As the title of this post hints at, I've never actually been much of a Jane Austen fan (my apologies to anyone who is shocked and dismayed by that revelation). There's just something about stories set in that time period that have always kind of annoyed me. I should admit that I have never read any of her books, but have seen enough movie adaptations of the books, plus other stories like it (ie North and South) to turn me off to that genre. Maybe I'd change my mind if I actually gave the books a chance, but for now, there are other things I would rather spend my time reading. I never realized how much people, especially LDS girls, loved these kinds of stories until I went out to BYU. I definitely felt like an outlier in that I didn't swoon the instant the name Mr Darcy was mentioned.
However, I recently learned of a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. It's a series of short episodes on YouTube (each one is about 3-6 minutes long), called the "Lizzie Bennet Dairies". It is amazingly well done and absolutely hilarious. All of the major characters are there on some way, but a few changes were made to make the story work better (example: Mary is a cousin not a sister, and Kitty is, well, a kitty). They make the conflicts in the story very modern and applicable, handling them in a very mature way (especially when it comes to the relationship between Lydia and Wickham). I have loved watching the show, and it has given me a new appreciation for the story. It *almost * makes me want to read the book (almost), as I'm sure there are some subtle things I haven't picked up on, not being intimately familiar with the story. For now I'll just look forward to the last few episodes (the series is almost finished, there will probably be 100 episodes when all is said and done).
(Note: there is some profanity, mostly from Lydia, just so you're aware)
1 comment:
Like you, I wasn't aware of the Pride and Prejudice movement until coming to BYU. That said, I became a fan of the BBC version from the 90s, mostly because it is fairly true to the book. But the book is the best of all. Don't judge a book by its made-for-tv adaptations! Seriously, Jane Eyre, North and South, Pride and Prejudice, are all better in book form than the movies in my opinion.
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