Feature Book Special
or Pride & Prejudice “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” by Gausia Chowhury | Self portrait of Jane Austen by Jane Austen (1775 - 1817)
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is an innovative modern retelling of the story, where Elizabeth Bennet is a grad student with a video blog, Bingley has become Bing Lee - an aspiring doctor - and Wickham is a swimmer. All this may sound a little ridiculous to the Pride and Prejudice purist, but the series manages to explore the characters and themes of the plot in a more relatable setting, bringing to the foreground the measure of the book in a comprehensive nature for modern viewers. Lizzie’s prejudice is not romanticised, Darcy is as socially inept as many of us feel, and the financial troubles and social standings are just as real as in the book, if not more so because we are not removed by generations. Two hundred years ago, Jane Austen lived in the world of her stories. Yet we still live in a time of pride and prejudice. These qualities thrive within us and in others. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s story is not just one of marriage and propriety, as some may be led to believe. Rather, it is of two people who learn to overcome their shortcomings, allowing for the other to see them as they are. Most people are wary of how others will perceive them. Many of us live in fear of saying the wrong thing or struggle with being labeled or misunderstood. What makes Pride and Prejudice such a strong story is that it is about the obstacles we carry with us that keep us from seeing each other for who we truly are.
I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library. -Jane Austen
Issue 2 January 2013 | The Anglerfish 23