by Qun Zhou
2026,8(2);
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Abstract
British period dramas usually present the class identity of different characters in front of the
audience with various details before the name of the character appears. In many dramas that tell the story of
rural life, the arrangement of staircases, dinner bells that announce meals, the uniforms worn by servants,
and inherited estates, these elements can quickly let the audience see who has the power in their hands and
who is in the position of needing obedience to service. This article uses the well-known film and television
works "Downton Abbey", as well as the screen adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" as an example, to
specifically discuss the creative process of this display class. This article will analyze from a variety of
angles, including the house pattern that appears in the story, the daily food specifications, the costumes
worn by the characters, the etiquette norms followed every day, the consideration of the role in making
marriage choices, and the rules of order within different families. The core point of this article is that
these film and television works are not in the same way to re-enact the real British historical content. The
creative team will specifically single out the part of the class life that is easy to be seen by the audience,
convenient to remember, and at the same time, with the fun part of watching, and then bind these contents
together with the polished and refined "British" image. This processed image is often bound by restrained
personality, stable social order, long cultural tradition, elegant aesthetic taste and smooth social continuity.
On the one hand, such images can help overseas audiences quickly identify the characteristics of British
culture, and on the other hand, it will also make the real class hierarchy in history seem to be much more
elegant and reasonable than the actual situation.
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