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.