#literarywebseries

Despite it being midterm season here at school and the fact that I just do not have time to succumb to a new obsession, I have made a way where once there was no way. I recently started rewatching the Lizzie Bennet Diaries and they have been so addicting to binge.

I love Lizzie’s personality, how she’s focused on her goals of finishing grad school in a subject that she’s passionate about – new media. I love her interpretations of her mother. Ashley Clements is an amazing actress. The way she acts as her mother is exactly how I would expect Mrs. Bennet from the books to speak and react. More recently, I’ve come across Lizzie’s impression of Catherine de Bourgh and I am utterly impressed. I literally laughed out loud so hard, she is just too darn good at impressions.

Lately, I’ve gone back to Tumblr looking at the Pride and Prejudice memes but also classic literature memes in general. I just think it’s so cool that there is a world of people who enjoy reading as much as you do and that after you read, you can go and essentially laugh at all the characters you just learned to love. 

The themes of Jane Austen’s novel were groundbreaking at the time – marriage based on love, the value of money and its effect on happiness, and the way class distinctions were portrayed in Regency society. The translation of these themes to the Lizzie Bennet diaries is well done and the humor expressed by Lizzie mirrors Austen’s wit in her original work. There is something special about the journey you take with the characters of P&P. In Austen’s work, it’s from pride and prejudice based on class and a terrible first impression to a shared understanding, gratitude, and mutual love. In LBD, it’s Lizzie’s lovely obsession with her irritation of Darcy to a genuine respect and care for one another. 

There is just something that literature does. It moves slowly and surely, warming the characters up to you that by the end of the novel, it is quite devastating to say goodbye. 

Two household both alike in dignity, in fair Purrona

Several for Pride and Prejudice

  If anything, literary web series have inspired my love of media and how technology can create connections through the stories that are being told. Isn’t it amazing how you can learn more about Pride and Prejudice, be along for the ship that is Darcy and Lizzie, and enjoy the costume theater and emotional portrayals of all the characters? 

There is something wonderful in classic literature – whether it is commentary on society – but even more wonderful is the adaptation of the commentary to modern day times so viewers like myself can bring new life and joy to such a powerful story.

Classic novels are great stories but they are also reflections of the time they were written in. Jane Austen’s novels were a reflection of family life and societal expectations in the 18th century Regency era. Charles Dickens wrote about poverty in London during the Industrial Revolution. 

For me, though I should be studying about religion and news media and writing papers, I am really grateful to get lost in a world that is not my own. To enjoy stepping into someone else’s story. I love the modern way of interacting with their stories through memes, and even the memes themselves can cause their own bouts of laughter. 

Here’s a collection:

If you are looking for web series that won’t get you hooked in a Netflix kind of way, will educate you and make you laugh, look no further:

  Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Lizzie’s personality is incredible, witty, and fun. Her interpretations using costume theater has been one of my favorite components. The actors are amazing in the series. The downside is you’re waiting until episode 60 to meet Darcy but he is well worth the wait. The ending is a little different from the books, and honestly, it is better. Set in modern times with an incredibly clever adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, I love the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. 

  Carmilla

Carmilla is truly wonderful because of the romance between Laura and Carmilla. It’s binge-worthy. It’s hilarious and it’s the only web series I’ve seen with the supernatural done really well. If you’re looking for queer representation, Carmilla is the way to go.

  The Cate Morland Chronicles

Before I rewatched LBD for the 3rd time, I stumbled across the Cate Morland Chronicles. It’s based on Austen’s Northanger Abbey, which I’ve never read but need to. This is the 2nd adaptation of Northanger I’ve seen – the first one being Northbound, which was fun and entertaining – but Chronicles has a twist. Cate is a self-professed and self-evident fangirl. She loves Marvel, Stars Wars, and Harry Potter. She’s all in for being a fan. She’s an aspiring journalist with a successful blog on being a fangirl, and what she’s really obsessed with is Udolpho. This series was nicely done in tying in the book in such a natural way – making Cate a fangirl was brilliant! She rants about not being taken seriously for the stories she loves. The romance builds over time and everyone’s characteristics are revealed over time.

  Jules and Monty

Jules and Monty is about Juliet and Romeo. Home to various memes – all of which I love. It was created by two college sophomores – the main leads – and it’s so well done. It takes the original families are turns them into opposing fraternities. I highly recommend this one if you love Shakespeare’s original language and any stories of young love.

  Nothing Much To Do

Nothing Much To Do is about a great group of friends in their last year of high school living out the Much Ado About Nothing. The main videos are about Beatrice and Benedick who vlog about how much they hate each other. We watch in anticipation as their countenance towards each other changes, all the while enjoying Hero, Dogberry, and Verges. Balthazar is a wonderful surprise with this talent in music. All around, it’s a fun web series to watch.

  If you have nothing much to do, consider getting into a literary web series!

Signing off, 

Gigi

  Do you want any web series? If you do, send me some memes!

All memes found via Tumblr, Twitter, or Instagram. None are my own.