Okay, how to begin... it all started in 7th grade. I know that sounds like a poor start but stay with me. In 7th grade, I hated all of my classmates (to my 7th grade self's credit, they were a bag of dicks) and read a lot in class. To a room full of uncultured morons- I mean, social pre-teens, I was a nerd. There were often questions of "Why are you reading?" "Don't you have anything else to do?" "Why aren't you talking?" I now realize that I should have responded with "Why are you such a tool?" or the classic blank stare that one of my favorite authors, Maureen Johnson, has mastered. I could have practiced my death stare, but you can't dwell in the past. Anyway, 7th grade is when I first read a book that is still a treasure to me: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
My much loved copy
For those of you who haven't read it, Pride and Prejudice is about Elizabeth Bennet, her family, and her love. She and Mr. Darcy have the original love/hate relationship. When they first meet he appears to be rude and proud, and she develops a prejudice against him (see what I did there). He falls in love with her but she doesn't realize she loves him as well until it's almost too late, because her youngest sister Lydia does a very bad bad thing. Darcy eventually saves Lydia and her family's reputation, and the two lovebirds finally get married. Cue awwwwwww. I forgot about the book for a couple of years, occasionally picking it up to a random page or watching the scengasmic Joe Wright movie. But last year my friend introduced to a web series that I still fangirl about, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
Whenever I look at this, I get the theme song stuck in my head
Oh my god, this series is amazing. The premise is Pride and Prejudice in a modern day setting where Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bennet makes youtube videos for her graduate thesis. I love this modern day adaption because it stays true to the original story while maintaining the modern feel to it. I also love what they did with Lydia's "disgrace." I could go on and on about the The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, but maybe some other time.
Check it out. It's awesome
After finishing the series I was left with a huge craving for all things Pride and Prejudice. My copy from 7th grade was absolutely destroyed, so I went out and bought a new copy (see above). Perhaps it was fate that my obsession was rekindled, because I got the 200th anniversary one. This January was the birthday of Pride and Prejudice, after 200 years it's still a lasting piece of English literature. I read the whole thing in a short time, picking it up whenever I could-school, work, dinner, you name it. After reading it I wanted even more of the story, so I watched the 1995 miniseries. I had never actually seen the series or heard much about it even though it is well known in the Austen community. I absolutely loved the series. It was Pride and Prejudice brought to life, with dialogue that made me feel like I was actually watching the book come to life. I now even own on DVD. I also saw the 1980 version on Netflix. It was alright but I wasn't really feeling Elizabeth and especially not Darcy. He was so wooden saying the lines that I could not feel that this was one of the best love stories of all time. The supporting cast was good but no actress could ever top Alison Steadman as 1995 Mrs. Bennet.
No one could ever be more over-the-top
Not many novels have touched my heart as much as Pride and Prejudice has, and I hope it can touch others' hearts as well.
