For this creative project, I redesigned Edith Wharton’s Roman Fever as a 2010s-style celebrity gossip magazine. Based on my proposal, I changed the original fake letter into a fake text message and presented Alida and Grace’s rivalry as a dramatic scandal. In this version, I highlight the story’s jealousy, manipulation, secrets, and final twist in a more modern way.
During the creative process, I used gossip magazine elements such as bold headlines, character sections, timelines, side comments, and “TEAM ALIDA / TEAM GRACE” pages. I also decided to give Barbara Ansley a stronger role because she represents Grace’s hidden victory at the end of the story. Jenny Slade was used as a quieter contrast to Barbara, while Delphin Slade was designed more like a mysterious memory from the past.
Although using a playful magazine style, I still wanted to keep the main themes of Roman Fever, including female rivalry, social appearance, and hidden truth. My goal was to make the story visually interesting while still showing the emotional tension of the original text.
● AI Image Credits
Images in this project were created with the assistance of AI image-generation tools, Manus AI Image Generator in particular, mainly for character visual design, Roman backgrounds, and the 2010s-style gossip magazine aesthetic.