Writing in the Shadow of “Pride and Prejudice”: Jo Baker’s "Longbourn"
Jo Baker’s 2013 novel Longbourn explicitly engages with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, published two centuries earlier. Longbourn’s plot neatly intersects with Austen's original, offering us a glimpse into a world which adaptations of Austen’s novels, and even Austen herself, have long been...
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Prof. Rinaldo Rinaldi
2017-12-01
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Online Access: | http://www.parolerubate.unipr.it/fascicolo16_pdf/F16_9_murphy_longbourn.pdf |
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doaj-a772204159c9407fbc7589d11470c10a2021-02-02T01:11:18ZengProf. Rinaldo RinaldiParole Rubate : Rivista Internazionale di Studi sulla Citazione2039-01142017-12-01816155169Writing in the Shadow of “Pride and Prejudice”: Jo Baker’s "Longbourn"Olivia Murphy0Murdoch University – PerthJo Baker’s 2013 novel Longbourn explicitly engages with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, published two centuries earlier. Longbourn’s plot neatly intersects with Austen's original, offering us a glimpse into a world which adaptations of Austen’s novels, and even Austen herself, have long been criticised for ignoring. Baker takes advantage of the freedoms of twenty-first century fiction to bring into the light aspects of Austen’s writing that Regency discretion elided, and Victorian prudery all but annihilated. Longbourn explores with sensitivity and due regard to historicity matters to which Austen could only allude; the horrors of war and military justice, complexities of sexuality that cannot be wholly contained within the sanction of marriage, the effects of the industrial revolution on the countryside and poor alike. If Pride and Prejudice, as Austen ironically opined, was “too light & bright & sparkling”, Longbourn offers us the shading that throws that sparkle into relief, thereby allowing us to view it afresh. http://www.parolerubate.unipr.it/fascicolo16_pdf/F16_9_murphy_longbourn.pdfAustenEnglish literaturerewriting |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Olivia Murphy |
spellingShingle |
Olivia Murphy Writing in the Shadow of “Pride and Prejudice”: Jo Baker’s "Longbourn" Parole Rubate : Rivista Internazionale di Studi sulla Citazione Austen English literature rewriting |
author_facet |
Olivia Murphy |
author_sort |
Olivia Murphy |
title |
Writing in the Shadow of “Pride and Prejudice”: Jo Baker’s "Longbourn" |
title_short |
Writing in the Shadow of “Pride and Prejudice”: Jo Baker’s "Longbourn" |
title_full |
Writing in the Shadow of “Pride and Prejudice”: Jo Baker’s "Longbourn" |
title_fullStr |
Writing in the Shadow of “Pride and Prejudice”: Jo Baker’s "Longbourn" |
title_full_unstemmed |
Writing in the Shadow of “Pride and Prejudice”: Jo Baker’s "Longbourn" |
title_sort |
writing in the shadow of “pride and prejudice”: jo baker’s "longbourn" |
publisher |
Prof. Rinaldo Rinaldi |
series |
Parole Rubate : Rivista Internazionale di Studi sulla Citazione |
issn |
2039-0114 |
publishDate |
2017-12-01 |
description |
Jo Baker’s 2013 novel Longbourn explicitly engages with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, published two centuries earlier. Longbourn’s plot neatly intersects with Austen's original, offering us a glimpse into a world which adaptations of Austen’s novels, and even Austen herself, have long been criticised for ignoring. Baker takes advantage of the freedoms of twenty-first century fiction to bring into the light aspects of Austen’s writing that Regency discretion elided, and Victorian prudery all but annihilated. Longbourn explores with sensitivity and due regard to historicity matters to which Austen could only allude; the horrors of war and military justice, complexities of sexuality that cannot be wholly contained within the sanction of marriage, the effects of the industrial revolution on the countryside and poor alike. If Pride and Prejudice, as Austen ironically opined, was “too light & bright & sparkling”, Longbourn offers us the shading that throws that sparkle into relief, thereby allowing us to view it afresh. |
topic |
Austen English literature rewriting |
url |
http://www.parolerubate.unipr.it/fascicolo16_pdf/F16_9_murphy_longbourn.pdf |
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