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Sharon Tang-Quan (English Major)
“Jane Austen Meets Hollywood: Narrative Authority in the Adaptation of Novel to Film”
Sponsor: Professor Kent Puckett, English
Project Description
In 1995, 11 million British stayed home on six Sunday evenings to watch the BBC mini-series of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In the last decade, over a dozen adaptations of Austen’s novels have become films, and four more are forthcoming in 2006. How do these adaptations communicate 19th-century ideas and themes in a form/media not yet imagined in Austen’s time? Austen
is famous for her style and narrative authority; the transformation or even destruction of her narrative voice in the conversion of novel to film is thus of concern. By conducting a textual analysis of the adaptations of Austen’s most popular novel, Pride and Prejudice, Sharon will evaluate how an adaptation’s performance of a text adds to our understanding of the novel. Sharon’s project seeks to contribute to the debate by questioning the privileging of the novel over adaptation.
Scholar's Photo
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Sharon visited Basildon Park, described as "the perfect English country house" and site of Netherfield from the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The National Trust catered to Jane Austen enthusiasts by offering a special behind-the-scenes exhibition in Summer 2006.
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Scholar's Journal
My research keeps me on the edge, and I love the surprise element.
I’m constantly amazed by how someone who wrote seemingly so little (six novels and some short stories), and who never married or had children in her 42 years, could have so much written on her and her work: hundreds of biographies, continuations of her novels, festivals and clubs in her name, etc.
Usually I take trips to Doe/Moffitt libraries where I dive into the main stacks to find texts to supplement my papers. This method was useful, of course, for writing a senior essay on Persuasion (Jane Austen’s last completed novel) for a seminar on Jane Austen and the Theory of the Novel. Imagine how exhilarating my summer was with the chance to research with extended resources!
I began summer with a trip to UCLA to study the oldest existing adaptation screenplay of Pride and Prejudice released by MGM in 1940. Before leaving for England I put myself on a schedule to finish reading and annotating several stacks of texts. These piles ranged from Janeite culture, Darcymania, and the boom of adaptations in the 1990s to film theory of adaptations and what people consider “classic” adaptations. I also had a miscellaneous pile for items like Jane Austen’s Cookbook.
Once in England I was warmly welcomed by the Jane Austen Society of the UK at their 50th Annual General Meeting. Over the course of the conference and over tea, I met scholars, fans, and even descendants of Jane Austen’s brothers. At Chawton Cottage, one of Austen’s former homes (and the only to be partially preserved) provided insight into the author’s later years. The special 18th/19th century women’s library at Chawton House just up the street from the Cottage gave me access to entire shelves of academic work on Austen.
At the British Library, where I spent a large part of my time, I discovered a screenplay preceding and heavily influencing the 1940 adaptation. I also managed to view and study the 1967 adaptation and screenplay at the British Film Institute. My mentor, Professor Puckett, recommended helpful texts on the preservation of the English country house, and I began studying the National Trust (one of the largest UK charities). It’s only in the last two adaptations of Pride and Prejudice that adapters have chosen to film at country houses owned by the Trust. I became more aware of the significance of filming contracts and its implications at Trust country houses through my visit to Basildon Park (where scenes from the 2005 adaptation were filmed). Basildon Park opened a temporary “behind the scenes” exhibition, and according to one National Trust volunteer, Jane Austen has increased tourism by 70 percent. There are even itineraries for the fans who wish to visit all of the sites affiliated with Austen adaptations.
There were days when I spent countless hours poring over texts from my ever-expanding bibliography or over the six screenplays (including the famous 5-hour 1995 adaptation). Some of the highlights of my trip were moments when I was out in the field. The 2005 screenwriter was gracious enough to grant me an interview, and I learned firsthand about the stages of adaptation.
Now that I’m back in the States, I’m taking a course on literary theory which I believe will be formative. I’m focusing on narrowing my arguments, because if given the chance, I would continue researching for a lot longer. It’s a new semester, and I’m looking forward to writing this thesis.
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