Andrea Newman’s 1969 novel, A Bouquet of Barbed Wire has been adapted\udtwice for television: first in 1976, and later in 2010. Controversially, the\udnovel and its adaptations inferred father – daughter incest, a subject that was\udconsidered taboo during the 1970s. Arguably, though partly arising as a result\udof available technologies at that time, the repressed nature of incest is reflected\udin the claustrophobic aesthetics of the 1976 television version. In contrast, the\udmore diverse cinematography, panoramic settings and less populated frames\udof Ashley Pearce’s 2010 version correspond with an increasingly transparent\udapproach to incest and child abuse, consistent with the contemporary zeitgeist,\udwhich fosters openness across all social and cultural structures. In particular,\udthe changed climate involves a mounting preoccupation with, and sensitivity\udto, child welfare and legislation, arising as a result of national and international\udmedia revelations of child abuse in both domestic and institutional scenarios.\udEngaging theoretically with Raymond Williams’ concept of a ‘structure of\udfeeling’, as well as referring to Freud’s seduction theory, and television theorists\udincluding Karen Lury and John Ellis, this article locates parallels between the\udway that incest is represented and the socio-political and cultural contexts of\udthe respective television adaptations of Newman’s novel.
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