Web series: the good, the eh...okay, and the lovely stories

 

Hello lovely readers,

Lately I have been enjoying web series, I mostly watch the ones about adaptations of books I enjoy, but there are many series out there with original plot lines. For this "Frivolous Friday" I wanted to share the ones I have loved and the ones I thought were "eh...okay". Even if I thought the stories were "eh...okay" I am still impressed by people taking works of classic literature and bringing them into the 21st century.

The ones I love:

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The first would be the Lizzie Bennet Diaries it was the web series that introduced me to this whole concept. And I think it set a pretty high standard for those who followed it. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is an updated version of Pride Prejudice (pretty obvious) but it is not just a web series, in fact it had multiple spin offs...one of Lydia Bennet where we get insight into her character, one of Pemberly Digital where we see Georgiana and Darcy interact and get insight into what he does to save Lydia.

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The next one is Emma Approved, the updated version of Emma. In this version she is not just busybody but she is kind of like a life coach, trying to improve the lives around her. Her business partner is Alex Knightley, and she frequently teases him about handling the boring stuff. 

 

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Many of the web series have their own tumblr and twitter accounts you can follow in order to keep up with the characters and it gives some behind the scenes looks at what is happening in the plot. All of Emma Approved is shot in the office, but they host and attend parties and pictures from the nights are posted there. Also because Emma is so into fashion she has "modeling" posts on her outfits.

Example of them going out: Frank Churchill laughing with Emma, with Jane Fairfax and Alex Knightley looking on.

 Third would be the delightful series of Classic Alice, it is not just one book but multiple books. It starts off with Alice getting a bad grad on a paper because her teacher feels that she does not relate to the characters. So she takes a book and tries to make life decisions based on the book. 

 

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Currently the series is doing North and South, as I have written many post about my love of John Thorton, I don't think I need to go into how excited I am about that. I also like the fact that because they are doing various books, the series really could last for awhile. So I am curious what is going to happen with it. Besides just having a vlog (video blog) they also host a podcast of Pens vs. Lens where they discuss books vs. the movies based off the book.

Their newest episode: Clueless/Emma

The next love of mine- actually changed my mind on Jane Eyre, is The Autobiography of Jane Eyre. I recently wrote a post about this "Maybe I was wrong." And because of this I won't use too much time posting more about this. 

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Here are some of the ones I think "eh...okay":

Also made by Pemberly Digital is the series "Welcome to Sanditon" based off the unfinished work of Sanditon by Jane Austen, which I have actually never read so I can't say if it follows the plot line or not. It follow Georgiana Darcy (from Lizzie Bennet Diaries) as she tries to implement Dominio (their video app) in the town of Sanditon. 

 

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The thing I did not like about this is that every other episode was a "fan made video" that they pretend were people around the town. I think in that way I lost interest in the story. 

The other one was... "Elinor and Marianne take on Barton" it is an updated version of Sense and Sensibility. There a few reasons I did not like it but mostly the story seems a little rushed, Sense and Sensibility is one of Jane Austen's longer novels and takes time to develop the characters. I mean they have Edward Ferras interacting with Brandon and Will (Willoughby) which does not happen in the book. However I think the actresses who play Marianne and Elinor understand their characters. Also while Brandon, is no Alan Rickman, I think he does a good role in playing out his part and we do see how he cares for Marianne even while she is obsessed with Will.

I am also enjoying: 

I have recently begun watching the web series "From Mansfield with Love" an adaptation of Mansfield Park. It took me awhile to get into it (much like when I read the book). Frankie (short for Francis) works at the Mansfield hotel as practically a maid, though she gets some liberties, her mom is best friends with Mrs. Bertram but while Mrs. Bertam married rich, Frankie's mom married poor. Frankie's brother Will, is in the Navy and she is posting these video letters, in belief no one else can see them, for him (you got to stretch your imagination). 

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Much like the book, one thing that gets to me is that Frankie never speaks up for herself. I hate in the character but I know I am very similar to that. Frankie spends a lot of energy making sure everyone, mostly Mrs. Norris is happy, that life kind of slips by her (very true to book). Even with some changes they are doing a good job of sticking to the plot line, I mean they are on episode 70 now and Edmund is just telling Frankie he "loves" Mary Crawford. I actually the lack of rushing of the story as Mansfield Park is the longest Jane Austen novel. 

One series I wish continued was "East and West" based off North and South but it sadly only had 7 videos and we never even met Mr. Thorton. 

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If the creators of this show see this blog I would love them to know I would love for this show to continue.  

Okay I think for now that is enough... I know there are other web series out there and if you have any recommendations for me please let me know. Here is a great article "Book to YouTube" which includes some of these shows and others if you are interested in more suggestions. 

Maybe I was wrong

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Hello lovely reader,

I have spoken out about my dislike for Jane Eyre before, post: Jane Eyre... what the? I read the book right out of high school mostly because everyone assumed if I liked Jane Austen I would like Jane Eyre... even though they are completely different. Then being convinced by my friend who loves Jane Eyre to give it another try I watched the Jane Eyre movie (2011). But I still didn't get it. So when I saw the YouTube web series "The Autobiography of Jane Eyre" I watched a few episodes and then thought... nope not for me.

But for some reason (not sure why) I started re-watching it and I got hooked.

Actually I remember now why... I spend way too much time watching fan made videos, but I found the video below, and from the few episodes of "The Autobiography of Jane Eyre" I had seen I recognized the actress. I will admit I was intrigued with why with all the stories to chose from why did this video maker decide to include this version of Jane Eyre in their montage. Maybe I missed something?

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So in a bored moment, and in a moment of feeling blue and wanting a distraction I decided to give "The Autobiography of Jane Eyre" a second chance (link to YouTube page) and I am glad I did. As I said I read the book almost 10 years ago so I don't remember much of the plot so I am not sure how exact the web series is to the plot... but personally I am okay with some updates if it helps tell the story. I commend people who take classic works of literature and revamp them in this new way to make them accessible for the modern day audience and if the main point of the story remains in tact then I am fine with some modernization. 

 

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My biggest problem with Jane Eyre is that she always seemed perfect, and I didn't like a heroine that had no flaws. I think in watching this web series, I saw her flaws more clearly. She had such bad childhood that she was afraid to pursue things that made her happy worried that they would abandon her (if it was a person) or worried others would mock her for it (if it was a hobby). She didn't speak up for herself because she wasn't ever allowed to as a child so she spends a lot of time in her own head. And actually I can understand all those things.  

 Episode 1: Link 

Over all- I liked it and would recommend it to anyone who has been enjoying these web series updated stories like "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries" or "Emma Approved" or "Classic Alice". Also I would recommend if you want to get lost in a good story. There were some parts that still annoyed me but they were small enough I can overlook them and still consider this a good adaption of the book.  

The one thing I really did like is that in episode 20 she talks about her faith and I was happy to read in the comments of the video that this is true to the book. I am glad she didn't make it a big political discussion (because faith is not a political discussion) she just talked about forgiveness, loving others and loving yourself.

 

Link: Episode 20 

 

Thanks to these videos I might be willing to give Jane Eyre another chance once... I mean its been almost 10 years surely it is time to give second chances. 

If you are a real Jane Eyre fan and you want to read more read the post "Entertain: The Autobiography of Jane Eyre" the author of that post is much more of a Jane-ite than I am.

Frivolous Friday... Webseries Shout Out

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Hello lovely readers,

I have mentioned the web series, Classic Alice,  in my "Webseries love Wednesday" post but it is back for a second season. It is great because it focus on array of books (books out of copy right). Alice, the main character reads the book and attempts to live it out in front of a camera as a documentary with her friends. It is cool in the way they bring classic stories up to date. I also think it is cool because it is not just a YouTube series they have multiple social media outlets such as Twitter and Tumblr to keep the story moving forward, but if you just watch the YouTube videos you get the main plot. I think these web series of picking up classics and revamping them for the 21st century is awesome(like the Lizzie Bennet Diaries of Emma Aprroved)... it proves classics are not old stories but tales that are still relate-able. Here is the trailer for books 1-7.

 

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While it looks like a simple camera sitting on a desk and she is just talking with her friends you can tell they have put a lot of work into it. I think these web series are awesome because the people involved (actors, writers, camera man, and producers) work not only to shoot these films but they do it on a very low budget, which they have to raise themselves through things like kick star and other sources. They aren't high production companies they are people interested in bringing these narratives to life...if I had any video skills I would love to do something like this.

Episode 1:

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I hope you enjoy. Here is the link to Classic Alice's YouTube Channel.

Also Happy early 4th of July to you all...

One of my favorite 4th of July... my parents coming to visit me in the city I love.

Webseries love Wednesday

Dear Lovely Readers,

If you have been reading my blog you know I easily "fan girl" for certain things, especially literary things. And I must commend Pemberly Digital and other online Vloggers (video bloggers) for recreating great fiction into modern telling. I have written about my love of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries (a retelling of Pride and Prejudice).

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However I don't think I have told you about my love of  Emma Approved (a retelling of Emma). Emma is my favorite Jane Austen novel, even though I know many people called Emma selfish. And maybe she is but I think she learns a great lesson in the story and though she makes many mistakes I believe she always the people she loves best interest at heart. Also I love the idea that no matter how many time she makes a mistake that Mr. Knightley loves her (sorry spoiler).

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These webseries are amazing not only are they videos on YouTube, they have twitter accounts as characters, tumblr accounts, and even pinterest accounts. So they really reach all levels of multimedia.

There are others out there The Autobiography of Jayne Eyre which I have not watched as I am not a fan of Jane Eyre (I know shocking). And there is East and West which is a retelling of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel North and South. However, it is on hiatus and I really want it to come back on. I mean I know how it is going to end I have read the book and I have watched the mini-series four or five times, but still I am excited to see how they do this and I want to see who they cast as Mr. Thorton... he will have big shoes to fill.

This leads me to my most recent webseries I have fallen for called "Classic Alice." It tells the story of a creative writing/lit major who at first criticized from a professor for not being able to relate to the characters. So relate to the characters she decides to take books and her own way live them out. She is filmed by her friend Andrew who is a film major. She reads such books as Crime and Punishment, Macbeth, to Wind and the Willow. I found the story adorable.

I also found Alice very relate-able. She is a book geek who likes to read classics...Yep. She also is doing this project to experience new things she can be a better writer. Yep I want to be a better writer. She also is very timid and has a hard time putting herself out there... Yep. Plus she is a red head... Yep.

If you have not watched these webseries... I recommend you do. If you know of other webseries out there, please post your suggestions on the comments below.

Thanks

From the Lizzie Bennet Diaries

The fault was in our stars

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I am still reading Little Dorrit, but sorry Charles Dickens it is really taking me all the energy I have to get through your writing. Plus a month ago I put this book on hold and I was 92 on the list of 65 copies so I thought I would be done with Little Dorrit by the time my time came. I got the book last Thursday and finished it on Sunday, probably could have finished it faster if I didn't have to work those days. And to be honest I felt robbed because I thought the book was 331 pages and it was only 313, darn John Green for not writing 18 more pages.

I don't know if I can write about this book without giving away any spoilers and I think everyone should read this book. Yes it is is a Young Adult novel, but the story so so moving (carry tissues), and so beautiful that you can forget that it is young adult and just read it.

Basic plot- Hazel at 16 has a terminal cancer meaning she is living with it and medication and an air tank is keeping her alive. The action of the story quickly starts when she meet Augustus Waters at the cancer support group. He is hot (Hazel's words not mine) and she is surprised he likes her. But they do start a relationship and not to give too many spoilers... he uses his "Make A Wish" to take her to Amsterdam to meet an author they both like. The story goes on from there but like I said I don't want to give away a lot of spoilers.

Why I read- Because lately I have found a lot of quotes on Pinterest by John Green and they seem very motivational, so I was intrigued to read his writing. I first heard of this book when I one of the many fan pages for the Lizzie Bennet Diaries posted a video of Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh reading from the book, seemed quite captivating. (Wasn't able to post video here but here is link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8kpmifRpgc). Then my friend, who is working on getting a master's in Library Science for Young Adult Services posted about how she cried on the T while reading the book. So with all this I thought this was a book worth checking out.

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What I liked- As most of you know I'd rather live in the past than in the present so I spend a lot of time watching Period Dramas or reading books set in the past, but I found this book just as absorbing as any of those books and I will be adding Hazel Grace to my list of heroines to admire. While my friends who had read the book said they cried and it is about teenagers with cancer, I found myself laughing out loud on the T. It wasn't that it was a funny topic but just the honesty of it and the way Hazel and Augustus talked was just funny. But at the end I loved the characters so much that when it ended I did cry mostly because I didn't want it to end.

What I didn't like- I will say though it was a young adult there was some language that I didn't like, but I didn't think it was over used and I thought sometimes probably very truthful. I don't like swearing, however if I was going through what these characters went through I would probably swear too.

Over all great book, I don't know if I would put it into life changing as it has been labeled, but I am super glad I read it. Seriously have tissues on you.

This has been a good summer so far of some new books to love and some re-reads I adore. I feel very weird now that most of my books are packed up in preparation for my move.

Finished My Semester

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Yes it is from the Lizzie Bennet Diaries

I am happy to report that I am done with my finals! 

Over this last month I have taken a break from blogging and in some aspects life. I hope once life gets back to normal and I have more mental energy I will be able to write more blog posts. I have these thoughts of giving up on this blog as I don't feel I have much to say or I don't have the mental energy to write. But I went to an event from my almmater and my old adviser told me she read my blog; I was very touched and for that reason I hope I can keep up with it. It is always nice to know something you have taken time to write has been read by others.

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I sadly do not have much to catch you guys up on. I feel I have spent most of my month researching and writing papers. One paper was turn of the century fashion, I hope to use that paper to begin my thesis. As you probably know from my post about Downton Abbey, the stories I have been writing, or if you follow me on Pinterest I have fallen head over heels with the Edwardian time period. So I knew I wanted to do a paper on the turn of the century. I thought about doing my thesis on women's professionalism (like what careers became the more feminine careers and what not) but after sitting through a thesis proposal workshop where one adviser said "chose your own Hell" I had a change of heart. I have always loved fashion, I think it is so much more than what people wear, but what they value and what society values. So I turned my mind towards turn of the century fashion. As I began researching my paper I discovered that single working girls had more of a disposable income and used their fashion to get away from the strict uniforms of their jobs and possibly move up in the world. I would really like to talk about that. Of course I know I need a good argument for my thesis... so this summer I will be researching it. Wish me luck.

Besides finishing up school, I did go and visit my sister, niece and nephew. I know it was in the middle of the craziness of finals but I REALLY needed a break to go see them. I had a great time being Auntie Blaire and even though we didn't do anything overly big being with them was awesome. Also, my dad and step-mom surprised me with a day trip to see me... which was sweet to see them.

The only picture I took while I was there of my nephew crawling

But now school is over and I have the summer to look forward to. I know I need to be researching for my thesis... so I will probably be hanging out in some archives. I do hope to get some fun reading in (aka books without footnotes). I have been watching a lot of mindless TV but now I can't wait to cross some books off my reading list.

Hope to post more later.

Jane Austen and the modern girl

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I have been Jane Austen fan for over 11 years. I can't say if it started when I actually read the books on my own or when I finally enjoyed all 5 hours of the BBC Pride and Prejudice and falling head over heels for Collin Firth. Needless to say Jane Austen has filled a great majority of my life. In high school though I felt I was the only girl my age who read Jane Austen and it was a little lonely being in love with characters that existed only in books. So when I started meeting girls in college I probably got overly excited to share my love with others. I am also happy when new movies or books help people discover the awesomeness of Jane. So yes I have read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies... and I would actually recommend it. But the thing I love most about Jane is that while her stories are great as period drama's to watch on a rainy day with a cup tea, her stories are so universal they can be updated and still be relevant to today. My favorite modern adaptations have been Bridget Jones' Diary, Clueless (an adaptation of Emma) and Bride and Prejudice.

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While I can watch these movies over and over I have lately become obsessed with the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. In short they are vlogs (video blogs) retelling of a modern Pride and Prejudice. But they are also so much more with multiple layers of communication through Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. And like every good Jane Austen update they capture your heart.

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Not only do you hear the story from Lizzie's point of view you all get to watch the Lydia drama unfold.

And you get to watch Gigi and Darcy save the day.

These are just the first episodes from the three intertwining story lines... that come into use at different times to tell the complete story line of Pride and Prejudice.

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If you have read the novel or seen any of the movies you know the plot, and if you love the book or the movies you might be skeptical about a modern update on a classic. Well let me just say I was there. I love Jane and sometimes I feel Hollywood does not do her justice. So I was skeptical when YouTube kept suggesting I watch these videos. But after catching up and watching about 50 episodes in a weekend I was addicted and then in Episode 60 we FINALLY get to meet Darcy.


Seriously they did good with the casting of Darcy. Though Colin Firth, will always be THE MR. DARCY... I think the actor Daniel Gordh does a wonderful job being Darcy.

All the Darcys
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I will always love the British accent but thanks to this retelling I also love the Newies cap and bow tie (I know it might be a bit hipster... but I cannot help it). 

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Anyway, now after today's episode (ep. 98) and only 2 more left... my heart is all a flutter. 

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If Tumblr and Facebook can be trusted I hear there is word that Emma might also become a vlog... oh I can't wait to see who will be cast as Mr. Knightley. He is another favorite Jane Austen hero of mine. 

from Emma

I do not think Jane could have ever realized what an impact she has made on the world. And how her six novels could forever be causing ripples through the lives of her readers. 

Now, I must move on with my day. Thanks for reading my nonsensical post. 

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P.S. Thanks YouTube for knowing what I would like. And a specially big thanks to my friend who shares my obsession with Jane Austen... you always make me smile. 

Fictional Obsession and Confession

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Dear Readers,

I will admit I get emotionally attached to fictional characters. If you can relate please let me know if  because sometimes I feel alone in my obsessions. For example I get overly happy every time I watch Emma and the scene where Mr. Knightley proposes to Emma and she says "Now I need not call you Mr. Knightley, I can call you my Mr. Knightley." Oh it just tugs at my heart strings. And I lost it when Matthew proposed to Mary on Downton Abbey.

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While yes I do like happy endings and I am totally a hopeful romantic. I look to these books/movies/shows as a way of escapism. I like the idea of getting lost in fancy gowns, balls, and I guess my idealistic view of chivalry. I think that is why I got into history, I wanted to escape into the past and live in the times and places I could only live in my imagination. 

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But it is not just historical stories I mean when Peeta confessed his love for Katniss I hugged the book to my chest because I was so happy. And today when I watched the newest episode of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries I cried... Maybe I am just super emotional. 

I guess I just love getting lost in stories. I hope to one day be an author that writes stories that people will get lost in and will fall hopelessly in love with my characters. I mean I get lost in my own stories but sometimes I think they exist better in my head. (Is this common for writers?)

Any way I just wanted to share my obsession. Hope you, my lovely readers, will understand my posts when all I want to do is escape the realities of grad-school.   

Just a pretty picture of escapism
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