My New Favorite Thing.
Over the weekend I discovered this web series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and I absolutely fell in love with it. The writing is very clever, and I think the casting and acting are spot on. I think Ashley Clements is compelling and super-likable as Lizzie; later on in the series she gets to show her dramatic chops as well, which is really nice to see. I am a fan. I seriously wish I could say I made this.
This is a really strong contemporary adaptation of Austen. It makes smart and logical adjustments for the sake of now-ness: the Bennet family only has 3 sisters; Lizzie is in grad school, but living at home to save money; and Charles Bingley has become Bing Lee, a super-sweet, super-hot medical student of Asian descent. The diversity on the show actually makes me really happy. The series was created by two guys, which I would love to point out to some of the anti-Austen boys I’ve had in my writing classes over the past couple of years. Kudos to these fine gentlemen, Hank Green and Bernie Su, for filling a void in my life I didn’t even know existed. There are 45 episodes (they average between three and six minutes in length) on YouTube at the moment that take you up through Lizzie’s interactions with Mr. Collins and her flirting with Wickham. If you are a fan of Austen, or Pride and Prejudice, or just smart comedy in general, you should check it out.
At least until the new TWSBI mini comes out, anyway… Look how cute they are! And so wee…
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