When a novel becomes a television-serial : How Jane Austen was brought to life with the 1995 television production of Pride and Prejudice

The aim of this Masters thesis is to examine how Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice, first published in 1813, was established in different literary orbits after the transformation to the television medium in 1995. I also want to find out what this adaptation meant for the popularity of Jane Austen, the circulation of her works and the rebirth of her authorship. It has furthermore been of interest to discuss the reasons why Jane Austen and her works became so popular. Questions posed in the study are: What has the 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice meant for the spreading of Jane Austens literary work and for the rebirth of her authorship? How has Pride and Prejudice moved between the literary orbits after it became a television-serial in 1995? Why did the circulation get the character it got in the 1990s? In order to find feasible answers to these questions I have used Hans Hertels model of the five literary orbits as theoretical starting point. This model has made it possible to show how Pride and Prejudice moved from the popular literary orbit, through the intermedial to the mass literary and further to the oral one after the 1995 production and how this made Austen available to a larger audience. The method used is a qualitative one, mostly based on literature studies. Earlier studies, articles and web sites have made it possible to describe the popularity of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice and to follow the work through Hertels model. I have sought the reasons for the popularity both in the content of the novel and the BBC production and in conditions of the book- and mediamarket. The purpose has been to produce a comprehensive view of how the different angles cooperate to create a contextual whole.Uppsatsnivå: