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Representing Bodies and Bathing Machines: Jane Austen’s <i>Sanditon</i> and Andrew Davies’s 2019 ITV Adaptation
oleh: Gill Ballinger
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2022-06-01 |
Deskripsi
Jane Austen’s final novel fragment <i>Sanditon</i> has inspired continuations of many kinds from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. The most recent literary afterlife it has generated is the 2019 British adaptation for ITV, created by Andrew Davies, and with a screenplay by Davies, Justin Young and Andrea Gibb. This eight-part adaptation attempts to recreate Austen’s Regency world but reimagines and develops <i>Sanditon</i> through the lens of twenty-first century sexual sensibilities. Most notably, depictions of male nudity and sex acts demonstrate the adaptation’s engagement with contemporary sexual politics. Scenes offering salacious views of naked men sea-bathing counter the historical tradition of the female nude offered up for male gaze; the female body, in contrast, remains fully clothed in response to the contemporary Me-Too context. Furthermore, the inclusion of sex scenes, a character with a backstory of sexual abuse, a relationship featuring coercive control, and an ending denying the heroine her man reflects the zeitgeist. However, the disappointing British viewing figures for <i>Sanditon</i> suggest that sex does not always sell, particularly when it comes to creating a successful twenty-first century Austen adaptation.