Jane Austen in Hollywood - Hardcover

3.73

30 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813120845 ISBN 13: 9780813120843

Publisher: Univ Pr of Kentucky, 1998

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 si�cle 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.

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Review:

"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 Booklist:

This book has something for both the Austen scholar and the Austen enthusiast. The 13 essays expound on Austen's novels and how they have been adapted for film. The mostly feminist slants pursue themes such as place, voyeurism, class, and "Austen's ironic narrator." Although the different authors, and even the editors, vary on their opinions of the effectiveness of the many film adaptations, they are in agreement that Austen's work is easily accessible to modern-day audiences, but that the screenwriters undermine her strong, independent women and her obvious feminist ideals. Without being a conspicuous militant, Austen was the "velvet hammer" of the feminist movement. Whether from a discussion of the Emma character in Clueless or of the movies being "gateways" to the novels, Jane Austen in Hollywood evokes a feeling of nostalgia. If this collection doesn't inspire readers to pick up her books, then at least they will want to rent the movies. Ellie Barta-Moran

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