Austen Quote by Whit Stillman
![“[ Lady Susan novel by Jane Austen is] extremely difficult to adapt. I worked on it for years, for, like, ten years, before I started showing it to people. This was my back-burner project.” quote by Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/063/whit-stillman-16157_austen_lady-susan-novel-by-jane-austen-is-extre_2313217.jpg)
“[ Lady Susan novel by Jane Austen is] extremely difficult to adapt. I worked on it for years, for, like, ten years, before I started showing it to people. This was my back-burner project.”
About This Quote
Source Film: The Last Days of Disco, 1998
Adapting classic literature can be challenging and time‑consuming, often relegated to side projects.
In simple terms: Adapting classics is hard and takes long.
Key Takeaway
Allocate realistic timelines for adaptations.
Themes
adaptation
literature
patience
Mood
frustrated
determined
Type
creative
reflective
When to use this quote
- film production
- literary adaptation
- personal projects
Key Concepts
creative process
project management
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you test audience interest early?
- What resources could accelerate adaptation?
A Different Perspective
Success may be limited by market interest and funding.
![“[On Jane Austen:] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the Atlantic Ocean is as smooth as a mill-pond it shrinks to the size of a mill-pond.” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8d4/rebecca-west-1248_atlantic-ocean_on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in_215037.jpg)
![“[Jane] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's stories -- entering into their feelings, validating their experiences -- is the highest way of acknowledging their humanity, the sweetest form of usefulness.” quote by William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2bb/william-deresiewicz-15471_austen_jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothi_62623.jpg)
![“I think a lot of ["Cosmopolitans"] is marked by [Jerome David] Salinger. Salinger wouldn't allow his works to be adapted for film after his experience with "Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut," and I think that's great for us because then we have to do our own Salinger stories.” quote by Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/edb/whit-stillman-16157_adapted_i-think-a-lot-of-cosmopolitans-is-marked_422570.jpg)
