Self and Society in Gurinder Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice

Abstract

The research paper attempts to probe into the concept/idea of ‘self’ by analyzing the ‘self’ of the characters in Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice its Indian cinematic adaptation Bride and Prejudice. It will explore the hybrid or diasporic identities as against the British national identities of Austen’s characters. One of the texts explored is an adaptation of the other thereby resulting in the similarity as far as the plot and characters are concerned. However, society and culture have changed during the process of adaptation. The adapted version has a global approach. It is not only a different culture and society but also a larger world weaved in one thread. The native setting of the original novel is but a part of the larger setting of the adapted movie. The globe has taken place of Britain. Not only that but the source text belongs to the imperial nation whereas the adaptation belongs to the third world. The central setting of the adaptation is a country which was once a colony to the imperial nation of the source text. In spite of this major difference of settings, not only the plot but even the characters remain unchanged. Their position in the plot, their role and the experiences they go through remain the same. Hence, they should be the same too. What is worth exploring here is the impact of the changed society, culture and setting upon these characters. The given paper attempts to explore this aspect.