behind Austen makeovers is to simply cash in on the success of Austen’s novels. The romance mixed with social politics of Jane Austen has never been out of style and these “new editions” of her books seek the fans whose attention will be grabbed by anything Austen-related.
Indeed, in marketing such books writers and publishers must know that they are appealing to an audience that just can’t get enough Austen. It would appear to be a niche market as the referential nature of the texts will offer little to those unfamiliar with (or who don’t care for) Austen’s novels.
However, there obviously is an audience out there in the crowded marketplace. The fans have read every Austen novel. Or they have a favourite that they have reread a nauseating number of times. Where can they go from there? Well, they can read a sequel, a retelling, a different perspective on events that some modern author has cooked up.
One thing is apparent in this “Jane Austen Revised” trend: these authors clearly adore Austen. They too are fans. They are so enamoured with Austen’s stories and characters that they have fantasised new adventures for them. They have asked ‘what if?’ What if the villainous character was simply misunderstood? What if there was more to the story than Austen was able to tell us? Then they have set about building upon their favourite book. In short, authors are rewriting Austen out of sheer love for the novels. But is it right for them to take such liberties with another author’s work?
Is It Acceptable to Rewrite Jane Austen?
Many people feel a sense of ownership over Jane Austen’s novels. Treat her work with disrespect and some fans can get very defensive. Each time a screen adaptation is released, there are inevitably cries of protest that a character has been miscast or misrepresented, that there have been omissions from the story. Imagine how the Austen purists must feel to see new novels that meddle with the original stories so completely, adding elements to them that were surely never intended by Austen.
What right does a writer have to take a story they did not create and take characters they did not create and write new lives for them? This is the question that many readers will ask when they come across a reworked Jane Austen novel. Especially if the new storyline isn’t to their tastes.
However, the fact that these books are finding their way onto bookshelves and can find popularity speaks volumes about what consumers will accept. There are readers out there who crave more of their favourite characters and are happy to follow them into their new and unexpected (and unintended by Austen) adventures.
Angela Gorton - I recently completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at Southern Cross University (Australia). There I chose two seemingly polar majors: ...
