MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Jane Austen is sometimes referred to as the founder of romantic comedies, and with her sarcasm, quick wit, and elegant writing style, she has continuously inspired generations of authors. One of the writers that has been influenced by Jane Austen’s classic, Pride and Prejudice, is Stephanie Meyer a well known young adult author. She has gained her significant popularity among young female audiences from her book Twilight and its movie adaptation. Though many feminists and literary critics have condemned her books, she still managed to sell over 100 million copies worldwide. Jane Austen also holds special interest in eyes of young readers even though her works were written over 200 hundred years ago. So the question is, “What do both authors offer this generation of young female followers?” It seems that what makes Jane Austen and Stephanie Meyer novels so appealing is their use of a good love story, the ultimate happy ending, and fairly relatable heroines. Of course they also have the brooding, wealthy, mysterious, and best of all, attractive male lead, but many readers get hooked in the story before they have a chance to fall in love with him. These are the characteristics that pull young girls in because they like the exotic charm, and that fantasy romance that both books offer. The writing styles between these two works are vastly different, but they still captivate the same kind of demographic. There are many modern day authors who fall under the same category as Jane Austen, but Stephanie Meyer’s great popularity stands out because of all the people she attracted, and also because of the vast movie franchise her books produced. Many young women are in love with the concept of love, and opening one of these novels can fulfill their craving.