Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope is the first in The Austen Project series of books in which contemporary writers rework Austen’s classics to bring them into the modern day. In a world without the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Emma Approved and Clueless, Trollope’s updating of Sense and Sensibility might appear fresh and fun. In comparison to these other modernisations, however, it comes across as unimaginative and safe. Too often it appears Trollope has simply transposed the characters and situations from Regency England to the modern day without using more up to date equivalents. A few references to Facebook and Twitter don’t make a modern adaption. In all fairness, perhaps Trollope was given a tight brief by HarperCollins to keep it close to the original. What I liked Faithful to Austen’s characters. Trollope stayed true to Austen’s characters. Elinor is still the level head of the family, Marianne is still a hopeless romantic, Willoughby is still a cad. The relationships between them remained true to the original – the interactions between the characters still follow the same themes. The characters follow the same development arcs. It’s clear Trollope understands the motivations of her characters and the main themes of the…
Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope is the first in The Austen Project series of books in which contemporary writers rework Austen’s classics to bring them into the modern day. In a world without the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Emma Approved and Clueless, Trollope’s updating of Sense and Sensibility might appear fresh and fun. In comparison to these other modernisations, however, it comes across as unimaginative and safe. Too often it appears Trollope has simply transposed the characters and situations from Regency England to the modern day without using more up to date equivalents. A few references to Facebook and Twitter don’t make a modern adaption. In all fairness, perhaps Trollope was given a tight brief by HarperCollins to keep it close to the original. What I liked Faithful to Austen’s characters. Trollope stayed true to Austen’s characters. Elinor is still the level head of the family, Marianne is still a hopeless romantic, Willoughby is still a cad. The relationships between them remained true to the original – the interactions between the characters still follow the same themes. The characters follow the same development arcs. It’s clear Trollope understands the motivations of her characters and the main themes of the…