Style over Substance? Adapting Literature and History in the Period Drama

This chapter picks up on the discourses of accuracy and authenticity that have been alluded to throughout the preceding chapters. Focusing on Far from the Madding Crowd as an example of literary adaptation, Belle as adaptation of history, and The Imitation Game as adaptation of biography, the chapter argues for the key differences in the processes of adapting literary and historical sources, observing that films discussed here are indicative of the results of prioritising fictional or factual credibility. However, the chapter notes the key difference between perceptions of accuracy and authenticity, arguing that both Belle and The Imitation Game employ fiction in the pursuit of a representation of the past that will be received by audiences as authentic. Considering the accusation that period dramas are often superficial and uninterested in ‘real’ history, the chapter seeks to question this perception by arguing that each of the films discussed engages with substantial thematic and narrative content, even whilst also engaging in the practice of adapting its original sources.