The Universal Appeal of Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen's Enduring Story in Film, TV, and Other Novels

Oct 10, 2009

Depictions of the relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy--as well as Regency-era English society--vary from the deeply romantic to the downright weird.

Surpassing differences in culture, generations, and literary traditions, Pride and Prejudice has been one of the world's most popular stories since its publication in 1813. Although not always regarded as Jane Austen's most accomplished work, it remains the book with which readers most readily identify Austen. From the beloved BBC production, to romance author Pamela Aidan's Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy, and even 2004's Bride and Prejudice (which supplants class for race), it is clear that audiences and readers love Pride and Prejudice. The following discusses some of the more notable adaptations of the classic novel.

One of the taglines of 1940's Pride and Prejudice is "Five Gorgeous Beauties on a Mad-Cap Manhunt!", and indeed, the film has as much in common with the Hepburn/Tracy comedies of the era as with Austen's novel. Co-starring Laurence Olivier as a smirking Darcy, it is Greer Garson who steals the film as a witty and vivacious Elizabeth. Although many artistic liberties were taken with design--the costumes are not Regency era by any stretch--and some of the characters, notably Lady De Bourgh, the film stays true to the novel in spirit if not in tone. Similarly, the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice (with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen) is faithful to Austen's narrative, though what it achieves in realism and stunning cinematography is muted somewhat by a want of humour.

Despite the many versions that preceded and followed it, the most beloved incarnation of Pride and Prejudice is probably the 1995 BBC serial, with Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth and Colin Firth as Darcy. The role made Firth a star, and viewers often consider his supremely arrogant Darcy the quintessential screen version of the character. In addition to Firth's romantic appeal--as well as an infamous scene of Darcy in wet clothing that was unique to the BBC serial until Lost in Austen parodied it thirteen years later--the serial is particularly faithful to its source, keeping many of the key exchanges between Elizabeth and Darcy intact. A significant instance is when Elizabeth tells Darcy that his biggest defect is his contempt, and he retorts that hers is her wilful misunderstanding.

The success of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones novels in the 1990s led to two hit films, Bridget Jones's Diary (2000) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2001). Bridget Jones famously pays homage to Pride and Prejudice in its central romantic triangle, with womanizing publisher Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) as a modern Wickham and lawyer Mark Darcy as Bridget's love interest. Knowing viewers recognise many parallels with Austen's work and the BBC serial, the most obvious being the casting of Colin Firth as Mark Darcy. In fact, a scene that didn't make the final cut of The Edge of Reason concerns TV host Bridget's infatuation with actor Colin Firth: During an interview, she annoys him by talking incessantly about Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

ITV serial Lost in Austen (2008) is even more post-modern. Amanda Price (Jemima Rooper) is obsessed with Elizabeth and Darcy's romance in Austen's novel; inevitably, her real-life relationship can't help but pale in comparison. After a particularly disappointing evening with her boyfriend, Amanda meets Elizabeth Bennet, who has crossed over into the real world through a hidden door. She and Elizabeth switch places, which takes both women to surprising places in their respective new worlds. The premise is absurd, but it's wish fulfillment at its finest.

Beyond the imaginings of the BBC and ITV serials are two examples of extreme crossover. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (co-written by Seth Grahame-Smith) is a pastiche of the classic novel and slasher horror, which received a bit of flak for its dearth of original material. Grahame-Smith re-imagines Elizabeth, Darcy, and others as hunters in a 'zombie mayhem', against which the romance is set. Even stranger is Pride and Predator, a film slated for release in 2010 from Elton John's production company Rocket Pictures. Pride and Predator purports to be a crossover featuring none other than the alien species from the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film.

Sources

Child, Ben. "Pride and Predator to give Jane Austen an extreme makeover". guardian.co.uk. 17 February 2009 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/feb/17/pride-and-predator-to-give-jane-austen-extreme-makeover>.

"Fitzwilliam Darcy." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2 September 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzwilliam_Darcy>.

The copyright of the article The Universal Appeal of Pride and Prejudice in 18th & 19th Century British Fiction is owned by Irene Tanner-Yuen. Permission to republish The Universal Appeal of Pride and Prejudice in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.