Press Release: Gyles Brandreth to rewrite Pride & Prejudice for the woke generation
PRESS RELEASE FOR ISSUE AT MIDNIGHT ON 31 MARCH 2021
'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be wanting to play the field before choosing a partner – and that field is going to be rich in diversity and surprises!’
Following the success of his Channel 5 documentary celebrating the life and work of Jane Austen (In the Footsteps of Jane Austen, C5, 31/03/21, 9.00 pm), writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth has signed a contract with Michael Joseph Publishers (part of the Penguin Group) to write a ‘woke’ version of Austen’s most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice.
Said Brandreth: ‘It’s a challenge, but I am excited to be rising to it. The original Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813. It’s full of outdated language and concepts. My job is to make it relevant to a 2020s audience, detoxifying the cliché-driven male-female stereotypes at the heart of the novel, while losing none of the fun and romance of the original.
‘People will want to know that Elizabeth Bennet still ends up with Mr Darcy, but along the way in my woke version she will be having a brief “awakening” affair with Mr Bingley’s sister, Louisa, while Darcy himself is openly celebrating his pan-sexuality, enjoying a series of varyingly complex relationships with characters of truly diverse social background, race and gender.
‘The novel will still be set in the Regency period, but the mind-set of the characters will be one hundred per cent woke., as will the characters’ vocabulary. In Pride and Prejudice as we know it, self-optimism, resilience and compassion win the day, but what I shall be introducing additionally are critical dialogues around issues Austen shied away from, fostering an environment at Netherfield for honest and vulnerable conversations.
‘Austen’s story is so rich in potential and I am ready to go the extra mile to make her characters speak to and for our times. For example, in my woke version Mr and Mrs Bennet are working through their patriarchal and hierarchical relationship challenges with counselling, and the Reverend Collins, a secret cross-dresser, will learn that he has nothing to be ashamed of: indeed, his patroness, Lady Catherine de Burgh was once a man.’
Brandreth has written seven widely-acclaimed Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as his detective. His woke version of Pride and Prejudice will be published this time next year.
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