“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” ~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

            So, as stated before, I am a huge fan of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube.   For those of you who don’t know, the LBDs is a vlog-style, modernized adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that can be found online.  This series had 100 three to ten minute episodes with additional Q&A videos and a few spin-off channels that told the story from other characters’ perspectives as the plots developed.  With roughly two episodes a week, and a ton of opportunities for participation and interaction, this series consumed me while it was running (and it fact still consumes me as I rewatch vids and participate in discussions with other fans).

            But all the while when watching the LBDs, I wondered what it was about this online serial that drew me in and kept me coming back.  Why was it so distracting, so entertaining, so engaging?  And how could I have become so obsessed with this show so easily?

            Now let’s take a moment to be honest; I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice, not straight through, at least.  I know, unbelievable, right?  I mean I’m a teenage girl, quite a bit of a nerd (again, if I’m being honest with myself), a bit of a romantic, and an avid reader, yet I’ve never been able to get past chapter 10 or so of this Austen classic.  I’ve watched (and loved) some movie adaptations, read multiple book adaptations as well as the graphic novel, and obviously obsessed over The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.  All of these productions contain the same basic plot and the same characters, yet differ in the format and presentation of these elements.  So what about the adaptations draws me in when I can’t manage to plow through the original Austen novel?

            My conclusion?  Producers who reappropriate classic works (such as Austen’s Pride and Prejudice) create adaptations to meet expectations.  Expectations about narrative have changed over the years, especially as cultures changed and developed into what we now recognize as modern society.  There is a huge difference between today’s society and the 18^th century society in which Austen lived, and to assume that modern audiences expect the same narrative style as the Regency-period English audiences would be absurd.  The common reader knows little about the social, cultural, and political situation in which Austen’s novels are placed, and may find it hard to truly understand the language Austen uses.  Without context, Pride and Prejudice can be overwhelming, or may simply be read and interpreted “incorrectly”—perhaps being mistaken as a purely romantic novel, as it commonly is.  (Though since no one can really ask Austen about her novels, who knows, maybe an ill-informed reader like myself truly is reading Austen “correctly” and all the intellectuals are wrong; an unlikely fantasy, but hey, we will never know…)

            Anyway, to get back on topic, maybe the lack of context and understanding is what makes classic novels such as Pride and Prejudice so difficult to read.  Without knowledge of the culture and society of the time and unable to fully comprehend the language, modern audiences often lack the patience to slog through the classics.  Meanwhile adaptations take into account audiences’ lack of knowledge and provide a story that is geared towards the culture and expectations of their viewers.  Modernized adaptations are a prime example of this, but new formats (such as graphic novels) also show the changing expectations of audiences, taking into account language, plot, and narrative style.  And I guess that’s why I was so easily drawn into The Lizzie Bennet Diaries; I mean I’ve always loved the ideas, characters, and plots of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, I just couldn’t really engage myself in a book I had no context for.  Once you modernize the plot and characters and give me a online, vlog-style format adaptation, however, watching the brewing romance between independent Elizabeth Bennet and proud Fitzwilliam Darcy could not be more enjoyable!