What Gets Lost When Jane Austen Gets "Updated" for Modern Sensibilities 

Anne is Austin’s most sincere and soft hearted heroine, you don’t go heavy handed with the snark and entitlement when playing her. Seeing the trailer was a real, “show me you don't understand Persuasion without telling me you don’t understand Persuasion” moment. At least we have the 1995 adaptation which I adore.

modern entertainment media seems to want to erase gentle characters. Especially if the character is female. But that's the charm of Austin's work is that most of us ladies aren't so confident in ourselves, and seeing that kind of character still come out the other side with a happy ending is encouraging.

Netflix's depiction of strong female characters: women are awesome just by being women, they can do no wrong, they need no one, they can do anything just by being women, they always know what to do, they have no weaknesses

In my opinion, they tried to recreate the magic of Emma (2020), but it didn't work because Emma is a satire and Persuasion is not. All of Austen's books have elements of satire of course, and there are plenty of those present in Persuasion. But the heart of the book is one of the most serious and least satirical books Austen wrote. Anne, in particular, is not a satirized protagonist. There's nothing funny about her or her situation. The same cannot be said of Emma and her rich girl antics. It's why Clueless works, and why Emma 2020 works, but this Persuasion fell flat on its face. (That and poor writing...)

I have to make a slight cultural correction, Anne Elliot does not make her own living not because she has no practical skills or no skills at all, she's extremely educated given her station, she wouldn't be doing labored work but she has the skills to be a governess or tutor of some kind or a paid "lady's companion", the problem lies with her station, she is a Baronet's daughter, and back then, a daughter from that station, meaning a daughter of a nobleman, was NOT ALLOWED to make an independent living,

Yes, the admiral line is what got me, too. As a woman who has served at sea, I really don’t think someone with this character’s temperament would be well suited for life at sea (let alone a command position), even in the modern day - which is, needless to say, much less difficult than it would have been in the 19th Century. The problem is that the writers of this type of heroine tend to confuse sassiness with strength. Those two things are not the same - and, in my experience, it is the quiet and dutiful people who often make the best officers.

The 1995 version of Persuasion is my favorite. Amanda Root IS Anne Elliot. After watching Dakota Johnson TRY to be Anne Eliot, I had to watch the Amanda Root film to try to unsee the monstrosity of the Netflix version.

I only made it about 20 minutes into the Netflix version. Persuasion is my favorite Austen story. What struck me with the Netflix version is that it appeared to me that they were trying to give Anne the personality of Elizabeth Bennet, which of course changes Anne at a fundamental level. After viewing this and seeing how the entire thing played out, I owe Elizabeth Bennet an apology.

you're one of the only people who has actually been bold enough to call anne an alcoholic (which she is) and that was one of my major gripes with this adaptation. the wine-guzzling one-liner dropping snarky heroine being seen as #relatable is so concerning particularly for the normalization of this kind of drinking. idk why but it feels like the complete lack of self awareness of the director (especially in interviews) is the exact thing jane austen would make fun of if she were writing today and I mean that with full offense

On the subject of wentworth's point about his wife having to struggle with his absence because of his job, that's a valid concern. My man has the kind of job where he's often away, and it is a struggle. I have friends who can't/won't go more than a week without seeing their partner, and mine is sometimes gone months on end. Wentworth acknowledged the sacrifice his future wife would have to make and attempted to sympathize with that sacrifice.

They wanted Anne to be cool and quippy like Elizabeth Bennet, but like you say Lizzie Bennett was wrong about everything and had to be humbled in order to move forward. Makes for a uninteresting character if she is snarky and virtuous at the same time, never having to learn or change.

My favorite is "Clueless". I read "Emma" and saw the movie with Gweneth Paltrow. What folks miss or forget about Jane is much of what she wrote was commentary on the social environment of the time. Much of her writing was tongue-in-cheek...poking fun, ribbing. Clueless caught the ridiculousness of Emma's basic premise and the unpredictability of humans in love. Take Jane too seriously and you miss the fun.

If I was to go by what this movie sounds like, (and the other movies your video invokes in my mind) I think this mess comes from the evolution of what "virtue" is now, especially amonst people who consider themselves to be witty and sophistocated. A lot of us insist that we don't go in for old-fashioned morality, as it's too religious and tied to corrupt systems, but still want to be validated constantly for just doing whatever the bare minimun is and sharing the same opinion as everyone else. "Are you a hot mess who gets drunk everyday just to cope with a comfortable middle-class life? How relatable! Are you non-social and condescending? Well, it must be because everyone around you is an insufferable fool! Do you do absolutely nothing to change your life for the better? Don't panic, you just haven't met 'The One' yet! Have you often told yourself that, if you lived in the past, you would've been inexplicably woke? We bet you're right!" When movies and television try to validate an audience they don't understand by adapting material they understand even less, they can be very awkward and irrational. The only virtue one need have in such a film is the virtue of being modern.

I feel like it’s especially sad they chose to do this for Persuasion. Written by Austen because of her niece’s own circumstances at being unmarried in her late 20s and the man she loved being a self made man. To me it always felt so personal to the author and is really about Austen’s own change in attitudes towards class differences. My favourite adaptation will always be 1995’s Pride and Prejudice. I consider it one of the most faithful book to screen adaptations of all time. So many stumble trying to balance Austen’s sincerity, her flair for the dramatic and her humour.

It takes some balls for the writers to think they can improve on Austen.

The historical context is a fundamental aspect of the appeal. Jane Austen was a realist, which you can't miss in her writing, simply changing stuff randomly doesn't usually bode well for any production. *You need to respect the source material*

My view of this adaptation of Persuasion is basically in the "uncanny valley" of movie adaptations. It's not like Clueless or Bridget Jones, where they did a full on modern setting, and changed the characters and situations accordingly. Instead, this persuasion kept the time period, but still altered the characters to fit the modern view of how women should be, so it ended up just looking jarring and unpleasent. It's like it tried to do too many things and ended up not doing anything well.

Jane Austin's outstanding dialogue gets lost, and this story is nothing without it. Her wit was the lightning they aren't even trying to catch in a bottle.

What was lost? Intelligence, brilliant language, subtle humor, beauty, thoughtful self reflection, I just don’t love any of the newer adaptations. There’s no depth and the idea we truly understand people from this era is just silly. I feel the same about the newer iterations of Poirot by Agatha Christie as well. Why fix what isn’t broken?!

One of the strengths in Austen’s body of work is the wide range of heroines she has created for us to admire: many of her readers can see themselves and the people they know in the protagonists, the love interests, and the people they encounter. If you don’t see yourself in Elizabeth Bennet, you might find a sense of connection in her sister Jane’s forbearance; in Marianne Dashwood’s passions; in Catherine Morland’s wayward instincts. Her ability to create such interesting women without sacrificing nuance or falling into archetypes is remarkable. And it is exactly that talent which some recent adaptations are unwilling to honor. This modern insinuation, bordering on insistence, that every classic literary heroine must be reimagined as an increasingly unvaried variation of 21st-century girl boss sensibility flattens Austen’s intricate storytelling. I think they are making the mistake of assuming that all of her protagonists would be better if they were more like the most famous one, Elizabeth Bennet-they must all be witty and sharp in their remarks, bold in their challenges. The reality is that not all women are like that, or want to be like that, and that there is more than one way to be a great heroine. I appreciate your singling out Anne Eliot and Fanny Price for defense-the recent craze for making these women a shade snarkier, more athletic, less quiet, seems to diminish the idea of a quiet strength. It’s almost as if these filmmakers dislike these heroines and, thinking they know better than Austen, are endeavoring to fit these very different ladies into a more familiar mould. We can only ask why they would bother with material they’re unsatisfied with, why they don’t just come up with their own stories (the cynical reason being that they’re trading on Austen’s name, even if they aren’t honoring her letter). And we can only hope they’ll get bored with this unsustainable system and move on, leaving Jane Austen alone and to people who don’t feel like they have to change her stories utterly in order to appeal to the modern crowd.

Northanger Abbey 2007 with JJ Feild and Felicity Jones is my favorite Jane Austen adaptation. To me, this movie captures the spirit of Jane's young, naive heroine. JJ Feild as Mr. Tilney falls for Catherine's genuine good nature, even though she has some wild imaginings. Both Catherine and Henry grow and come to necessary realizations. This story is simple and sweet and this couple is delightful! I fall in love with Mr. Feild each time I watch this movie!

They had to redo Persuasion because the original had people who looked like normal people and not movie stars, and you can't have people looking like normal people anymore.

I think it was Louisa May Alcott who originally argued against women being inherently virtuous (a very anti-Christian idea anyway-we’re all fallen).

Thank you - you not only captured the spirit of one of my favourite authors, you saved me from the horror of one day stumbling over this Netflix abomination and thinking "Eh, I'll give it a go - how bad can it be?" I look forward to watching more of your work.

OMG! I had no idea they did this! Thank you. I don't even need to watch now. Comparing to this 'Anne' even Lidiya Bennet looks like calm, collected, sensible and well mannered.

Not sure why this video appeared on my homepage, but I'm glad it did. Your analysis is spot on, and perfectly exemplifies the disease in modern screenwriting: characters without character. This is especially true of female protagonists, who apparently just need to discover their own greatness and have it acknowledged by everyone else - as if this is some kind of crowning conclusion to a character arc. It's so boring, and so ubiquitous that I simply don't bother watching new adaptations of classics any longer (or any new mainstream films or series at all for that matter). What strikes me about Austen's characters - both women and men - is that they are so thoroughly relatable, despite the difference in historical context. Her observation and analysis of humans as social beings is, IMHO, why she is firmly lodged in the literary canon. By diluting the richness and complexities in her characters, one dulls the illumination by which we recognise ourselves... and therefore nullify Austen's genius.

Wow, you explained this So Well. You captured the essence of Anne and Elinor and Fanny: quiet endurance. This was a virtue much needed by disadvantaged women in Austen's time, and is much denigrated now. Why is fortitude dismissed currently? All modern heroines have the feisty, rebellious nature that is currently fashionable, which results in 21st-century women being forced into 18th-century stories. And the result is always a mess.

If they wanted to do a modern version of Persuasion, why did they not do what they did with "The Taming of The Shrew" when they made "Ten Things I Hate About You." That's basically the Taming of the Shrew, modernized. They even used the same character's names. WHY does Shakespeare receive that kind of respect, but not Austen? Why?

I utterly agree with you about how Hollywood seems to portray a strong woman nowadays, and you have explained it very eloquently.

I love Anne Elliot because she is the calm strength that I would like to be myself.

This seems to be an insightful look into Jane Austen's actual writing as opposed to whatever that is Netflix attempted to do in 2022. I haven't seen it myself. I couldn't get past the trailer. Persuasion is one of my favorites of her stories, and I couldn't see the character in the trailer as Anne Elliot, even in the small glimpse that provides. I think I'd rather just read the book again, or watch one of the older adaptations.

I love Ann’s growth too. She doubts her own self but because she hold firm to her values she finds value in herself and you see that in her confidence affect her physical beauty. She realizes she still has something to offer. She still can be a partner to the love of her life.

This adaptation was trying to capitalize off of the popularity of Bridgerton. What the producers did not understand is that what makes Bridgeton popular was that it is built on anachronistic tropes, wardrobes, and social mores. It was clearly a fantasy set in an alternate universe Regency England where black people were common in the British aristocracy, contemporary music exists, and there are even poly-blend dress fabrics. Persuasion was watchable if you don't compare it to its source material. I didn't have high expectations for it. But I have to say this was one of the worst Austen adaptations

Thank you for vocalizing what I felt when I watched the Netflix Persuasion. The Netflix Anne was not Anne Elliot. The Netflix Persuasion felt like someone was trying to satire Austen rather than try to actually share the story. For example, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" compared to Shakespeare's "Hamlet". The Netflix version was more like "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" in that the screenwriter and director turn the story on its head and tell an entirely different one with caricatures instead of people. Jane Austen created believable people which is evidenced by how her books have continued to live through the centuries. The Netflix Persuasion played like fan fiction. Austen's Anne Elliot was not the self-centered, sarcastic, mentally weak woman that was the Netflix Anne. Anne Elliot had quiet strength and patient endurance. Austen's heroines each demonstrate different kinds of strength. Anne Elliot had tremendous inner strength. She was surrounded by selfish narcissists and she did not become like them or bitter from their treatment of her. She was not a victim. She worked with what she had in the world she lived in.

I came for the movie critique and stayed for your wonderful insights on Jane Austen’s writing and heroines. I only ever read Pride and Prejudice but am now going to pick up her other novels.

Great video! One of the things that annoyed me the most about the 2022 attempt at a movie adaptation of Persuasion is that it displayed a basic misunderstanding of all human interactions. I will never understand how anyone working professionally with storytelling can have gotten by in the industry without understanding that interactions between people rest completely on who those people actually are and how they behave. For the people behind the 2022 Netflix adaptation to treat a story that has been carefully put together by a master of storytelling with the level of contempt they did is embarrassing. How could they not understand that you can't just change the entirety of the main character and simply claim that everything would still happen in the same way around them? I have no problem accepting that this happens when teenagers start dabbling with writing fanfiction but that professional screenwriters/directors/producers can make the same mistakes with a multimillion dollar production is thoroughly absurd.

Completely agree with you. I watched the movie and by the end knew something was wrong when I was hoping Captain Wentworth would marry Louisa Musgrove or that Charles Musgrove had been fortunate to have married Mary.

Wonderful analysis. You did the Netflix version justice. I hated it. I do think they were trying to do a modern rom com using Jane Austen's characters. I would have much rather they did a completely new version like Clueless.

I love your analysis. The thing that stood out the most to me about the Netflix Anne was the heavy alcohol consumption. They portray Anne as basically an alcoholic, drinking wine by herself from the bottle and wallowing in self pity. It's almost as if Netflix is promoting and normalising heavy drinking to young women. Dodgy af.

It's my favourite JA, I managed to watch 1Ep, and they completely missed out that she was a put upon maiden aunt, even in some countries now you're on the shelf at 25yrs,or not expected to marry well. Appeared too sharp, too clever, the asides to camera to knowing. JA observations are pointed and sharp, but it's more Miss Marple, than The Office. The sweetness of the whole JA plot is she is chosen over younger more vibrant young women, he sees her value and caring, even though she had let him go before due to family pressure.. The BBC 1991 version with , Amanda Root, Ciarn Hinds, Susan Fleetwood, Corin Redgrave, is my favourite.

I love the (book) Persuasion. It might be my favorite Austen. But I never expect modern adaptations to treat their source materials properly. Modern "sensibilities" are so arrogantly convinced that they are right that they never seem to ponder the perspectives of the past properly, and they seem so complacent that they don't recognize the error. Thank you for this brilliant analysis and correction. I tend to watch modern adaptations just for fun and try to forget that they are trying to be adaptations.

There’s nothing wrong with making a character witty, sly, clever, and openly fed up with society and how they treat her due to her social class and family without turning her into an angry feminazi - just like there’s nothing wrong with a character being compassionate, kind, soft, gentle, while also fed up with how society treats her without looking like a doormat. In turning Anne into a mixture of Bridget Jones and Elizabeth Bennett, they missed the point of who Anne is as a person and what she grew to be and why the book had the introspection of someone who has grown older.

Netflix didn’t ‘change a lot’ of Austen’s work. They annihilated it.

Great analysis. I love your three favorite Jane Austen films. Also the four-part Emma with Romola Garai and Jonnie Lee Miller. As an example of updating Austen while keeping the spirit and sense of the book I like Clueless.

I tried to give the netflix version a go, before this essay I might add, and I couldn't make it through. Anne was instantly unlikable as a character, however I would've enjoyed following along on a redemption arc with character growth, as you mention at the end - then she would've become very much relatable. We all know how it feels when we would rather lash out and be cruel, then be compassionate or at least stick to your own values on who you want to be and how you want to treat others. Great video!

Austen has withstood the test of time because while she has so many character arcs and that clever, scathing wit, but her characters are still GOOD. Fanny is a virtuous hero, but she still has a character arc (honestly my favorite of her books) in maturing and growing more confident, self-assured, and certain of her values, without ever betraying them or losing her soft spoken personality. Anne has already gone through this before the novel. And fundamentally, Darcy and Elizabeth are both good people, but flawed, and have to face their flaws before they are ready to love and be loved. It’s a distinction we often lose in more contemporary fiction. Often characters who are supposed to be morally gray still fall into pretty black and white boxes, and no one’s actually a good person, and the Good characters are unrealistic, unchanging paragons you can’t relate to. Jane Austen never went the “gray” route. Her characters are colorful in the best and worst ways and that’s why I’ll always love her.

Great analysis of the flawed vs virtuous character arc, and how foil characters should balance the narrative ✨🌙✨

I watched about 10 minutes of this version and switched channels. I can’t agree with you more.

I love the 1995 Persuasion and also the one with Sally Hawkins. I barely got through the trailer for the Netflix version. I’m such a purist though, I gave up on P&P with Kiera Knightly when Lady Catherine came in the middle of the night. Her character would’ve NEVER done that.

I love Persuasion with Amanda Root. I love Anne's story. I love the time, manners, culture, etc... that Jane Austen gave us. Having said that...I absolutely hated the netflix version of Persuasion. If they wanted to put it in a modern setting, I may have liked it more but the dialogue, costumes, hair, etc...the way they walked and talked and then putting some - wonderful - actors here where if they were modern it would be ok but in 18-- England??? Very strange and off looking. I just found this channel today. Very good. I subscribed.

A well made video I stumbled upon. Thank you for helping me expand my own line of argument, why this version was a disaster, so eloquently! I really like this idea of balancing out the picture through her friend Mrs. Smith. After watching the Netflix version, my first thought was, how they wanted to modernize her character so desperately (such a mediocre standard move nowadays) that they completely forgot that a story also needs to make sense. :D As you said, it's really more of a wish-fullfillment thing now. For what the creators think modern women daydreaming of gentlemen sweeping them away are like, I guess.

A beautiful, well-structured review. Thank you.

I love the way you talk and explain things! Especially regarding Jane Austen's works. I always appreciate it when I find someone who really understands the workings of Austen's mind, it's so fascinating😊🌸

This was a cogent analysis. I think your commentary could apply to many recently-made films and tv shows. They lack self-awareness, and the time they spend foisting lessons on the audience with exposition would be much better spent in storytelling so that the audience could find their own lessons.

Thank you for showing yet another side of Jane Austen's writing!!

I had already decided not to watch the Netflix version after Karolina Zebrowska's video about it, but seeing Anne's hairstyle and the emoji on the note in this just reaffirmed my decision. Thank you for this insightful video!

I'll admit that I never clicked with Anne (or Fanny), but even I couldn't stomach more than 20 minutes of the Netflix version. It's astounding how they managed to get rid of the thing that makes Austen's novels timeless. Namely being well-written and relatable. My favourite adaptions are '95 Pride and Prejudice and '87 Northanger Abbey

This is terrific analysis, but one small correction: Anne Elliott is not a noblewoman. She's the daughter of a baronet, so she's an aristocrat but not a noblewoman.

I love your analysis ..you are the few people who really says the truth ...the thought that just there is a female protagonist , that does not means she is not flawed and does not need to introspect or called out for her own shortcomings.. this is one of the reason that we have such bad written female characters in hollywood in comparison to male characters its not only limited to Hollywood, I have seen this nature of writing in novels , manhwas and series targeted towards young female audience , mostly written by women. I feel writers self insert themselves in protagonist in the the story that they forget to self introspect themselves , justified their own mistakes , their flaws through female protagonist. All Male characters out of nowhere fell in love with FL head over heels , or fight for FL ..they have no character of their own , they have no story ..they are just there to simp for female protagonist and other female characters are just dumb or vilain or side kick of Female lead. Female lead show questionable behavior but it never received critical gaze by author Jane Austen , Bronte sisters , Elizabeth Gaskell are totally different ..they chose to treat female characters as humans first with their own character arcs that's why they were heroines . They had their own journey of self discovery yet they have sympathetic gaze and not ended with cautionary tales but lead audience to look them with empathy and sought deeper connection with them

With Austen adaptaions, I find the biggest clue to its faithfulness to source material is the leading lady's hairstyle. While historically accurate hair isn't necessary, I have yet to see a decent adaptation where the heroine is running around with her hair down or loose for a substantial amount of time. Netflix's 'Persuasion' follows this trend as well.

Fabulous video. As a historical romance author, I see a real danger in failing to see the subtly of Austen's character development and the drive to make heroines 'modern' and as a result makes them come across as overbearing and false.

I really enjoyed your take on Persuasion. While my favorite book is Northanger Abby, my daughter's is Persuasion and we came to so many conclusions like yours. My daughter and I end up discussing Austen a lot. In the past month we came across a rather interesting observation when she recommended I watch the newer adaptation of the manga "Fruits Basket." I was about halfway through when she asked what I thought of the protagonist and I told her she felt like a modern Fanny Price to me. Amazingly, that was the one book my daughter had never read so we set aside a day to binge the 80's series. It didn't take long for us to begin to assign animals from the manga to the various characters in the book. Clearly Edmund is the cat, Mrs Norris is the broken god, Mr Rushworth (the poor guy who we adore) is the monkey, Henry is the dog, Mary is the horse... We couldn't help but wonder if the parallels were intentional or if the story is simply so true to human nature, it reemerged. If you're interested in checking that out, I'd love to watch a video on your thoughts.

Nah but see, Clueless was a great adaptation of Emma because it kept to the soul of the novel, it kept all the traits and humor that were the most important. The new Persuasion was just…like did they even /read/ the novel?

In the 90’s, when they actually cared about proper costuming and interpreting nuance in historical films…(cough cough…Little Women….) I thought they’d get better in time but….they’ve started just dumping on every historical drama.

What an interesting insight on Mansfield Park, that the other characters represent the 7 deadly sins to Fanny's virtue! Now I have to figure out who is who; we have pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth. As you mentioned, Dr. Grant is gluttony, Lady Bertram is sloth. I guess Sir Thomas would be pride, and Maria and Julia have a lot of that, too. Sir Thomas and his son Tom could be greed, Sir Thomas greedy for more money, and Tom for drink, gaming, any pleasures. Henry Crawford and Maria are lust, Fanny's parents have several--lust (all those children!), sloth, and envy, wrath for her dad. Mrs. Norris is wrath and envy (and probably a couple more). Mary Crawford is too proud to marry a lowly minister, and is greedy for more money and position in society. Rushworth is pride (stupidity isn't one of the 7 deadly sins, LOL), and I guess we have to say that Edmund is temporarily lust? Fanny's siblings are a mixed bag, with Betsy being greed and envy, Susan wrath, and William? He's pretty perfect, like Fanny!

I love your commentary on setting the bar too low for heroines. That was something I had not thought about or considered, what a witty remark.

My favorite line in 1995 Persuasion is after all the people are telling Anne their problems, and she finally sits down, presumably to have a spot of tea and a moment to herself, and Charles sits next to her, turns to her with a sigh, and says, "Oh, Anne." I burst out laughing. It was so perfect! And, of course, I love Anne Elliott. I love all of Jane Austen's heroines. However, my favorite is actually Fanny Price. I love the way she survives years of abuse, as well as a more-than-usual fragile body, all while maintaining a heart of gold and a spine of steel, when it comes to doing what is RIGHT. She'll bend over backward, she'll take the heat to protect her cousins from the consequences of their own folly, but she will NOT marry a man whom she knows is a philanderer. The only reason she does not tell her uncle her reason (his philandering) is because that would make her cousins look bad, and she won't betray them like that, even though they'd throw her under the bus in a heartbeat. And, if Mr. Crawford had been true, and patient, and waited for Edmund to win over Miss Crawford, he would have won her heart, at last, because, as a Christian, she knows about redemption and forgiveness, and would have supported the man in his redemption arc, once her heart was no longer free to hope. She would have given up all hope of Edmund, once he was married, and she was not free even to dream of him (it would have been a mortal sin, and she would have exerted her mind over her heart, because of that). And without the dream of Edmund, and with some proof of constancy and moral improvement in Mr. Crawford, she would have learned to love Mr. Crawford with all her heart. Unfortunately, the egos of Mariah and Mr. Crawford got in the way.

I adore the Emma Thompson penned 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. I also really liked Clueless as Emma was the first Austen book I had read.

I love that you included this version of Mansfield Park and Persuasion. ❤

Pride and Prejudice 1995 is 6 perfect hours of television.

Yes! Your video is spot on. Thank you telling everyone about the junk some of these Austen movies in the last few years are. They are NOT Austen!

Except for the iconoclastic, lazy writers and directors nowadays, the worst problem is the miscategorisation of Jane Austen's work as romance novels. While relationships are the vehicle for her stories, they are obviously *not* romance novels! But trying to market them to young girls as a sort of chick flick (in a very derogatory manner, imo), defeats their purpose and thus true, literary beauty.

Mansfield Park with Jonny Lee Miller is my favorite but that BBC Pride & Prejudice is pretty stellar too. Then Sense & Sensibility, of course.

Mr. Knightley comes to mind - "badly done, Dakota! Very badly done!"

I'll make one date a holiday where I watch the Pride and Prejudice miniseries 😂

I tried watching that “vlog” series based on Pride and Prejudice and quickly realized that a too-direct modern adaptation of Austen doesn’t work; most of her main characters were not working class, so all women had to marry into a comfortable life. They also consequently had loads more free time than most women today. And getting married super young was an achievement. Society has changed so much that the modern adaptations that work just have some Austen flavor.

When you first showed the clip of pride and prejudice and zombies I got kinda embarrassed like … oh I kinda love that one … then you captioned it (unless it’s awesome) and I was very relieved haha that’s definitely one of my favorite most guilty pleasure movies!!

Actually, I always considered Mansfield Park a bit of a monster story. Everyone is duplicitous, and Fanny is the most duplicitous; disgusted by her family and judgemental of all comers, she clings like a limpet to her favorite cousin until she wears him down to a nub. She marries him and gains possession of the style of living she enjoys. Mary Challoner speaks of self-interest. Well!

This video came at a perfect time as I am reading Persuasion for the first time currently and really enjoyed your perspective! I will note I really liked Netflix's version when I watched it last year as I had no insight on the story but now as I'm half way through reading I can see the strong differences now between them. As for my favorite Austen film it is without a doubt 2005's Pride and Prejudice; I just love all the visuals, music, acting, etc. I was also reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time in school during that time and I think it just holds such a very special place in my heart.

Amanda Root's Persuasion is my favorite Austen! It captures the tone and is faithful to the material without losing anything despite how much has to get culled to fit movies. Thanks for this analysis!! You were even more generous with Netflix's version than i would have. I stopped watching after Wentworth's beach scene (with the admiral line) and have not been able to finish since

I'm not sure if you've ever heard of "A Little Princess". It was one of my favourite books as a child. I learned they made a movie of it, so I watched it and it has almost all of the issues you talk about in this video. The main character is called Sara Crewe. She's just a child and incredibly wealthy, indulged by her loving father. Most other children who see her feel jealous when they look at her extravagant wardrobe. But they love her too soon when they speak to her. She's gentle, smart, clever, humble, generous, hardworking, persistent, optimistic, and extremely elegant, especially for a child. Ignoring the storyline, the movie is almost opposite when it comes to her personality. Movie Sara is loud, seems spoiled, is a bully, and just very dislikable. I was so disappointed in this movie (1995) for portraying her in this manner. I can only guess that the people who like it have never read the book.

Brilliant analysis. The Netflix persuasion annoyed me so much and your analysis explained why. Thank you.

Thank you for such an enlightened and well-argued analysis. I remember watching Persuasion 2022 and absolutely hating it but without taking the time afterwards to figure out why, because I just wanted to erase it from my memory. Hours of my life I'll never get back.

A friend and I watched the Netflix version and, as some others have commented, both felt that we had to watch a well made British version as a remedy.

I haven’t read Persuasion yet but one problem I can see as a disabled person, especially in a modern adaptation is Mrs. Smith’s character is that she seems to be a long held stereotype a lot of disabled characters fall into, inspiration p*rn. This is where the disabled character usually only exists to inspire an able bodied character to be more appreciative of their own life or struggles, bc it’s not like their struggles are anything compared to having a disability (often not going into how some of the biggest struggles is usually society not willing to accommodate for those of us with disabilities), and usually the disabled character will only ever be optimistic and/or happy, and never express any anger/frustration at their suffering struggles. Hopefully I’m wrong and that’s not the case with her character.

This was such a good video. I haven’t seen the Netflix “Persuasion” yet, so I can’t comment on that, but I did love the 1995 film. My first introduction to Austen was “Emma”; I think I saw a TV adaptation and then read the book. At the time I was a shy and socially awkward teen, and I loved the mannered world depicted in the novel, where there was a right way and a wrong way to do practically everything. I found that so comforting, having had a tendency to OCD all my life. It’s hard to say which is my favourite Austen movie, but I do think the 1996 version of “Emma” starring Gwyneth Paltrow and drop-dead-gorgeous Jeremy Northam, deserves an honourable mention.

Persuasion is my fav Austin story and Netflix TOTALLY RUINED IT…I was so devastated at the butchery…SHAME ON YOU Netflix

Great assessment and thank you very much for you commentary. One point I think I disagree; the Netflix Persuasion had to dispose of Mrs Smith because that relationship would have highlighted how far they had strayed from Austens characters. Both Anne and Captain Wentworth would have appeared lesser characters if Mrs Smith, as portrayed by Jane Austen had been included. Thanks.

Brilliant analysis. The connection to Fleabag and Bridget Jones was jaw dropping. I can't believe I missed it! So obvious once you point it out. Understanding the brilliance and strength of Jane Austen characters is something I wish modern Hollywood writers understood. They should realize: Jane Austen fans like her heroines; just the way they are. btw, I'd love to see your analysis of the 2020 Emma film. Despite it's beautiful sets, they also made changes to minor characters and situations that irked me. (Miss Smith being angry at Miss Woodhouse; Mr Knightley about to declare his love after the party; Emma getting a nosebleed when she and Knightley declare their love; and a few others) The are minor changes, but they are driving me crazy. I'd love to see a video like this one, discussing that one. Am I wrong? Is it better than I think? Is the worm niggling in my brain just nitpicking, or did these changes actually mean something bigger?

Nuance is what get's lost.

Thank you, what a wonderful review of Jane's stories. ♥️ The latest Persuasion literally broke my heart. It's my favorite story and Anne is my favorite heroine.

Another really good in depth analysis. Very good at keeping viewers wanting to hear more. Hope you enjoyed your glass of wine also.

Oh so wonderfully and beatifully and thoughtfully put. Great work. Thank you.

Thank you for suffering through the NetFlix Persuasion so I don’t have to do so. Great video!

This portrayal speaks so much to the women of today. I think with so many women in the position of mid 30s not married, nostalgic and heart broken over the one that got away they sought to tell her story in this character. She’s awesome and bright and really all of these wonderful men are in love with her but she drinks to drown her loneliness etc. we live in a time where only straight men need to reflect and be better. Everyone else gets to be what they are and the world that doesn’t accept them is at fault. It’s just a waiting game to find the people that see your flawless ness.

I can't express how important this video is!Thank you so much for sharing with us❤❤❤

Thank you so much for including Persuasion. Overlooked movie. Great story telling, great actors. Loved every minute of it.

Thank you for this video and for the wonderful insights! I have been trying for a while to put into words my issues with Netflix's Persuasion, and you've really hit it on the nail there 👌

this is why Emma 2020 is my favorite adaptation. Not only does it understand that Austen's Emma is satirical, unlike the 90s version, shes deeply flawed and has to atone for her actions before she can have her happy ending.

Thank you for such a thoughtful and well presented video.