The Jane Austen Cinematic Universe (Soph's version)

A collage of images from Austen-inspired movies or series, including Twilight, Clueless, and the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice.

This will be my last Austen-related essay for a while! After the previous one, I felt I needed to provide my own practical guide to Austen's adaptations and retellings (though it'll inevitably be out of date by the end of the year, as there's at least two films on the cards already).

If anyone’s capable of reviewing what the JACU (Jane Austen cinematic universe) has to offer, I think it’s me. I’ve watched and read so many bad Austen adaptations and retellings, as well as some truly excellent ones. I’ve interviewed directors and writers of Austen-inspired works (for the podcast I co-hosted, The Bennet Edit, R.I.P). I’m also a Capricorn, so I’m prone to being judgmental and I always think I’m right. It’s the perfect combo. With all that in mind, here’s a list of my favourite retellings, and the ones I'm hoping to get to soon.

The best (in no particular order) 🏆

You will notice some Pride and Prejudice favouritism here. I promise I'm trying to branch out.

  • Pride and Prejudice (1995): obviously the best of all time. Despite being quite close to the book, and fairly conservative by today's film standards, it was considered very sexy for 1995! It was my first introduction to Austen and will always be my favourite.
  • Twilight: I mean. I loved this well before I knew it was inspired (allegedly) by Pride and Prejudice. Is it a good adaptation? Absolutely not. But it is one of the greatest movies of all time.
  • The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: so deeply millennial-coded, this webseries came out in 2012 and was so good it won 2 Emmy awards. They make you wait SOOO long to see Darcy on-camera, which means there's great tension in the Lizzie-Darcy relationship. I also loved Emma Approved, by the same creators.
  • Emma (2009): I weirdly have a soft spot for Jonny Lee Miller and I think he makes a great Knightley. This version of Emma also feels the truest to the character, to me.
  • Clueless: A modern retelling of Emma that is so iconic that some people don't even know it's a retelling!
  • The Murder of Mr Wickham: a mystery novel that features characters from all of Austen's novels! The main characters are both invented; one is the daughter of Catherine and Henry from Northanger Abbey and one is the son of Lizzie and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. It's great fun and very silly. There's already three sequels and I'm keen to keep reading.
  • The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch: this is the kind of story that didn't really need to be a retelling, because it stands on its own as a magical regency tale, but I do like the idea of Lydia Bennet getting her redemption. It follows Lydia post-Pride and Prejudice and also reveals that Kitty (her sister) was actually a cat, and Lydia's familiar, with an illusion cast to make her appear to be a girl. Ridiculous fun.
  • A Certain Appeal: a contemporary burlesque retelling set in New York! I thought the premise would be too far from the original to work, but I was wrong. This was good quality writing compared to a lot of romance novels (sorry!) and genuinely worked well as a Pride and Prejudice retelling.
  • The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet: Finally a queer retelling that is genuinely well-written! I always want to support queer writers but there have been some true flops. This is very sweet, and creates an interesting world four years after Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Collins has died, and Charlotte and Mary reconnect and fall in love. It doesn't sound like it would work, but it does.
  • Pride and Prejudice (sort of): I saw this live improv comedy version in Glasgow in 2018, and it was hilariously gay! It still appears to be popping up at various UK theatres and is heading to Australia next year, so it must be doing well.

To-be-read & to-be-watched 📚

I wish there were more Persuasion retellings in here! It's my second favourite Austen, and it deserves a beautiful, yearning-filled movie (think Portrait of a Lady on Fire). Also, the upcoming Pride and Prejudice movie written by Dolly Alderton is not in here because I fear it's going to be bad. I don't trust a star-studded cast. Give us newbies or give us nothing!

Films

  • Fire Island
  • Pride and Prejudice Atlanta
  • Northanger Abbey (2007)
  • Persuasion (2023)

TV

  • Sanditon

Books

  • Pride
  • Charlotte
  • The Heiress
  • The Other Bennet Sister
  • Pulse and Prejudice
  • A Crime Through Time
  • Skybriar series*
  • Murder at Mansfield Park
  • Once Persuaded, Twice Shy
  • The Austen Affair
  • Miss Austen, The Elopement, Godmersham Park (Gill Hornby's books)

*Almost nothing is known about this series, and it's already been delayed several times. I'm holding out hope because I really enjoy Talia Hibbert's writing.