Comic-book "Pride and prejudice" by Nancy Butler as an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu09.2020.204Abstract
Comic book adaptations of classics have become more and more popular as a genre of mass culture. No wonder, that their creators turned to such a cult author as Jane Austen. In the article, the reasons of the interest to her novel Pride and prejudice by the mass culture, as well as by Butler, who wrote the script for the adaptation, are investigated. The types of the major transformations of the original are defined and the reasons of their introduction, either caused by such genre features of comics as dynamism, visual orientation, segmentation etc., or by the nature of mass literature are described. The comparative analysis of the novel and its adaptation shows that the adaptation lacks the specific style characteristic of Jane Austen’s work as the author’s commentary is reduced to its minimum. The description of everyday life, the psychological depth and plot complexity are contracted all the attention is focused on the love line, the episodes and characters not connected with Darcy — Elizabeth relationships are omitted. The portraits of the characters are drawn in the grotesque “Marvel” production style, which simplifies the characters making them “flat”. However, the adaptations of literary classics become a good way of popularization of the “high-brow” literature: the readers’ responses show that more than 60% of them felt urged to read the novel after getting acquainted with its adaptation.
Keywords:
Jane Austen, Nancy Butler, Pride and prejudice, comic book adaptation, comic books
Downloads
References
Амелина 1973 — Амелина T. A. Проблемы реализма в творчестве Джейн Остин: метод и стиль. Автореф. дис. … канд. филол. наук. Латвийский государственный университет им. П. Стучки. Рига, 1973. 14 с.
Ворошилова 2006 — Ворошилова М. Б. Креолизованный текст: аспекты изучения. Политическая лингвистика. 2006, (20): 180–189.
Гениева 1988 — Гениева Е. Ю. Обаяние простоты. В кн.: Остин Дж. Собрание сочинений: в 3 т. Т. 1. М.: Художественная литература, 1988. 748 с.
Зинченко и др. 2007 — Зинченко В. Г., Зусман В. Г., Кирнозе В. Г. Межкультурная коммуникация: От системного подхода к синергетической парадигме. М.: Флинта; Наука, 2007. 223 с.
Макрушина 2011 — Макрушина К. А. Джейн Остен: Феминизм и постколониальные исследования. Известия Уральского федерального университета. Сер. 2: Гуманитарные науки. 2011, 13, (1(87)): 112–119.
Максименко 2016 — Максименко О. И. Адаптация художественного произведения: от романа к комиксу. Вестник Московского государственного областного университета. Сер.: Лингвистика. 2016, (2): 111–116.
Набоков 1998 — Набоков В. В. Лекции по зарубежной литературе. М.: Независимая газета, 1998. 512 с.
Сонин 1999 — Сонин А. Г. Комикс: психолингвистический анализ. Барнаул: Изд-во Алт. ун-та, 1999. 111 с.
Столярова 2010 — Столярова Л. Г. Анализ структурных элементов комикса. Известия Тульского государственного университета. Сер.: Гуманитарные науки. 2010, (1): 384–389.
Eisner 2000 — Eisner W. Comics and sequential art. Tamarac: Poorhouse Press, 2000. 166 p.
Cecil 1971 — Cecil D. Jane Austen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1971. 44 p.
Chute 2008 — Chute H. Comics as literature? Reading graphic narrative. Publications of the Modern Language Association of America. 2008, 123 (2): 452-465.
McCloud 1994 — McCloud S. Understanding comics: The invisible art: Setting the record straight. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1994. 222 p.
Simons 2009 — Simons J. Jane Austen and popular culture. In: A companion to Jane Austen. Johnson C. L., Tuite C. (eds.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2009. P. 467–477.
Vivian 2009 — Vivian J. Feminisms. In: A Companion to Jane Austen. Johnson C. L., Tuite C. (eds.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2009. P. 282–292.
References
Амелина 1973 — Amelina T. A. The Problems of realism in Jane Austen’s work: method and style. PhD Thesis. The State Univesity of Latvia. Riga, 1973. 14 p. (In Russian)
Ворошилова 2006 — Voroshilova M. B. Creolized text: aspects of the study). Politicheskaia lingvistika. 2006, (20): 180–189. (In Russian)
Гениева1988 — Genieva E. Iu. The charm of simplicity. In: Austin J. Collected works: in 3 vols. Vol. 1. Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya Literatura, 1988. 748 p. (In Russian)
Зинченко и др. 2007 — Zinchenko V. G., Zusman V. G., Kirnoze V. G. Intercultural communication: From a systematic approach to the synergetic paradigm. Moscow: Flinta Publ.; Nauka Publ., 2007. 223 p. (In Russian)
Макрушина 2011 — Makrushina K. A. Jane Austen: Feminism and postcolonial studies. Izvestiia Ural’skogo federal’nogo universiteta. Ser. 2: Gumanitarnye nauki. 2011, 13 (1 (87)): 112–119. (In Russian)
Максименко 2016 — Maksimenko O. I. Adaptation of the work of art: from the novel to the comic book. Vestnik Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo oblastnogo universiteta. Ser.: Lingvistika. 2016, (2): 111–116. (In Russian)
Набоков 1998 — Nabokov V. V. Lectures on foreign literature. Moscow: Nezavisimaia gazeta Publ., 1998. 512 p. (In Russian)
Сонин 1999 — Sonin A. G. Comic: psycholinguistic analysis. Barnaul: Izd-vo Alt. un-ta Publ., 1999. 111 p. (In Russian)
Столярова 2010 — Stoliarova L. G. Analysis of the structural elements of the comic book. Izvestiia Tul’skogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Ser.: Gumanitarnye nauki. 2010, (1): 384–389. (In Russian)
Eisner 2000 — Eisner W. Comics and sequential art. Tamarac: Poorhouse Press, 2000. 166 p.
Cecil 1971 — Cecil D. Jane Austen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1971. 44 p.
Chute 2008 — Chute H. Comics as literature? Reading graphic narrative. Publications of the Modern Language Association of America. 2008, 123 (2): 452-465.
McCloud 1994 — McCloud S. Understanding comics: The invisible art: Setting the record straight. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1994. 222 p.
Simons 2009 — Simons J. Jane Austen and popular culture. In: A companion to Jane Austen. Johnson C. L., Tuite C. (eds.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2009. P. 467–477.
Vivian 2009 — Vivian J. Feminisms. In: A Companion to Jane Austen. Johnson C. L., Tuite C. (eds.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2009. P. 282–292.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Language and Literature" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.
