The Changing Faces of Regency Romance in Netflix’s Bridgerton and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Abstract

This paper analyses the parallels Netflix’s show Bridgerton has with Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. The implication of Austen’s novels and style in the Netflix adaptation targeting regency romances has been widely discussed as well as the shallowness of both contributions (News par. 5, Morrison par. 1 , Flanagan 30). I argue that a more literary-focused perspective may be taken to establish the parallelisms between both works in terms of settings, argumentative topics, narrative choices, male characters and speech styles. To do so, the analysis will gradually turn to the general common similarities and the contribution made by both male characters and their discourses. Drawing on Terry Eagleton and Rober Macfarlane, this paper examines Bridgerton’s manoeuvres in its Romantic production and its profound connection to Austen’s novel.