P. R. Moore-Dewey's "Pregiudizio e Orgoglio": An Italian Re-Make of Austen's "Pride and Prejudicce"

Virtually since its publication in 1814, Jane Austen's most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, has enjoyed great success and has been the object of countless re-workings, re-mediations and adaptations on global scale. This essay aims at discussing a special instance of this phenomenon: an Italian re-make entitled Pregiudizio e Orgoglio (“Prejudice and Pride”), and written by Austen enthusiast and admirer, P.R. Moore-Dewey (pseudonym of Patrizia Murreddu). Appeared in Italy in 2012, to coincide with the bicentenary celebrations of its model and source, this title constitutes a genuine literary effort that deserves the attention of Austen enthusiasts, fans, and also scholars for its many merits, in particular that of being an intricate patchwork of quotations and, thus, a thoroughly post-modern work. In this essay, I intend to examine Pregiudizio e Orgoglio's emblematic significance by outlining the numerous aspects that make it such a noteworthy adaptation of Austen. In particular, it is my intention to analyze the change of perspective adopted by the author, who decided to re-write Austen's tale through the point of view of Mr. Darcy and his sister Georgiana. Moreover, it is my intention to look at some of the many intertextual references present in Moore-Dewey's work (taken both from the whole Austen output, and from many other “classic” or “canonical” English writers) and consider the impact of such references and quotations on the reading experience. Finally, I will consider the extensive use of paratextual devices, which contribute to define this reworking a particularly relevant literary manifestation.