Tabloid Sensationalism in Nancy Butler’sPride & Prejudice, the Graphic Novel Adaptation

Jane Austen is one of the most widely read and most praised authors of English literature. Austen’s works have been extensively examined as belonging to a literary canon and classic. However, Austen's adaptions including television shows, films and graphic novels have hardly been discussed or examined. Nancy Butler's intension of employing flexibility towards her stylistic adaptation provide a crucial ground for reading her graphic novel in association with a sensational tabloid format. This paper not only discusses the graphic novel as a tabloid format but also explores the graphic novel's relationship with a sensational focusing on aspects of parlor talks (gossips), witty banters and insightful proses. This reading will provide a deeper understanding on how Butler’s graphic novel not only expands some of the issues of Austen’s original novel but also explores some of ways that our contemporary society engages with sensationalism.