Jane Austen in Hollywood / Edition 2

by Linda Troost, Sayre Greenfield

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813190068
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	12/14/2000
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Editorial Reviews

Mediating between the Austen novels and the films, the essays in this collection are most illuminatory of the differences between the two historical periods. Is it a surprise that Austen's heroes, rather than her heroines, have had to be revised?

Betty Rizzo

Few scholarly works excite sufficient demand to require a second edition within three yours of the first publication, but this collection of essays on Austen and Hollywood has attracted an audience far beyond academe.

Eighteenth Century Current Bibliography

This book has something for both the Austen scholar and the Austen enthusiast.

Booklist

Such a book was sure to follow the Austen explosion and we welcome it.

Literature/Film Quarterly

An excellent example of literary criticism, as each of the fourteen essays is well-researched and scholarly but with a touch of humor.

Film & History

"Mediating between the Austen novels and the films, the essays in this collection are most illuminatory of the differences between the two historical periods. Is it a surprise that Austen's heroes, rather than her heroines, have had to be revised?" — Betty Rizzo

"This book has something for both the Austen scholar and the Austen enthusiast." — Booklist

"Few scholarly works excite sufficient demand to require a second edition within three yours of the first publication, but this collection of essays on Austen and Hollywood has attracted an audience far beyond academe." — Eighteenth Century Current Bibliography

"An excellent example of literary criticism, as each of the fourteen essays is well-researched and scholarly but with a touch of humor." — Film & History

"[These articles] are engaging and sure to spark discussion" — Library Journal

"Such a book was sure to follow the Austen explosion and we welcome it." — Literature/Film Quarterly

From the Publisher

In recent years, there have been numerous film and television adaptations of Jane Austen's novels, all critical and/or commercial successes. This scholarly anthology seeks to discover what accounts for the recent explosion of interest in Austen's novels. The 13 essays cover a wide range of topics, including how Hollywood has typically revised the novels' plots and characters for the screen, how modern productions present explicitly feminist themes, and how Hollywood has managed to mold 18th-century ideas to 20th-century expectations. While these are scholarly articles, they are engaging and sure to spark discussion. It should be noted that familiarity with Austen's novels is essential to fully appreciate the essays. Recommended for literary and film studies collections.--Ronald Ratliff, Chapman H.S. Lib., KS

Library Journal