Jane Austen’s Persuasion: Why is Netflix being slammed by Jane Austen fans?

Dakota Johnson stars in a new Netflix original film premiering next month, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1817.
Hajra Akbar
By Hajra Akbar
Published 30th Jun 2022, 12:57 BST
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But after seeing the trailer for the new adaptation, some fans are not best pleased.

Netflix has released the first trailer for “Persuasion,” the upcoming film starring Dakota Johnson, based on the last Jane Austen novel, 1817.

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Jane Austen’s novels thrive on romance, but love is not in the air on Twitter when it comes to Netflix’s adaptation of Persuasion, starring Dakota Johnson.

Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot in Jane Austen's Persuasion.Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot in Jane Austen's Persuasion.
Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot in Jane Austen's Persuasion.

As soon as the streaming service released the well anticipated trailer for the upcoming movie, fans took to Twitter to slam Netflix for its take and adaptation on the classic book.

As “Persuasion” was the final completed work of the writer and is considered by fans as one of her most mature and sophisticated novels, fans did not seem to agree with how Netflix portrayed the ideas from the story.

The trailer narrates the story of Anne Elliot (played by Dakota Johnson in the film) who is an introverted 27-year-old struggling to move on after she broke her engagement with Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis).

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After seven years, the two bounce back into each other's lives when Anne’s family rents their home to his sister and her husband. Anne then finds herself caught in a love triangle between her former fiancé and her cousin, William Elliot (Henry Golding), who will inherit her father Walter’s (Richard E. Grant) estate.

Persuasion 2022. Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot, Izuka Hoyle as Henrietta Musgrove, Nia Towle as Louisa Musgrove, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mary Elliot.Persuasion 2022. Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot, Izuka Hoyle as Henrietta Musgrove, Nia Towle as Louisa Musgrove, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mary Elliot.
Persuasion 2022. Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot, Izuka Hoyle as Henrietta Musgrove, Nia Towle as Louisa Musgrove, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mary Elliot.

With her friends and family pushing her to be with William, Anne is forced to consider what she really wants outside of the social pressures surrounding her.

As the trailer appears that the film will follow the plot of the original novel, it also shows a cheeky comedic and quirky take on the story.The trailer also shows a narrative similar to the award-winning ‘Fleabag’ as Johnson breaks the fourth wall multiple times throughout the trailer to talk to the audience about her family and her relationships with the cast, and the scenes show multiple moments between Anne and Frederick.

“Persuasion is about love and loss” said a fan on Twitter, after criticizing the trailer for portraying the film to appear as a comedy with slapstick elements.

Dakota Johnson and the filmmakers have not responded to the backlash on Twitter as of yet.

You can watch the Trailer here: Persuasion starring Dakota Johnson | Official Trailer | Netflix

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