Jane Austen and Co.: Remaking the Past in Contemporary Culture

Rating:
Summary: Not Just for Janeites
Review: Jane Austen and Co. is an interesting and fairly thorough look at our current culture's obsession with recreating the past through film. The essays are scholarly without being overly dry, and could appeal to a more casual reader. Some are better than others, but they are all pretty perceptive and realize that history on screen says more about the present than the past. Austen adaptations get the lion's share of attention in the essays, but also discussed are loose interpretations of Austen like Clueless and Bridget Jones, as well as other films such as Dangerous Liaisons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Wings of the Dove. Sometimes the connections between the non-Austen essays with the others seems a little weak, but as a whole, Jane Austen and Co makes for some thought-provoking reading.