Bridgerton Author Comes to Fordham: An Evening with Julia Quinn
By Lindsay Abel
On the evening of March 24th, 2021, the Fordham English Department hosted one of its most miraculous events to date. Thanks to Mary Bly’s organization, over 120 students had the privilege to sit-in on an hour-long seminar with the acclaimed Julia Quinn, author of the Bridgerton novels that have recently been adapted to Netflix and received tremendous viewership.
Boxes and boxes of zoom squares lined up in anticipation as Julia met us at a virtual crossroads from her own NYC apartment. After a brief opening, Julia introduced herself, immediately beaming with kindness, intelligence, and grace.
From there, the lot of us got right into it, asking Julia about her own journey to stardom. She recalled how she’s always had an infatuation with the regency period, (the period in which Bridgerton is set) but had never delved into the nitty-gritty of historical detail. However, when Julia set out to write her own regency novel, she began to acquaint herself with all of the nuances that come with writing a period piece. Julia touched on how phrases like “backtrack” or “boycott” had to be edited out of her drafts, as such concepts did not exist when the story took place. Likewise, she had to investigate all of her allusions to art: did this certain painting exist within the regency? Where was it located? Would it be accessible to the characters? Such attention to detail quickly became complex and tedious, but in turn gave the story that much more texture and richness.
After this brief conversation on historical fiction, Julia began to speak about what happens when the book world and the Film & TV world intersect. The origin story of the Bridgerton adaptation was truly remarkable: Julia recalls how Shonda Rhymes apparently ran out of books to read on vacation, leading her to pick up Julia’s book at a random shop. After finishing it, Rhymes immediately wanted to produce it through her own Shondaland. After four years of being optioned, Bridgerton was to begin production with Shondaland, and the first thing that the company asked Julia was, are you willing to give up creative control? Yes, Julia insisted. She did not want to “jeopardize this once in a lifetime opportunity.” Here, Julia bestowed upon us a nugget of wisdom: “One of the best things a smart person can do is trust other smart people...I didn’t want to tell Shonda Rhymes how to do TV.” Indeed, a change in medium indicates a change in expertise. (Though Julia sacrificed creative control, she was soon deemed a “script consultant” during the production process, though this role only entailed the revision of very minute details.)
As Julia reflected on the entire adaptation process, she gushed about the diversity and range of representation present in the TV adaptation: “Both in the show and in the writers room, people from all walks of life were able to live-out their own happy endings” she said. Sadly, Julia was barred from giving us any intel about the upcoming season, but she promised us that it will be just as splendid as the first, complete with the sweeping scope of sets that initially blew her away. Julia recalled how surreal it was to see the physical realization of a world that, up until that point, had only lived within her and her readers’ minds.
Thereafter, the floor was opened up to a Q&A, and someone asked about dealing with condescension as a young woman in romance writing. Julia’s answer? Believe in what you’re doing, and eventually, you won’t have to defend it. “Literary fiction is always judged by the best example, and romance, the worst...remember that.”
Lastly, another guest asked about the Bridgerton scene in where Daphne rapes Simon, and why that interaction was necessary to show. Julia then explained how the general reaction towards this scene has totally transformed in the last 20 years--in 2000, Quinn’s readers were almost empowered by Daphne’s domination. However, in the last 10 years or so, readers started getting more startled by the encounter. That being said, Julia insisted how the rape scene must be watched with nuance: specifically, Phoebe’s only agency was tied to her ability to bear children, so her worth is wrapped up in the act of conceiving that she so desperately needs to happen.
We soon bid Julia Quinn goodbye, and thanked her graciously for her time and insight. Between our discussions of period pieces, adaptation, and career advice, it was truly a night to remember.
You can watch the entire recording of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMhEvwpThB8