Jane Austen Gets a Makeover

Jane Austen is one of the most celebrated British authors of all time, known for her witty and insightful novels about love, relationships, and society in the context of early 19th-century England. Although her novels did not receive much recognition during her lifetime, she now has millions of fans world-wide. Her six completed novels have all been made into popular TV series and Pride and Prejudice is often voted the nation’s favourite book.

But if the idea of wading through the rich language of 18^th/early 19^th century literature doesn’t quite do it for you then never fear! Each of Jane Austen’s novels are about to receive a 21^st century makeover as part of ‘The Austen Project’, an initiative by publisher Harper Collins. As part of the project, six bestselling authors will write their own take on Austen’s classic novels. Joanna Trollope is the first to take on the challenge, bringing Facebook, iPods and premarital sex to Barton Cottage. Here are the novel/author pairings that have been decided so far:

‘Sense & Sensibility’ - Joanna Trollope

Joanna Trollope has been writing for over thirty years she is the author of seventeen highly acclaimed contemporary bestselling novels including, most recently, The Other Family, Daughters In Law and The Soldier’s Wife. She has also written a study of women in the British Empire, Britannia’s Daughters, and ten historical novels published under the pseudonym Caroline Harvey.

‘Northanger Abbey’ - Val McDermid

Val McDermid is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of suspense novels starring her most famous creation, Dr. Tony Hill.

‘Emma’ - Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith is a Rhodesian-born British writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He is most widely known as the creator of the The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.

‘Pride & Prejudice’ - Curtis Sittenfeld

Curtis Sittenfeld is an American writer and is the author of four novels: Prep, the tale of a Massachusetts prep school; The Man of My Dreams, a coming-of-age novel and an examination of romantic love; American Wife, a fictional story loosely based on the life of First Lady Laura Bush, and Sisterland, which tells the story of identical twins with psychic powers, as well as a number of short stories.

‘Persuasion’ and ‘Mansfield Park’ are still up for grabs!

Joanna Trollope’s Sense and Sensibility is now available to buy but unfortunately you will have to wait until 2014 for the other 5. Click here to go to the Austen Project website.