Following from the work of Thomas Leitch (2008) and Christine Geraghty (2009),
adaptations that position themselves as adaptations are considered in relation to
an evolving definition of an adaptation genre. In particular, Pride and Prejudice
is regarded as a template for such a genre, a genre signified by a period setting;
period music; a focus on intertitles, words, books and authors; the foregrounding of
‘new’ media; the inclusion of artwork in the sets or in the mise-en-scène; implicit or
explicit tributes to the author; and an appeal to a female audience through the insertion
of female-friendly episodes. The films Pride and Prejudice (1940), Pride and
Prejudice (2005) and Becoming Jane (2007) are examined in relation to this concept
of the genre ‘adaptation’.