I always deserve the best treatment, because I never put up with any other
Thought I'd drop an Emma Woodhouse cameo here as she is a delight. Also, Lizzie Bennet dominates the recs this time, so I wanted to spread the love
I told you there was more Jane Austen coming your way and I am a woman of my word. This time, as promised, I’ll be diving into contemporary adaptations in books, film, and television. (You can read my recs regarding traditional Austen adaptations here.)
Before you start scrolling in anticipation for my thoughts on Bridget Jones’s Diary and Clueless, let me save you some time. They aren’t here. Why? Because they are in the hall of fame of Austen adaptations. Perhaps I’ll do another Austen-centric post down the line where I discuss all of my picks for hall of fame films.
There are so many Austen-inspired works set in a contemporary setting out there. No way could I cover all of them in one go. Hmmm…. Could I write more about my girl Jane? Keep your eyes on this space.
For now, peruse this curated selection of modern day-set Austen remixes and adaptations broken down into two sections: updated yet traditional and inclusive. Whether you’re new to Jane or looking to expand your horizons beyond a faithful, Regency era adaptation or simply curious what titles I’ve included since you’ve seen and read everything even remotely connected to Jane Austen’s works, I hope you find something wonderful.
Jane, Revisited
What should have been a dream vacation for Keri Russell's diehard Jane Austen fangirl becomes more complicated than she had ever imagined in writer-director Jerusha Hess' delightful adaptation of Shannon Hale's eponymous novel. This is Austen as screwball romantic comedy and when the results are this magnificent, it's surprising there aren't more examples. If they do exist, I would love to know about them. Russell leads a stacked cast including J.J. Feild, Jane Seymour, Bret McKenzie, and Jennifer Coolidge.
As I mentioned last time when discussing Love & Friendship, Whit Stillman's debut feature is a nod to Austen's Mansfield Park with its look at social mores and class warfare. There are shades of Mansfield's Fanny Price, Edmund Bertram, and Henry Crawford in Audrey Rouget, Tom Townsend, and Nick Von Sloneker. Here the story takes place over the holidays and debutante season, where a group of Upper West Siders adopt a guy from the wrong side of Fifth Avenue. As writers, Stillman and Austen are kindred spirits in that they cast a keen eye on society, observing it with a wry sense of humor. Bonus: Check out Stillman's Damsels in Distress as it plays like a contemporary Emma.
Utterly charming in every way, this video blog series takes Pride and Prejudice and updates it for the modern age. Lizzie (a winning Ashley Clements) keeps viewers in the loop on her life, as well as what's happening with her family, including her beloved sister Jane (an adorably sweet Laura Spencer), younger sister Lydia (Mary Kate Wiles, hilarious and fun), and best friend Charlotte (a droll Julia Lu). It's not simply Lizzie in front of the camera as most episodes feature guest appearances from the aforementioned trio, plus other beloved characters from the novel. The eps don't run longer than 10 minutes, making this the perfect series to binge. (All episodes are available on YouTube.)
A popular trope for writers when it comes to Austen is to borrow from Mark Twain. Just as he dropped A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, it's always in vogue to drop a modern girl into Regency England — particularly Pride and Prejudice because every girl is hot for Darcy. (Even Austenland does its own twist on this.) Jemima Rooper stars in this slightly daft, mostly clever, three-part limited series as Amanda Price. Unhappy with her life, Amanda wants nothing more than to lose herself every night in the pages of Elizabeth Bennet's story. That is until Elizabeth (the always welcome Gemma Arterton, who doesn’t get enough screen time) appears in Amanda’s flat and the two switch places like they’re in a fangirl’s version of The Holiday. That said, the twists applied to Austen’s text are rather well done. The exceptional cast features Alex Kingston, Hugh Bonneville, Elliot Cowan, Morvern Christie, Tom Mison, Tom Riley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Lindsay Duncan.
Romance and Austen For All
Joel Kim Booster writes and stars in this queer adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that takes place at the titular destination, off the southern shore of Long Island, N.Y. This is one of the best screen iterations out there of Austen's most popular novel. It features everything readers have come to love from the story: enemies to lovers, sharp wit, bad decisions, wrong first impressions, and a bad boy. A first-rate, mostly unknown cast delivers; Margaret Cho steals every scene she's in as the group's mother figure.
Pride: A Pride & Prejudice Remix
Ibi Zoboi pulls the story out of Regency England, drops it into modern day Brooklyn and lets her Afro-Latinx protagonist Zuri Benitez tell a familiar tale from a different perspective. When a wealthy family moves into her neighborhood, everything changes for Zuri and her family. Though she balks at making nice with the interlopers, Zuri’s sister Janae falls for the likeable Ainsley Darcy while Zuri finds herself inexplicably drawn to the haughty Darius Darcy. But she doesn’t have time for him as this is the summer before Zuri’s senior year of high school. She has plans and they don’t include some stuck up rich boy and his family — none of whom belong in her ‘hood or in her family’s lives. The result is a fresh, relevant, thought-provoking take on Austen’s classic.
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
The first in Sonali Dev's Austen-inspired series about the wealthy Raje family focuses on acclaimed neurosurgeon and family black sheep Trisha Raje and chef DJ Caine. After a disastrous first meeting, Trisha and DJ continue to clash every time they run into each other. To make things even more complicated, DJ's sister Emma has a tumor that could kill her unless she agrees to let Trisha operate. Meanwhile, Trisha and DJ struggle to reconcile their individual pasts as they deal with familial meddling (mostly hers) and expectations. Dev builds a world that feels lived in and characters who come across as full-blooded instead of simply sketches. She reinterprets Austen's text so beautifully and clearly that nothing gets lost in translation. I can’t wait to read the other three books! (Find out more about the series here.)
Tell me your fave Austen adaptations or Austen-inspired works. If you have recommendations, please share!
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