12 Powerful Literary Classics We Need on the Small Screen

When it comes to stories, I’m all about old-fashioned storytelling. This is perhaps why period dramas have a longstanding invitation in my house, and why celebrating them on The Silver Petticoat Review is such a joy. The library of titles in the period drama genre is endless. From countless Jane Austen retellings to the Bronte sisters, and other underrated dramas, there’s many a story we can discover. Despite this, there are a few literary classics I’ve love to see adapted to the small screen as proper period dramas.

While this list mainly focuses on classics never to get the adaptation treatment, I also feature a few that have already been made because I believe they deserve a more definitive or modern remake. From romances to Gothic dramas, here’s a list of 12 literary classics I’d like to see on my TV screen! Maybe you do too.

12 Powerful Literary Classics We Need on the Small Screen

(Sorted by title, A-Z)

1: Agnes Grey

Written by Anne Brontë

Penned by one of the three Brontë sisters, this story centers on the titular character, Agnes; a woman who is employed as a governess among affluent families. Though I haven’t read the book, I suspect it’s similar to the works of her sisters. It’s time for Anne’s novels to come to the small screen!

2 & 3: An Old-Fashioned Girl and The Inheritance

Written by Louisa May Alcott

Despite An Old-Fashioned Girl being a serialized story, I have no doubt that the right storyteller could create a wonderful adaptation. It’s about a girl named Polly who is caught up in the life of her wealthy friend, Fanny.

In the 90s, there was a 2-hour televised adaptation of The Inheritance, which is, in my book, one of the most underrated but charming stories available. Much as I still love the film (with Thomas Gibson and Meredith Baxter), I’d like to see someone like ITV or BBC adapt it as a story with maybe 3-5 parts.

4: The Blue Castle

Written by L.M. Montgomery

This is a novel I’ve seen praised time and again (and been told to read often). I own a copy but haven’t cracked its spine yet. Its promise of a swoony hero and intelligent heroine makes me curious, and it’s one that definitely needs a quality company to produce and a talented cast to tell its story.

5: The Buccaneers

Written by Edith Warton

If the adaptations are an indication, Edith Warton’s novels have one theme: bittersweet endings. BBC adapted this sorrowful novel in the early 90s. However, despite its sorrows, the novel is one I’d be first in line to see remade. It follows American heiresses in the midst of Dukes and Lords during an England season, which promises an excellent plot for a TV series. A less melodramatic approach would benefit Edith Wharton’s brilliant writing.

6: Martin Chuzzlewit

Written by Charles Dickens

There are countless Dickens adaptations, but most seem to be for Oliver Twist or some version of A Christmas Carol. In 1994, the BBC did adapt Martin Chuzzlewit as a miniseries. The story centers on a wealthy man whose inheritance is coveted by more than one family member. While the BBC version is entertaining, it’s also dated and is a story that deserves to be retold for a modern audience. Nevertheless, while we hope for a new adaptation, the 1994 production is also well worth your time. Plus, Pride and Prejudice’s (A&E) Julia Sawalha stars!

7: Mary Barton

Written by Elizabeth Gaskell

Set in Manchester in 1848, the novel originally published anonymously. It follows the plight of its titular character and the impoverished industrial world in which she lives. About Mary Barton, Gaskell is quoted as saying:

‘How deep might be the romance in the lives of some of those who elbowed me daily in the busy streets of the town in which I resided. I had always felt a deep sympathy with the careworn men, who looked as if doomed to struggle through their lives in strange alternations between work and want.’

This one has similar themes to Gaskell’s North and South, adapted into one of the best period dramas of all time. Furthermore, she also pens the underrated novel Wives and Daughters. So, why not give Mary Barton the same period drama treatment?

8: Our Mutual Friend

Written by Charles Dickens

Much as I do enjoy the 90s version of this starring Keeley Hawes, once again, I’d really like to see ITV or even BBC take this one on again. While the 90s cast is phenomenal, I definitely believe it’s time for an updated adaptation of Dickens’ story.

9: Pat of Silver Brush and Mistress Pat

Written by L.M. Montgomery

This one sounds bittersweet and as if it’d have notes of Persuasion, but it’s also L.M. Montgomery, and with the right team, I think it could indeed be a sight to behold. There are just so many of  L.M. Montgomery’s literary stories that truly deserve just as much attention as Anne of Green Gables.

10: Persuasion

Written by Jane Austen

This is more of a personal choice since there is more than one adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel and a sort of recent one at that. Still, I’m including Persuasion because I don’t think I’ve seen the definitive version just yet.

11: Sanditon

Written by Jane Austen

This one actually does have an in-the-works adaptation, so adding it to the list might be cheating. Still, I’m so excited to see Austen’s unfinished novel brought alive by the talented Andrew Davies (A&E’s Pride and Prejudice). Somehow, it seemed like it earned a spot. Who is super excited for a new Jane Austen story to hit the small screen?

12: Villette

Written by Charlotte Brontë

Villette is one Brontë story I’m very unfamiliar with. It’s said to follow a heroine named Lucy who travels from England to France where, as a teacher, she’s “drawn into adventure and romance.” Plus, Virginia Woolf even called Villette Charlotte’s “finest novel,” so why do we still not have a proper adaptation of this Bronte classic?

“It is with a description of a storm that Charlotte ends her finest novel Villette.” – Virginia Woolf

This is only a brief overview list of literary classics I’d like to as a visionary masterpiece. Of course, there are also many others from authors like Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot, Charles Dickens, Dodie Smith (I Capture the Castle), Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen (The Watsons), L.M. Montgomery, and more. These are the current literary stories on my mind.

Tell me, which of these 12 literary stories, or any classic piece of literature, would you like to see adapted to screen? Sound off with all of your thoughts below.

Top Photo: Our Mutual Friend (Photo: BBC)

ARE YOU A ROMANCE FAN? FOLLOW THE SILVER PETTICOAT REVIEW:

Our romance-themed entertainment site is on a mission to help you find the best period dramas, romance movies, TV shows, and books. Other topics include Jane Austen, Classic Hollywood, TV Couples, Fairy Tales, Romantic Living, Romanticism, and more. We’re damsels not in distress fighting for the all-new optimistic Romantic Revolution. Join us and subscribe. For more information, see our About, Old-Fashioned Romance 101, Modern Romanticism 101, and Romantic Living 101.