Pride and Prejudice - Adaptations etc.

OK, so I realise that at this point it's kind of a cliche to gush about how much you love Pride and Prejudice, but you guys, I really love Pride and Prejudice. Shamefully I only read it for the first time about 3 years ago, but since I was raised on a diet of BBC miniseries I was already familiar with the story thanks to the 1995 adaptation.

A lot of people dismiss Pride and Prejudice as a girly book (I don't have time to rant about people dismissing things they perceive to be overly feminine as inherently frivolous and lacking in value right now, so let's just skim over that for the moment) but it's so much more than that. Firstly - Pride and Prejudice is funny as hell, Elizabeth Bennet is a beloved character for a reason, and that reason is that she's a sassy BAMF - if you want any evidence of that just check out pretty much any of her interactions with Mr Collins, Lady Catherine, Caroline and Whatsherface Bingley, or her mother. Secondly - Mr Darcy. I know I'm venturing even further into cliche territory here, but Mr Darcy is an adorable socially awkward uber-man and if you're not in love with him then you're wrong.

OK, now I'm going to get into the actual point of this post, which is adaptations. LET'S GO!

BBC Miniseries, 1995

Let's be real - this is the only acceptable answer to the question of which is the best adaptation. With 5 and a half hours of Darcy-y goodness to offer, I don't think the other versions on this list can really compare to the thoroughness of this adaptation, 90 minutes of screen-time just isn't long enough to do justice to the subtleties and slow development of Darcy and Lizzie's relationship. Also - Colin Firth.

Joe Wright Film, 2005

The first time I watched this film, it didn't really have an impact on me and I promptly forgot all about it, but I re-watched it a couple of months ago and loved it. For starters, this film is absolutely gorgeous, every shot is like a freaking work of art, and the music fits perfectly and is amazing. As an adaptation I'm not that crazy about this one, but as a film in its own right it’s stunning and brilliant. Adaptation wise, it doesn’t cover everything (obviously) but it does a really great job of picking and choosing all the essential moments and it is cast perfectly – I have a special spot in my heart for ginger Bingley. One of my favourite moments in this film is when Bingley is practicing proposing to Jane by roleplaying with Darcy, UGH! THESE TWO GOOFBALL ROMANTIC BFFS! So cute.

Lost in Austen, 2008

Another miniseries, this one isn’t exactly an adaptation but I’m including it anyway because it almost is, and I love it so I want to talk about it. In Lost in Austen a 21st century woman (Amanda Price) who is bored out of skull with her crappy call-centre job and even crappier boyfriend somehow ends up switching places with Elizabeth Bennett and finds herself trapped in the world of Pride and Prejudice. Essentially, every Pride and Prejudice fangirl’s fantasy - it all gets very meta when Amanda actually asks Mr Darcy to come out of the lake with his shirt on a la Colin Firth, and I love me some meta. This series is pure escapism and wish fulfilment and I enjoyed every minute of it, Jemima Rooper is charming as usual as the often idiotic Amanda, Alex Kingston kills it as Mrs Bennett (I bloody love Mrs Bennett) and Darcy is perfectly Darcy-like, what more could you want!?

The Lizzie Bennett Diaries, 2012 – 2013

I’ll be the first to admit that I was super sceptical about this adaptation – Pride and Prejudice told through video diaries? I even watched the first few episodes when the series started and made the decision not to keep up with it, but I came back to it a few months later when it was over two thirds of the way through and I am so glad I did. I think this series really benefits from being watched in several long sittings, rather than watching each of the ~ 5 minute episodes individually, and I think that’s why I didn’t really get into it when I first tried to watch it. This adaptation is definitely not for everyone, and by not for everyone I mostly mean it’s not for Austen-purists who will be bothered by the modern setting, which obviously necessitates a lot of changes in the plot. However, if you can get past the modern setting and the plot changes it’s so worth it, mainly because the story is evidently told with a lot of love, and I think that's what makes a great adaptation. Also this adaptation gives us a really great insight into a lot of the characters through seeing the story from their point of view. Lydia and Charlotte Lucas in particular really benefit from this re-telling, and become complex characters in their own right, with their own stories, rather than just plot devices to advance Lizzie’s storyline. Also I have a soft spot for Mary as a socially awkward emo-kid.

--------------

So there you go - my favourite Pride and Prejudice adaptations. I know I said that the BBC miniseries is indisputably the best adaptation but to be 100% honest if I had to pick a favourite from these four I don't know if I could do it, they're all very different and I love them all!

Books About Books

I love books and reading (obviously), so I love love love reading books about books. These are some of my favourites, and by favourites I mean just the ones that I can think of at this precise moment.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Summary: Set in an alternate version of 1985 Britain where the Crimean War never ended, Thursday Next is a "literary detective" who gets mixed up in an elaborate plot involving blackmailer and all-round evil guy Acheron Hades. The two of them end up facing off inside the world of Jane Eyre and inadvertently impacting the lives of the characters.
Why I Recommend It: The whole Thursday Next series is pretty great, later books involve the amazing organisation of "JurisFiction" - a collection of special literature agents who also happen to be fictional characters (notable mentions go to Miss Havisham and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle). Overall it's just a silly, fun series and I'd definitely recommend it, especially to anyone who loves Jane Eyre.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Summary: The Book of Lost Things is the story of David 12 year old boy who, after his mother dies, begins more and more to retreat into the world of fiction. Strange things start happening and soon he finds himself literally inside the world of the books he's been reading. The story has a lot of fantasy and fairy tale elements and can get quite creepy at times.
Why I Recommend It: This one is a must read for anyone who loves fairy tales (which I really do). I know the whole "dark re-telling of a fairy tale" thing has been done to death, but this take on that genre has a really original feel to it, and one of the things about it which I really loved was that it looks at the ways in which the stories we love as children shape the adults we grow into.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
Summary: This story follows a young graphic designer in San Francisco who gets a job in a 24 hour bookstore and starts to notice that the place is more than a little odd. This book deals a lot with conflict between the old and the new, and whether we should embrace technology or hang on to the past. It's also just a really fun mystery/adventure.
Why I Recommend It: I would recommend this to anyone who loves bookshops, this book creates a really vivid picture of this weird, slightly creepy store and I totally want to go there. Also all the characters are just, for want of a better word, adorable and the story is exciting as well as being funny and sweet.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Summary: Margaret Lee is a bookish loner, who works in a bookshop, who is hired to write a book about a prolific (and famously private) author. Bookishness all round! In the course of interviewing the mysterious author 'Vida Winter' Margaret learns a lot about her dark past and uncovers various different family secrets, which also prompts her to take a closer look at her own life.
Why I Recommend It: Because it's crazy and exciting! I love a good dark past, and this book is all about the dark past. If you like books and storytelling and shocking twists then definitely check this one out.

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Summary: Ugh, this book! OK, let me get my emotions in check. So this story is narrated by Death and tells the story of a girl named Liesel and her life during World War 2 - I realise that probably sounds like the most depressing thing ever, but it's actually just lovely and heartfelt and unforgettable and brilliant.
Why I Recommend It: Well, I just gushed about it plenty while I was meant to be summarising, so I can't really think of anything else to add apart from - READ IT!

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Summary: I already talked about this book in this post if you want to read that. 84, Charing Cross Road is a really lovely little book collecting the letters between Helene Hanff - American, book lover, anglophile, and Marks & Co - an antiquarian bookshop on Charing Cross Road. The letters span a period of 20 years and Helene develops a really touching friendship with nearly everyone who works in the bookstore, as well as some of their friends, family and neighbours.
Why I Recommend It: Because it's just sweet and lovely and a really feelgood story, also it's less than 100 pages long, so you've got no excuse not to read it!