What is the Original? Literary Works in Constant Change Drawing on the Example of Jane Austen

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Siegen, language: English, abstract: What does it do to an original work, when it is constantly reread, revised, discussed, analysed and transitioned? These are the questions this paper is trying to find answers to. To answer this question, the author will start by exploring the relation between original and adaptation, where she will give an overview of the various ways of adapting techniques and show which role fan fiction plays in this. This will lead to an abstract on fan cultures, what they are and how they come into being. This first part will be concluded by a theoretical approach on how original works are in a constant change. The second part of this paper will study these concepts in the works of Jane Austen. Starting with a look at the reception of Austen's novels, she will go on with an overview of why and how her work was adapted, followed by a chapter on the fan culture which focuses exclusively on her and her work. This part will then be concluded by tracing the elements of fan culture in the series Lost in Austen, to see how the changing process applies here and is furthermore shown on several levels.