If you’ve been following me for even a month, you know that one of my favorite books is Pride and Prejudice and that in my spare time I devour P&P variations from Kindle Unlimited.
Seriously, don’t look at my Goodreads, it’s ridiculous.
Ten years ago, a few small named people: John Green and Bernie Su got together and created a little You Tub series called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Created in a vlog- like format, something new ten years ago, the story told the talk of Lizzie Bennet, the middle of three daughters who was working on her master’s all while juggling school, family and the annoying guy who just arrived into the neighborhood.
Set up, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries told a modern-day adaptation to Pride and Prejudice in what, I feel, has been the most realistic. While some of the phrasing in the series has aged very badly, the plot of the story both in the original form and in the modern-day series, stands the test of time.
While it taught a generation what a venture capitalist was, and where Winnipeg Manitoba was located, it still told the age-old enemies to lovers’ trope of Elizabeth Bennet and William Darcy. More so, it humanized Lydia Bennet in a way that Austen never did. It allowed her to be a child and do dangerous things all while, showing us that there’s always two sides of every story. LBD shown a light on everyone’s flaws and made them better and more understandable people for it. It created a phenomenon, introducing the world to VidCon and garnering a loyal following of Seahorses; fans and followers of the LBD. It lasted 100 episodes, not counting the side blogs like Lydia’s blog or the Sanditon spinoff or the extra two episodes done on the first-year anniversary after the show ended.
For the ten-year anniversary, actor Ashley Clements who played Lizzie Bennet, is hosting The Look Back Diaries, a behind the scenes look of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Twice a week an episode of original series in played and in of every episode Ashley discusses how LBD was created and talks to others who were involved with the entire process. She has had on Julia Cho, who played Charlotte Lu, Mary Kate Wilkes, who played Lydia Bennet, Rachel Kiley, one of the main writers and Hank Green, one of the producers.
If you love looking behind the scenes, this series is perfect for that. If you’ve never seen The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, what are you waiting for? Click the link here for the channel to get you started on a modern-day journey through Lizzie Bennet’s life. If you have watched the show, or are a fan of Ashley Clements, or both, hit subscribe on this link and come back to watch how a small You Tube series became a cultural phenomenon.
We’re doing comic books next week friends! I have two amazing stories set in comic form and we’ll spend the next two review discussing both the stories and the medium of comics as a way to tell a thrilling story. Have a lovely week friends and remember to take time for yourself, curl up in your favorite spot and relax with a good book.
Mouse's Reading Nook 