The Lizzie Bennet Diaries”

“The Lizzie Bennet Diaries”: An Analysis of the online modernized adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Masterarbeit Zur Erlangung des Grades Master of Arts an der Geisteswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Karl-Franzens Universität Graz vorgelegt von Silke Simone Mireya JANDL am Institut für Anglistik Begutachter: Ao. Univ. – Prof. Dr. Martin Löschnigg Graz, August 2013 1 Table of Contents 1. Introduction...............................................................................................3 1.1 General Clarifications..........................................................................5 2. Theories and Practices of Adaptation .......................................................7 3. Adaptations of Pride and Prejudice..........................................................9 4. A Note on YouTube...................................................................................13 5. Analyses: Pride and Prejudice and the LBD............................................17 5.1 A New Kind of Adaptation: the LBD..................................................21 5.1.1 Metanarrativity and Authenticity..........................................25 5.1.2 Transmediality......................................................................29 5.1.3 The Power of the Audience..................................................32 5.2 The Setting: Necessities, Goals and Political Realities.......................37 5.2.1 Socio-political Realities........................................................38 5.2.2 Power in the nineteenth century............................................39 5.2.3 Power twenty-first century....................................................40 5.2.3.1 Caroline..................................................................41 5.2.3.2 Jane.........................................................................42 5.2.3.3 Lydia.......................................................................43 5.2.3.4 Gigi.........................................................................44 5.2.3.5 Lizzie......................................................................44 5.2.4 Dealing with Topicalities.......................................................53 5.3 Characters and Characterisation...........................................................57 5.3.1 The Bennet Family and Charlotte..........................................57 5.3.2 Bing Lee, Caroline Lee and William Darcy...........................67 5.3.3 Character Development and “Types” vs. “Individuals..........70 5.3.4 Self-Knowledge......................................................................71 6. Conclusion...................................................................................................73 Bibliography.............................................................................................................76 Filmography..............................................................................................................78 Webliography............................................................................................................78 2 1. Introduction Adaptations of all kinds are almost ubiquitous in contemporary culture. Consequently, studying adaptations is steadily becoming more important in academics. While adaptations do not necessarily refer only to cinematic productions, films are the most profitable and therefore most common form encountered in contemporary western cultures. A significant number of the most successful films of the past decade were adaptations of some sort; “[f]or a cursory glance [...] at Academy Award nominations simultaneously confirms that literary sources [...] remain a rich source of inspiration for prestige screen adaptations.” (Murray, 2012: 6) in 2011 the most profitable film was the adaptation of the last book of the Harry Potter series. The third most profitable film of the same year was the adaptation of Twilight, another book-to-film adaptation. As Andrew said in 1984, “[t]he making of film out of an earlier text is virtually as old as the machinery of cinema itself. Well over half of all commercial films have come from literary originals [...].” (Andrew, 462). This shows that, while sources for adaptations are by no means any longer restricted to the novel, it is still the most dominant because popular kind of adaptation today. Adaptations have undoubtedly become culturally significant. As early as 1919 T.S. Eliot said that “[n]o poet, no artist, of any art, has his complete meaning alone.” (Eliot 1984 [1919]: 37) Thus adapting seems to be natural if not necessary in the evolution of culture. Indeed, Monika Seidl argues that, “[s]omething can only be an original if there is a derivative, a copy; something can only be a source, if there is an adaptation.” (Seidl, 2007: 40) Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is, today, one of the most popular novels of the 19th century. It has been read with enthusiasm ever since its publication in 1813 and is still one of the most widely read books, due, in part, to popular adaptations for cinema and TV. The story of Elizabeth Bennet and her family is, in fact, one of the most frequently adapted stories of all time. Several adaptations have been created for the stage, the screen, as well as in written form, in new novels and short stories, sequels, prequels and rewrites. Jane Austen has, however, not always been as popular as she is today. According to Southam, her novels were “ignored”, because, [i]n contemporary novels the public could meet the problems of Victorian Britain – its poverty, its social and political inequality, its crisis of belief [...]. By this argument, which stands, with some justice, behind much Victorian thinking, Jane Austen was seen to be a relatively unimportant writer, drawing the comedy of manners of a past age. That she was a critic of that society was a truth that went unobserved [...]. (Southam, 1995: 20) In April 2012 yet another adaptation was launched, which will be the core of this thesis. It was, however, not exactly a traditional adaptation but a self-proclaimed experiment. “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” is an adaptation not produced for the screen, but specifically for the Internet platform 3 YouTube. The adaptation transfers the story of the Bennet family into the year 2012, Lizzie being the protagonist, the narrator telling her story in the form of a typical video blog. This adaptation spread out over the course of almost an entire year, ultimately reaching 100 episodes on the main channel. With additional video material from Q&A videos (i.e. Question-and-Answer-videos), and spin-off channels there are more than nine hours of content in total. These nine hours, however, do not yet include the various other, also Internet-based, ways for the audience to engage with “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries”, which includes the characters' (and the cast and crew's) various social media accounts. A trend that has to be taken into consideration is the vastly expanding cultural importance of the Internet. It has not only become an essential tool for basically all branches of professional life, it has become the major form of entertainment, especially for the younger generations. The spread of smart phones and thus the constant availability of all kinds of entertainment make the Internet a highly effective cultural space full of possibilities. To understand “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” within the context of YouTube as well as its success it is important to take a closer look at Hank Green, the co-creator of the web series. As one of YouTube's celebrities he is aware of the cultural and educational opportunities that a generally accessible, free, and creative platform like YouTube can offer. Hank Green has become a YouTube celebrity together with his brother, the bestselling author John Green, by way of their regular vlog (at first “Brother 2.0” and since 2007 “Vlogbrothers”). Because of their success, they have been able to make “the Vlogbrothers channel [...] a platform for educational, informational, and entertaining content.”(online 1) Their success has also led to the creation of channels dedicated to science (SciShow) and the humanities (Crashcourse). On the side Hank Green occasionally works on videos for NASA and the Discovery Channel. Moreover he has co-founded several companies, most notably, the charity organisation Project for Awesome, the record company DFTBA records and ecogeek. In addition he has “written for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, Scientific American, and Mental Floss Magazine” (online 2). Almost all of the content created for the various projects are freely available on the Internet, which goes to show that “[t]he Internet has rapidly evolved into a new `enabling social technology´ for knowledge. And just as `new´media typically supplant their predecessors, it relies on both experts and everyone.” (original emphasis, Burgess/Green, 2009: 133) For “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries”, “Hank is the Executive Producer and Co-Creator [...]. He also serves as Editor and Post Supervisor. Hank is one of the most active and prolific leaders of a new generation of Web entrepreneurs and personalities” (online 3). The fact that “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” made it explicit from the start that they are an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice 4 made it possible to attract the attention of Jane Austen fans almost at once. Additionally, the involvement of a figure as popular as Hank Green, who has gained a reputation for high quality work, has certainly helped the popularity

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