  In this paper we prove a two-dimensional existence result for a variational
model of crack growth for brittle materials in the realm of linearized
elasticity. Starting with a time-discretized version of the evolution driven by
a prescribed boundary load, we derive a time-continuous quasistatic crack
growth in the framework of generalized special functions of bounded deformation
(GSBD). As the time-discretization step tends to $0$, the major difficulty lies
in showing the stability of the static equilibrium condition, which is achieved
by means of a Jump Transfer Lemma generalizing the result of Francfort and
Larsen [Comm. Pure Appl. Math., 56 (2003), 1465--1500] to the GSBD setting.
Moreover, we present a general compactness theorem for this framework and prove
existence of the evolution without the necessity of a-priori bounds on the
displacements or applied body forces.
