Well, we all know how much I love a good fanfiction or even just a clever take on a well-loved story, and this week I was introduced to my latest obsession: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries!
It's a modern take on Pride and Prejudice, filmed entirely in 3-6 minute video blogs. Lizzie starts the project for her graduate degree thesis, intending to chronicle her families lives for a certain number of weeks. It's fascinating to see they way they've updated the story. It's set in the United States (the girls live in a small town, and the big city is L.A. instead of London). The ball at Netherfield is now Bing Lee's birthday party, there are only three sisters -- Lizzie, Jane, and Lydia -- but the other two from the book are referenced, Jane is a low-level fashion designer trying to pay off student loans, and the way Lizzie reiterates previous conversations (affected by her and her friends dressing up and doing impersonations) is just hilarious.
I must say that the casting is PERFECT! When we finally meet Bing Lee, I can see why Jane likes him so much. And Mr. Collins is a hoot! Charlotte, Jane, Lydia, Caroline, Lizzie... they're all great. I hope we get to meet some of the others, too, like Mr. Darcy ;)
I'm about halfway through, and I cannot get enough! Lucky for me, Lizzie only has to film a few more videos until she finishes the story (I think the current one is #95), so I can just watch them all straight through! No waiting for me! It is a commitment to watch them straight through ; it's at least 7 hours total. I've been told that the ones in the 70s and 80s are the best. The way I'm going, I'll get to watch those tomorrow!
If you're curious about it, take a look at the first episode:
Also, because I can't get enough of Lydia (and want to high-five her every time Lizzie leaves her hanging), here's the first video in Lydia's own vlog, filmed while she is staying with her cousin Mary, and Jane and Lizzie are staying with the Lees.
(I love the multiple nods to The Lord of the Rings movies in the Baby-sitting episode.)
Oh, it looks like there are more than the original 7! I'll wait to watch them, 'cause I am guessing they relate to Lydia's later adventures, and I'm not there in the Lizzie videos yet.
Are you at all interested in watching this series? Do you have other "fanfiction-esque" series on your must-see or must-read list?
This weekend is going to be a bit crazy for me, and also fun. I hope the same for you!
Happy Friday, my friends!
Showing posts with label Jane Austen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jane Austen. Show all posts
Friday, March 15
Thursday, January 19
A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy series
It's no secret that I like fanfiction. I like hearing additional stories about characters I've grown fond of, and what happens after "Happily Ever After" (especially if it's happy), and I'm always thrilled when I find a well-written and creative interpretation.
When a co-worker gave me a "sequel" to the novel Pride and Prejudice, I thought I'd give it a shot. It was the second of three books that Carrie Bebris wrote about what happens during Mr. and Mrs. Darcy's first 18 months of marriage, and casts them as a husband-and-wife detective team of sorts, kind of like the main couple in The Thin Man (which is an awesome classic movie. Put it in your Netflix queue now).
(Confession: Although I've seen the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice at least thirty times, I've only actually read the book twice. I'm so embarrassed!)
I made the mistake of reading Pride and Prejudice first so that I could read them all in order as a complete series. It was a mistake because Jane Austen's writing style is so wonderfully distinctive and flowery and classic. Ms. Bebris gave many nods to Ms. Austen's prose, but since the stories were her own, the writing is in her own style as well.
I enjoyed discovering this version of what happened to lesser P and P characters in Pride and Prescience -- Caroline Bingley, Kitty Bennett, Charles and Jane Bingley, Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, etc. The latter two books, Suspense and Sensibility, and North by Northanger, brought in characters from Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey. If I knew Northanger Abbey better (I saw a movie version once), I might have appreciated some of the references more, but since Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite books I LOVED the exploration of a friendship between the Darcys and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Ferrars! Doesn't it make sense that they would be friends? I think so!
As I said, these books were written as detective novels. The first two centered around strange supernatural events. I had to suspend my disbelief, but I appreciated that Mr. Darcy at least remained constant throughout -- ever taciturn, ever the cynic -- and I was definitely kept guessing right up to the end of each.
Having gotten used to what Ms. Bebris was doing and noticing some setup in the first two novels, I was a little disappointed that the tone in the third was significantly different. The previous two were ghost stories, and this one was more of a regular mystery. I think that if I had skipped the first two and just read this one after Pride and Prejudice, the tone shift would have been less jarring. In many ways I thought the story was the most true to the classic novel and I had fun reading it.
For me, the best part of the series was undoubtedly the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy (as it should be!)! I liked seeing how their two personalities meshed during their marriage, how they handled their trials and struggles together, and the love and affection they shared for each other. Every marriage should include such devoted individuals! I liked the ending Ms. Bebris envisioned for Mr. and Mrs. Darcy; very satisfying and appropriate. It was hard to say good-bye!
I think if you're a fan of Pride and Prejudice, you might like these novels, especially the last one.
I just recommend you don't reread Pride and Prejudice first ;-)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
View all my reviews on Goodreads.com
When a co-worker gave me a "sequel" to the novel Pride and Prejudice, I thought I'd give it a shot. It was the second of three books that Carrie Bebris wrote about what happens during Mr. and Mrs. Darcy's first 18 months of marriage, and casts them as a husband-and-wife detective team of sorts, kind of like the main couple in The Thin Man (which is an awesome classic movie. Put it in your Netflix queue now).
(Confession: Although I've seen the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice at least thirty times, I've only actually read the book twice. I'm so embarrassed!)
I made the mistake of reading Pride and Prejudice first so that I could read them all in order as a complete series. It was a mistake because Jane Austen's writing style is so wonderfully distinctive and flowery and classic. Ms. Bebris gave many nods to Ms. Austen's prose, but since the stories were her own, the writing is in her own style as well.
I enjoyed discovering this version of what happened to lesser P and P characters in Pride and Prescience -- Caroline Bingley, Kitty Bennett, Charles and Jane Bingley, Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, etc. The latter two books, Suspense and Sensibility, and North by Northanger, brought in characters from Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey. If I knew Northanger Abbey better (I saw a movie version once), I might have appreciated some of the references more, but since Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite books I LOVED the exploration of a friendship between the Darcys and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Ferrars! Doesn't it make sense that they would be friends? I think so!
As I said, these books were written as detective novels. The first two centered around strange supernatural events. I had to suspend my disbelief, but I appreciated that Mr. Darcy at least remained constant throughout -- ever taciturn, ever the cynic -- and I was definitely kept guessing right up to the end of each.Having gotten used to what Ms. Bebris was doing and noticing some setup in the first two novels, I was a little disappointed that the tone in the third was significantly different. The previous two were ghost stories, and this one was more of a regular mystery. I think that if I had skipped the first two and just read this one after Pride and Prejudice, the tone shift would have been less jarring. In many ways I thought the story was the most true to the classic novel and I had fun reading it.
For me, the best part of the series was undoubtedly the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy (as it should be!)! I liked seeing how their two personalities meshed during their marriage, how they handled their trials and struggles together, and the love and affection they shared for each other. Every marriage should include such devoted individuals! I liked the ending Ms. Bebris envisioned for Mr. and Mrs. Darcy; very satisfying and appropriate. It was hard to say good-bye!
I think if you're a fan of Pride and Prejudice, you might like these novels, especially the last one.
I just recommend you don't reread Pride and Prejudice first ;-)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
View all my reviews on Goodreads.com
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