Classic Literature to Movie/TV Adaptations: When They Work and When They Don’t By Alisha Singh

Each year high schoolers from around the country are made to watch Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” in their English classes. As TVs on carts have turned into Promethean boards, it has become easier for teachers to use movies as supplemental materials when teaching classic books. However, not every book-tomovie/TV adaptation becomes popular enough to be paired. Many are shunned by fans and only ever acknowledged in a Wikipedia footnote for the original book. So why are some adaptations adored and what makes them work? Modern literature’s success is now measured by whether a book gets picked up by Netflix for amovie deal, but classic literature has been in the game for a lot longer.

Book fans love seeing the stories they adore come to life – comparing the source material to the film has become its own activity. Moreover, these adaptations allow those who don’t read – either due to time constraints or preference – the ability to enjoy these stories as well. New fan communities tend to grow around them as seen with the success of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” which reached wider audiences than the book series. On the business end, writers and producers in Hollywood have a treasure trove of ideas that have been fully developed and already tested for success. With the stakes becoming higher in an oversaturated market, this can allow for a safer bet on the studio’s end. And what’s better than classic literature that has been taught and adored for generations?

Elizabeth Gaskell’s “North and South” was published in 1851 and has been adapted for television three times, however, the 2004 BBC adaptation not only became the most popular, but also brought renewed interest in the novel. Margaret Hale and her family are forced to relocate to a heavily industrialized city in northern England from the rural south after her father leaves the Church of England. The novel dedicates several pages to conversations surrounding class and labor, while the love story itself is a minor running theme in the characters’ lives. On the other hand, the 2004 adaptation brings the love story front and center while making the class and labor aspects a device to create conflict between the main characters. This warping of the story fails to value the fact that this novel was one of the first written about class conflict during the Industrial Revolution. These changes present an example of media in different formats being created for different purposes. While Gaskell’s novel was a social and political commentary on the effects of industrialization and capitalism, to make the storyline more compelling for viewers, the love story was emphasized on BBC. Although both versions of “North and South” are adored by fans, another piece of classic literature, “Wuthering Heights,” hasn’t been as lucky.

Charlotte Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights’’ takes place across two generations between two families leading isolated lives in the moors of Yorkshire. Despite having about nine English-language adaptations in TV and cinema, not one has received the adoration that adaptations such as “Pride and Prejudice” have. There are several reasons as to why they always seem to miss the mark when trying to recreate the much beloved and heavily referenced love story. Many adaptations tend to depict only one generation and thus ignore the importance of the second generation to the overall storyline. The cycle of abuse and revenge can only be explored through a depiction of Heathcliffe’s control over the lives of the second generation. By ending the movie at Catherine’s death, not only is the story left unfinished, but the audience misses out on the consequences of her death and the development of other characters. Additionally, due to the popularity of Jane Austen adaptations, others attempt to undermine the gothic and darker elements of the story which are the essence of the novel. The physical and mental anguish of these characters and their wretched surroundings play an immense role in the overall plot and character development. They make the romance not only tragic but also quite deranged, setting it apart from other rosy and charming love stories of the time. Ultimately, these adaptations are unsatisfactory because the story in and of itself is difficult to depict. The main heroine dies halfway through the novel, and the two lovers never get to be together except for in their childhood. Many directors have to choose between primarily exploring the pain out of which obsession grows or examining their brief romance. The latter is chosen and is ultimately a failure.

Unlike “Wuthering Heights,” Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” enjoys not one but two successful adaptations. Both serve to be remarkable examples of the fact that there isn’t a right way to bring a story to life; it’s essentially about how the idea is executed. The 2005 version boasts the star power of Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden, a breathtaking soundtrack and visually stunning sets and cinematography. However, the lack of accuracy in characterization and the plot are the weaknesses where the 1995 BBC version finds its strength. Its format as a series allows it to include most aspects of the book, which lead to an extremely accurate portrayal of the characters. Furthermore, the dialogue is taken right from the source material and the piece holds a simple charm that viewers adore. Unlike other adaptations that are shunned for lack of accuracy, the 2005 film does not purely rely on the novel to give it the qualities it needs to be a genuinely good piece of cinema. It instead utilizes the source material as inspiration to become its own work of art. Fans watch it to experience the ambiance of the book rather than a scene for scene reenactment. Despite the lack of a big-budget, state-of-the-art cameras or a star cast, the 1995 version does the exact opposite and is just as successful.

The answer isn’t straightforward. Yet, it can be said that a deeper understanding of the novel and the reader’s interpretation of it will lead to a work that will do it justice. The point isn’t to just stick to the dialogue word for word or to throw the whole plot out the window, the point is to capture the essence of the book in a way that makes fans feel engrossed in the experience of seeing it all come alive no matter how it is done.