The Lizzie Bennett Diaries

So I've watched the Lizzie Bennet Diaries now, and I'm not really impressed. I can appreciate it for what it is- it's certainly an interesting take on Pride & Prejudice and it certainly works as a modern adaptation of it. But I really didn't like it. Like, at all. I kind of just kept wanting it to be over, about 15 episodes in.

I'm not sure I can pinpoint exactly what I didn't like about it. It just didn't click with me. For some reason I found all of the characters to be kind of annoying and obnoxious rather than entertaining or funny. Especially Lydia, but in all fairness she's kind of supposed to be like that, even in the book, so that gets a pass.

Also I think it's just the format of having all the events told to me, rather than actually seeing stuff happen. I just personally don't really like the 'video diary' format that they used, I guess. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not my thing, I dunno. The number one problem I had with it though is 'Bing Lee'. And by that I mean the name. Everyone else has the same name; Darcy, Lizzy, Charlotte (except her last name is Lu now, but you get the point) but for some reason Bingley is now 'Bing Lee' which is the fakest and dumbest sounding name ever. I mean, 'Bingley' isn't the greatest name ever either, but it at least sounds more believable. You aren't Bing Crosby, Mr. Lee. The name doesn't work for you.

Anyway, I dunno. I feel like I'm just complaining for the sake of complaining, with no real substance to back my dislike of the series- I mean, I really can't figure out why it irked me so much. Sorry to anyone who liked it I guess, just wasn't really my cup of tea.

Lizzie's a YouTube Star!

     I found The Lizzie Bennet Diaries to be very entertaining. It was more enjoyable than reading the book in the sense that since it was visual, it was easier to keep track of what was happening in the story, as well as being better able to hold my attention.

     I was most surprised by how different my opinions of book Lizzie and vlog Lizzie are. When reading Pride and Prejudice, I always felt Lizzie’s personality came across as strong and independent especially in a time where it was against the norm for women to be strong and independent. Going into the vlogs, I assumed that I would have the same reaction to Lizzie’s character and still like her which I still kind of do, but a little bit less now. I don’t know if it was the actress who played her, all of the “editing”, or what, but in this version Lizzie came off as mean at times, especially when Lydia would want to spend time with her.  It could also be that putting Lizzie into modern times, where women aren’t as oppressed, took away that feeling of sympathy I had for her.

     Jane was just as I imagined her to be! She was the super sweet character I had known from the book, always looking out for her sisters and parents. She reminded me of a baby deer half of the time, always so sweet and innocent. Even the clothes she wore played into the wholesome role.

Jane in animal form

     I looked forward the most to the episodes that had Lydia in them! She made the vlogs so much more entertaining and funny. She is the wild child in the vlogs, just like she is in the book.  Whenever she sprung up in the vlogs, Lizzie would seem to take it as her just being the annoying little sister, but to me it seemed like Lydia really just admired Lizzie and wanted to spend time with her. It was really sad how when Jane left to go to L.A. and Lydia came in to comfort Lizzie, she recognized that she was only second best to Jane in Lizzie’s eyes.

     One part of the vlog that I thought they did really well was Mr. Collins’ proposal to Lizzie to be his business partner. While watching it, I thought it was crazy for Lizzie not to accept Mr. Collins’ proposal, especially because she doesn’t have a job and is drowning in student debt. Even if he is super annoying, I thought it would still be wise for her to take his offer. I like how the creators of the series changed his marriage proposal to a business proposal because it better helps to illustrate the feeling people had in the book about her not accepting the marriage proposal, in that she was crazy to turn down such a good deal. 

What I was thinking as Lizzie turned down the proposal.

PRIDE ET PREJUDICE

I have never read Pride and Prejudice prior to coming to this class. But I must admit that it is a novel that is worth reading. The brilliance of Jane Austen is displayed throughout the novel. At first, I thought it would be just another sexist novel that depicts women as objects and trophies. Because of the time, I thought the novel wouldn’t showcase women as independent and smart human beings. But as I read further, that was not the case at all. Elizabeth powered through the idea of liking  men just because he has all the money in the world. Elizabeth is shown as women who not only looks at the characteristics of a men before falling in love, but a woman who demands respect and integrity. For example, when Darcy described her as not “handsome enough,” she refuses to dance with him.

            The novel can be a bit confusing. The introduction of the characters could’ve been much better. Throughout the novel, characters are introduced left and right without any depth. Overall, the characters are very hard to keep up with. It just seems like Jane Austen introduces a new character on every page. Sometimes I find myself struggling to connect the dialogues between the characters. Another thing that I dislike about the novel was the character of Mrs Bennett. I found her very very annoying. And it seems like I’m not the only one who finds her disturbing. Mr. Bennett seems to be rethinking why he married her based on their conversations. Since the beginning of the novel, all she talked about was finding rich men for her children to be with. Not that there’s nothing wrong with making sure your kids are taken care.

            Overall, I think the novel is a masterpiece. It is something that no one would expect to be written given the time period. It shows the other side of women that was absent during those times. Besides the annoying mother and the countless characters, I love everything about it.

Very Surprised

I have never read nor seen Pride and Prejudice and I must say I am really enjoying it. Jane Austen is such a feminist that it's almost comforting in a way. I say that because every woman goes through struggles and learning enormous amounts of information that it's nice to read a book where every woman is really set in their personality. The fact that there are so many characters to remember is a little annoying at times because I get confused with all the who likes who and why. However watching the Lizzy Bennet Diaries at the same pace as where I am in the book, really helps put a face to the characters. Being that I am such a firm believer in female empowerment, I can't help but relate to Lizzy on such a personal level. She doesn't settle for other peoples opinions and she really is doing things that benefit her and not so much for the acceptance of what a man wants in a woman. I don't know, Lizzy is pretty much the asshole in most cases for being so headstrong and honest. To me i'd much rather be an asshole that is honest with people than to just "fit in". Of course she says things from a good place and not just to hurt peoples feelings. I must say i'm pretty excited to read the rest of the book. Usually I try to find so many alternatives so that I don't have to read the entire book, but this is a lot more fun to read knowing that it's from one of the sisters perspective. What better person to hear ALL the details from than your sibling?

Pride and Prejudice

              This my first contact with this novel. I have heard about it a couple times before but had no knowledge of the plot or of its characters. The first couple chapters, the book was pretty boring and seemed to be dragging out the story. The introduction of characters was very confusing to me. One after another it seemed like there was at least ten characters thrown at the reader. It was difficult to keep track of them. That is one of the griefs I have with Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austin. After the characters had stuck, it was a whole lot easier to follow the plot.

                Once I understood the characters, the plot of the story began to make since. I do like Lizzy Bennet and the way she handles her situation. She is capable of making her own decisions. Which seems to be a struggle of her sisters for some reason. I also enjoy the fact the she turned down the wedding proposals from Mr. Collins. She knew that excepting the proposal she would be financially stable. But, she wouldn't be truly happy being with him. Happiness means more than money for her; which is a trait others seem to oversee in this story.

               Mrs. Bennet is a good mother for the wrong reasons. She pushes her daughters to marry as fast as possible to the man with the most money. She overlooks the emotional aspect of relationships. Which it seems only Lizzy can comprehend.

Pride and Prejudice

     This is my first time reading Pride and Prejudice and it has been interesting and some what difficult for me as I've been reading. Jane Austen does a good job developing her characters and making Lizzy and Jane lovable so that the reader is rooting for them to find happiness. However, the way that the book was written bothers me, some of the language is difficult to follow and when the characters are having conversations it jumps back and forth between them without distinguishing who said what.

     Overall, I am definitely enjoying the book it just seems a little boring and slow at times. It's good once you start reading but it's difficult to start up again. The main plot has been to get the daughters married so it's not the most exciting plot line. However, considering the time period it is a very relevant topic and it is done well. I'm glad that Lizzy is not your typical 1800's girl who is dying to get married. Lizzy and her father are the only two rational people in the story. Lizzy was smart enough to turn down marriages because they didn't seem right and she was not happy with it. Mrs. Bennett is just annoying and probably my least favorite character because of this. But she is just doing what any mother would do to find her children a better future.It will definitely be interesting to see where the story goes and see who ends up marrying who and whether the family approves.

     It is very interesting to see how times have changed. If my sole purpose in life was to get married to the richest man I could find, it would be awful. Life back then was very different and Jane Austen does a good job of exposing it.
   
   

Jane Austen is so important to me

Jane Austen is a feminist icon. Pride and Prejudice was written in a time where marriage was viewed as strictly a contract, where both families would profit from the arrangement, and the woman would have someone to take care of her. Jane Austen writes about women, the way they should always be written about, she shows them to be characters who are more complex than how most media portray them. The women in Jane Austen’s novels face challenges, and have personalities like real people. I love this book, I think Jane Austen is speaking through Lizzy, and voicing her displeasure with the way marriage was viewed, at that time. I think Jane Austen understood why it had to be that way, but I think she hoped for marriage to be more important, and that, one day, women could get married for reasons beyond needing someone to take care of them. I like how she acknowledges how that isn’t usually possible, especially if the woman is not young and pretty like Lizzy, and doesn’t have the privilege of turning men down, if she doesn’t feel like marrying the man who proposes. I admire Jane Austen for making the women in her stories their own people, with their own personalities, and challenges instead of making them characters to further the plot for the men in the book, for her progressive thinking, for her drive to not conform to society’s expectations about what a woman should do and her decision to remain single. 

Finally some action!

Not that I'm not liking the plot of Pride and Prejudice, but it is nice to finally see some conflict that is  not created by Mrs. Bennet's neurosis. While I'm disappointed in Lydia, I can't say I'm surprised in the least. All the signs were there in the way she was constantly doting on the military men. Given this new type of conflict I'm much more interested in finishing the novel now, but the more I think about this, the more I have to ask why this makes my interest any different than Mrs. Bennet's. Lydia isn't in any real danger. Sure, Wickaham is an ass and he's probably going to leave this poor girl broken and shamed, but the only thing in danger here is the Bennet's reputation, which has been the case the entire novel. Why do I suddenly feel different? Is it because there is now someone in the novel more dislikable than Darcy? Because Wickham is so nasty, he needs to be punished. Darcy was just dislikable, so there was never going to be a solid solution to that. Wickham's indiscretions require action and timely action at that.

While we're on the topic of Darcy, I'm still not quite understanding why he is the way he is--that is, two-faced. Why is he so rude when he's at Netherfield, but so kind at Pemberly? I would almost understand his rudeness and distrust of the lower class after the incident with Wickham and Georgina, but it does not explain his two completely different personalities. Suddenly after this reading, Darcy is a knight in shining armor?! What happened?! I'm not buying it.

I'm actually really enjoying Pride and Prejudice. I will say that I have a bit of a hard time keeping all of the characters straight because they tend to get mixed up in my brain, but in regards to the actual characters, Austen does a great job developing them. I really like Charlotte. She seems just so sweet and innocent, and seems as though she would never hurt a fly.
I totally and completely admire Lizzy. In the early 1800s, as we had mentioned in class, you don't deny potential spouses. Lizzy doesn't give a shit. Around page 130 (it may vary for each book), she basically just gives Mr. Darcy a piece of her mind and totally shuts him down. She literally lists off all the reasons he's an asshole. She calls him out for calling her ugly at the dance! Women did not speak to men like that in the 1800s, and if Lizzy's mother found out that that's how she was speaking to a man interested in her, Mrs. Bennet probably would have keeled over. Lizzy would rather be totally alone and happy than unhappy and married. I find Lizzy standing up for herself really admirable because women never did that. If I was alive during the 1800s, I probably would have been a Charlotte, just looking for a husband and going about my way. I wouldn't have half the guts that Lizzy did.
I think it's really interesting to see how Austen made Lizzy have all the guts, but can totally see why this book is a classic. If I was living in the 1800s and read this, I would have been absolutely fascinated because so much of the plot line goes against the societal norms.

Identify the pride and prejudice

Before this class, I have never read Pride and Prejudice. But I have heard about this novel. From the title, I assumed the book would be about two lovers from different social classes whose relationship was destined to fail because of their place in society and the disapproval from their families. However, after reading through this novel, I realized that it does not include the typical “cheesy love story” plot that we have seen over and over again. In fact the story does a good job at presenting all sides of a controversial topic that existed during the time. This story detailed how important marriage was for women and men.

One thing that is interesting about this book is that even though the characters are wealthy and come from notable families, some of them battle between whether love or status should be the primary base for a marriage. Even though this book was written a long time ago, I still believe that this can be applied to modern day times. In fact, there are other classic stories that present a similar motif. In Cinderella, it is expected that her stepsisters have more of a chance to dance with the prince than her because they are higher in status. However, the Prince decides to go after Cinderella despite her status. On the other hand, there was a bit of fairy magic that increased her chance, but you get my point.

Still as I continue to complete this book I apply “pride and prejudice” to my own life. Throughout the week, I have been asking myself what areas of pride and prejudice to I have in my life. In this book, it can be looked at from many different perspectives. The pride can be in the women or men marrying a spouse who is high in society and will continue the family fortune, and the prejudice is towards love or anyone who cannot offer high status to society. In fact, in chapter 35, Elizabeth grew weary and was ashamed of the fact that she was essentially being played. She stated “I, who have prided myself on discernment.” (127). In essence, what I took from this novel so far is that no matter if you’re rich or poor, love, status, and courting is not a simple task. With that being said, the many conflicts that Jane Austen presents throughout the book subliminally might question whether marriage is worth it. When I found out that the author never married, it helped my understanding. DON’T RUSH GUYS J

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is an interesting read. I still don’t know how I feel about it completely. Its set in a different time, a period where women were supposed to marry for money and not love.

                Personally, I like Lizzy Bennet. I like her because she is very self-aware. She knows what she wants out of life and she knows she won’t take much shit from anyone. She doesn’t want to end up with someone who doesn’t make her happy. I liked how she turned down two wedding proposals from Mr. Collins even if it meant she would be financially stable. Not only did she turn down Mr. Collins, she also turned down Mr. Darcy.

                Although she turned down Mr. Darcy’s wedding proposal, I didn’t find it surprising when he made it known that he liked her. Honestly the way he acted towards her, with all the attitude, it was kind of a giveaway.  It kind of reminded me of when kids are young and boys don’t know how to express they like a girl so they are mean to them. Although this is complete rubbish, it still reminds me of it.

I don’t think I like Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy. I also don’t like Mrs. Bennet. I don’t like Mr. Darcy because he is arrogant and thinks he is better than everyone. This isn’t a great aspect to have because usually no one will like you.  I don’t like Mr. Collins because he moved on so quickly after Lizzy said no to his wedding proposal. I mean yea she didn’t want him, but he didn’t have to move on like that. Mrs. Bennet isn’t my favorite because all she cares about is getting her daughters married. Yeah I understand during that time women wanted to make sure their daughters were taken care of but you don’t have to parade them like that. Don’t get me wrong, I like the fact that she wants nothing but the best for her daughters, but the way she goes about it as all wrong.

                Overall I don’t know exactly how I feel about the book. I am just waiting to see who Lizzy ends up with, if she even decides to get married. Honestly I don’t even think she’s that interested in finding a mate. I truly believe her sisters will marry before her. But yeah I don’t have any STRONG feelings of hate or love towards the book. 

Pride & Prejudice :^)

                This is my first time ever reading Pride and Prejudice. I must say that I have enjoyed reading this book thus far. I have found a real liking for Elizabeth in the story because she doesn’t settle with the social norms that her society tries forcing on her. Many women at this time are marrying men that they may not truly love and are committing to them for their wealth. Elizabeth denies the proposals of Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy, a huge shocker for both of the snobbish men. I admire that no matter how rich or handsome a man could be, Elizabeth will only marry that person if they prove to make her happy.

              

 I find Mr. Darcy to be one of the most interesting characters in the story. At first, I was not a fan of him at all. I thought of him as just an arrogant @$$hole. But eventually he started to remind me of Barney Stinson from How I met your Mother and I found him hilarious ever since. The way he carries (in the movie) and thinks of himself is so outlandish it is honestly humorous to me. Throughout the story, I feel that he really makes the reader start to care for him. He proves that he is not so bad after all through a few generous acts of kindness towards Elizabeth.

             
 At first I also had a hard time really liking Ms. Bennett. I did not like how she was raising her daughters how to marry so poorly. After reading further, I started to really find the mother-love in her. I know my mother has tried everything she can to raise me right and brighten my future. I finally saw that Ms. Bennett wants that same joyous future for her daughters. She wants her daughters to have a better adulthood than she has had and she really proves to be super unselfish for her daughters. 

Lots of Personalities

I get it, Jane Austen thought I was "smart" and "capable" enough to keep all these characters straight. WRONG! There are too many sisters and too many potential suitors for these sisters. The exercise we did in class as a group helped me tremendously, but I still get confused in group conversation (this also might be because some people know the full story and I do not). 

For this reason, I have come to really enjoy the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Following three sisters is much easier. I feel that this is much more manageable for the viewer, and allows a deeper incite into the characters, because there are only three sisters to develop ideas about. My favorite character is Lydia. She is so annoying and a bit of a slut, but I just love it. She plays the younger sister just right, and allows for a lot of contrast between the three sisters they chose to keep.

I think the youtube series kept the essential characters, and did not loose much of the plot line. Lizzie, the main vloger, even dresses up as her mother to retell stories, and often includes her friend Charlotte to play her sarcastic father. 

There are also guests on her Diary such as Mr. Collins, and eventually a very good looking Mr. Bingley.

Bingley and Jane

I have only watched the first 40 episodes, so I look forward to finishing it! Has anyone else started watching it? When you do, I suggest not reading the comments section. Those people get all wound up about a little fanfic. IT’S A FANFIC!! LET IT GO; IT WON’T BE JUST LIKE THE BOOK! What do you guys think of it, and do you like that there are only three sisters?  

            As for the other characters besides the sisters… I find myself loving to hate Mr. Darcy. I know from my classmates that he is just misunderstood, so maybe that influences my opinion, but as of now, I find him interesting. He seems to be an asshole for no reason, and because of that I love it. Most people give you some insight into why they act the way they act, but not Mr. Darcy. On top of that, he is best friends with the nicest guy in the world, Mr. Bingley. I wonder why such a nice guy would be friends with such an ass hole, so I figure there has to be some silver lining about Mr. Darcy.