Appropriations of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' in contemporary British fiction

Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2006 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Fachbereich 05 - British Studies), course: Examenskolloquium, language: English, abstract: World literature is full of great love stories, but there are only few that make it through the centuries and are as well-known and loved today as they were decades ago. One of those writers, who have the ability to leave an everlasting impression, is Jane Austen, who 'wrote of a time, but also beyond it; her voice continues to enchant and enthral' (Crusie 1). Her novels are undeniably among the most examined works of English literature. Over the years, scholars, laity as well as professionals, have approached Austen's writing from various perspectives and hence innumerable papers, dissertations, articles and books have been written about the author and her work in general and especially about her novel Pride and Prejudice. Since its publication in 1813, it has called forth heavy criticism as well as effusive praise and it is remarkable that, although the literary world has changed noticeably in the course of nearly two hundred years, her novel is still admired and considered to be of significance today. From Austen's contemporary writing and its scarce possibilities for female novelists on to the emancipation of the female author and the increased literary output of postmodern writers at the end of the Twentieth Century and to the possibilities for women novelists in the recently developing genre labelled chick lit - Pride and Prejudice still continues to fascinate readers and thereby encourages other writers. Especially the developing relationship of the two protagonists Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy captivates readers all around the world and proves that their story is as appealing in the present as it was in the past. The appeal of Austen's best-known and probably most famous novel to literary posteriority lies in the astonishing emotional impact of a seemingly simple story: A young girl and a young man, destined for one another, loathe each other from the very beginning because of wrong first impression and bad influence from others. They gradually have to overcome these obstacles in order to recognise the nobility of each other's characters and find happiness together. This paper sets out to examine how this formula was put to use to yield three contemporary works of British fiction; Kate Fenton's Lions and Liquorice, Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary and Melissa Nathan's Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field and what transformations it has experienced in the process.