Julia Quinn on Bridgerton's class, gender flip and the 'yearnaissance'

Almost 15 years after Julia Quinn published An Offer from a Gentleman, that risqué Cinderella story has become the basis for Season 4 of the Shondaland/Netflix series. The show is also drawing from Quinn's sixth book, When He Was Wicked, to tell Francesca’s tale — a storyline that will lead into Season 5.

Quinn says the class divide at the heart of Sophie and Benedict’s story was intentionally huge: it was “insurmountable” in Regency terms and provided the biggest possible conflict. She argues Benedict acts with good intentions, trying to keep Sophie safe even if his offers read differently to modern viewers, and that the challenge was showing how he moves from a well-meaning plan to something that truly changes his world.

The series’ decision to gender-flip the book’s Michael into Michaela has opened a first leading queer storyline for Bridgerton. “It just means that more people will be able to see themselves in a story about joy and happy endings,” Quinn says, while noting some readers have reacted strongly.

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