Austen in the Second Degree: Questions and Challenges

Abstract

The three categories in the subtitle of this special issue hold an undeniably central place in present-day Austen studies. Quotation, intertextuality and rewriting – deeply rooted in Austen’s fiction – also characterize the relentless proliferation of offshoots and by-products which her writings and persona continue to generate. ‘Purloined words’ are indeed intrinsic to the texture of Austen’s novels and a familiar field of analysis for critics who have traditionally busied themselves with chasing allusions and references, throwing into relief the various kinds of intertextual relations within her output. In addition, quotation, intertextuality and rewriting have become unprecedentedly visible as part of the panoply of strategies available to contemporary rewritings and reinventions of Austen. In other words, a solid, if problematic, line connects Austen’s practices of re-making other authors with those of contemporary authors and other cultural producers, such as script-writers and directors, re-making Austen.