University experts help commemorate landmark year for Jane Austen
A landmark year for Jane Austen has been celebrated with the help of University of Chester academics.
Storyhouse Chester recently held Austen 250, an event to commemorate the 250th anniversary year of Jane Austen’s birth, the 20th anniversary rerelease of Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice film starring Keira Knightley, as well as the 30th anniversary year of Amy Heckerling’s Clueless, a loose and modern take on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel Emma, which also became a 2020 period drama movie by Autumn de Wilde.
All three screenings were introduced by experts from the University of Chester; Professor Deborah Wynne, Professor Melissa Fegan and Dr Katie Barnett – Senior Lecturer in Film and Media Studies. Katie has now also been interviewed for arts publication Eloquentia.
Within the interview, which can be read here, Katie spoke about how Jane Austen’s work can be adapted and updated endlessly, tailored for a range of audiences, and which ones have worked their magic in cinematography.
Katie also explained why the 1995 film Clueless, starring Alicia Silverstone, remained one of her favourite Austen adaptations of all.
Katie said: “It was a privilege to be a part of the Jane Austen celebrations at Storyhouse, and to talk to such an enthusiastic audience about how the music, fashion and language of Clueless still reflect those Austen roots! Being interviewed by Ruby Victoria at Eloquentia gave us a chance to really dig deeper into Austen's cinematic legacy.”
As well as the film screenings, Storyhouse also held its production of Pride and Prejudice at the Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre during the summer.
For more information on studying Film and Media Studies at the University of Chester, visit: https://www.chester.ac.uk/study/course-search/film-and-media-studies-ba-hons/ .