Jane Austen on Film and Television

While Jane Austen’s career as a novelist began in 1811 with the publication of Sense and Sensibility, her work wasn’t adapted to the big screen until over a century later. In 1940, the filming of Pride and Prejudice was the first of her novels to be adapted for film. It was an immediate box office success, and paved the way for the later Austen film-craze. Between 1995 and 1996, six film and television adaptations of Austen’s works, ranging from Persuasion to Clueless, were released.

This book traces the history of the film and television adaptations of Austen’s manuscripts, comparing the adaptations to the original writing. It also analyzes the thematic elements across Austen’s writing and later adaptations. The book is split into two parts, the first of which explains why Jane Austen’s novels have garnered so much attention from the film industry. The second part covers each of Austen’s novels individually, providing a history of the adaptations, analysis of each unique adaptation, and a comparison across adaptations. With this structure, the book offers a comprehensive exploration of the Austen adaptations of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

Sue Parrill is professor emeritus and former head of the Department of English at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.

Sue Parrill

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 229
Bibliographic Info: bibliography, filmography, index
Copyright Date: 2002
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1349-2
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8141-5
Imprint: McFarland

Preface     1

1 Why Jane Austen?     3
2 Sense and Sensibility     16
3 Pride and Prejudice     45
4 Mansfield Park     80
5 Emma     107
6 Persuasion     148
7 Northanger Abbey     169

Appendix: Filmography of Austen Adaptations     189
Bibliography     205
Index     215

• “Well written and thorough…a good bibliography”—Choice
• “Astute, impeccably researched and well-written…a critical study at its finest”—Classic Images
• “Amply illustrated…descriptive…interesting contrasts”—JASNA News
• “Interesting and easy-to-read…thought provoking…strongly recommend”—JASA Newsletter