The Wacky World of Webisodes: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

It is a universally acknowledged truth that the works of Jane Austen are still widely read and adored today. Perhaps this is due to Austen’s remarkable understanding of how society works that we are still able to relate to her wide array of characters.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a series of short video blogs based upon Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The series has gone on to achieve strong acclaim: according to The Guardian, the series is ‘the best Austen adaptation around’ – certainly strong praise.

Did the series live up to its hype? I certainly think so. The videos are able to recapture the wit and the strength of Pride and Prejudice whilst placing the characters in a modern setting.

However, rather than seeming cheap and cheesy like many adaptations that attempt to modernise Austen – a few come to mind! – the vlog remains compelling and entertaining: it is a strong piece of viewing in its own right.

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The female characters are shown to be far more independent than in the 200 year old novel – Lizzie assures Charlotte that she will fulfil her dreams. These dreams are not, however, of finding a rich husband: rather, Charlotte dreams of becoming a successful film-maker. We watch her come closer to achieving this when she lands a job with Mr Collins. Furthermore, while Lizzie gets her happy ending with Darcy, she also decides to set up her own media company.

I must admit that at times, the character of Lizzie comes across as a little annoying as well as a little mean. When, in episode 39, Mr Collins asks Lizzie to be his business partner, she rudely rejects him. When Darcy declares his love for her in episode 60, Lizzie is, once again, spiteful. I feel that in the novel, Elizabeth remained polite and respectful at all times – even when rejecting strange men.

A nice change from the novel, however, is that in Lydia. At the start of the series, Lydia is a dramatic and immature young girl. However, through the course of the series, she experiences a change, and by the end, she and Lizzie have grown close. This is certainly not true of the novel, where, despite the pain that she has caused, Lydia remains silly and ignorant. After sticking with the show for so long, this certainly makes for satisfied viewing.

I loved the fact that not all of the characters were Caucasian: Charlotte, the appropriately named ‘Bing Lee’ and Caroline were Asian. This was not, however, made into a big deal: there were no jokes regarding stereotypes which made a nice change.

I would have liked to see a little more of Darcy, however – we are not introduced to him until episode 60. As a result, I found it a little hard connecting to him as a character. Nevertheless, the character of Darcy was spot on: he was distant and very awkward without looking like an Edward Cullen figure.

All in all, I think that The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is an excellent adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. It tastefully captures the essence of Austen without merely ‘fan-girling’.