The Pride and Prejudice AU Craze!

So, looking back on our conversation of the novel and the way it seems to permeate popular culture even if some of us (myself included) had not actually read it before I started to think that maybe I had read it before and then it came to me: The Pride and Prejudice AU craze:

For those of you still confused by this term, AU is an abbreviation of Alternate Universe. In Fanfiction terms, you take your fandom and place them in a different setting, like the future, or the Middle Ages or even more popular the Pride and Prejudice era.

So why do fans care enough about this book/era/idea to transplate their ships there?

I honestly have no idea.

Realistically, it's not a lovey-dovey romance story, filled with all of the picnics and promises girls are supposed to dream of and boys are supposed to inherently offer.

But, as can be seen, fandoms, particularly well-established ones have their examples of this AU:

Supernatural: Destiel

Glee: Klaine

 Merlin: Merthur

 BBC Sherlock: Johnlock

Teen Wolf: Sterek

 Naruto: Sasukura

This is just the bare bones of what I could find given ten minutes and a basic Google search but there's so much more Fanfiction, fanvideos and fan appreciation for this period that ones has to wonder why it is.

One way to look at it is that Lizzie and Darcy offer a more combative, fighting relationship that heightens sexual tension and allows our favorite character to duke it out with sarcasm and dance cards. It might also be the edge of titillation we get from seeing our beloved couples: most of whom are in a homosexual relationship, profess their love in a time where it means naught but danger and death.

Neither of those reasons really mean anything though. A Regency area romance, deemed trashy dollar books by polite/upper society, has all of that and more (actual sex) in a much faster read.

So yes I have to do proclaim that I am still not OK with this. Austen told a story with interesting people in a not so interesting time and yet still remains.

In the end, it's probably all of the English majors finding an outlet for their degrees while they work menial jobs to support themselves. "I may not have any valuable skills to offer society but I sure know my Austen!"

I am Going to Try to Compare Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins

           As I said in class, I love Pride and Prejudice and am glad to have an excuse to read it again. This was one of the first books I read in college and I give it credit for playing a major part in making me an English major. Maybe the plot is nothing new (perhaps even when it was written) but it just seems so well crafted in its characters and language that, whatever its predictability or use of that cold society, I can thoroughly enjoy it. Actually I think the subtlety in many ways enhances the romance and through it we get some of what seems missing. This book makes me feel both smart and really dumb every time I read it. Every time there seems to be a new aspect to Elizabeth and Darcy’s back and forth. But they said all of this in real time conversation; it took me how many readings and long stares into space to get it? Anyway that’s enough of that; that’s my bit, I can stop now.

            In class we were talking about how this novel both broke and worked within the established norms of the time. Looking at the pattern of where it break and where it keeps, it seems that Austen is trying to point out a quality that is for the most part independent of the system. It seems like she is trying to redefine what it means to have a good character. Charlotte says Mr. Collins has a good character, in that he is reliable and won’t throw her out. She marries him because he provides a secure place within that society. So it appears that being a secure part of that culture was Charlotte’s definition of character. Yet, despite his “character” Elizabeth despises Mr. Collins, “disgust” is the word used when she contemplates going to see them. At first, Darcy is surprisingly like Mr. Collins in that respect. Fitzwilliam defends Darcy on the ground that he could be relied on. Darcy would look out for his friends. In a strange way so does Mr. Collins. The most notable change in Darcy when the reader and Elizabeth see him at Pemberley is that he is nice to the Gardiners, people he would before have looked down upon. But niceness is not the ultimate virtue either. Wickham is perfectly charming to everybody when he first meets them but certainly has no character and is by no means a positive character. Where am I going with this? Not 100% sure yet, but it seems that there is a combination of character and niceness that both Darcy and Elizabeth need to adopt and, because it is not based on that societie’s structure, it involves breaking certain norms (ridged class boundaries for example) while recognizing that not all the present norms are bad (the men being held to provide for their families whatever they feel about them).

          This is not a very strong argument; I am still making it up. I may post more on it later. It would be interesting to hear you guys’ thoughts on it. Looking forward to talking about the Lizzy Bennet Diaries!

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: WoooHooo!

So I have to admit that I hadn't read Pride and Prejudice before this(nor had I ever really wanted to read it.) I, through the course of my time on this Earth as both a reader, an English major and a fan, have made the conscious decision to both seek out and avoid certain things. It's always been one of those books that I put on my "Do Not Read Ever" lists because it came with so much Pomp & Circumstance:

It's all about ball gowns and parties and rich entitled white people stewing in their wealth and privilege. "Hmm, hmm. Look at all our money. Hmm, hmm."

Just by virtue of being an English major, I've been exposed to the genre of "Rich, White People And Their Problems" and it's been one of mutual dislike. All of the things that this genre represents are all things that I have decided I don't care about personally. Taking a step back, I can read into the subtleties and complexities of everything the time offers them.

Just based on my personality, I am all about the snide comments, backhanded compliments and daggers in the back. That's the beautiful part of this for me and it should be enough to sustain me but not really.

But then came the Lizzie Bennet Diaries:

At first I was really skeptical of everything that might be happening with this:

But then I started watching it and it all made sense now. Lizzie Bennet rocks. She's so real and down-to-earth and so snarky. It's a beautiful introduction and experience to take part in even though I am still not a fan of Pride & Prejudice.

The whole time she is doing this (on behalf of Hank Green and the VlogBrothers) she's sucking us into the story (which in spirit is exactly what Austen does) but gives us the ability to put it into perspective and then take this and put it back into a spacial-temporal perspective that Austen gave us.

I AM UPSET AND BETRAYED!

So, I have never read Pride and Prejudice before. I was actually actively avoiding reading it because it has that same aura that The Great Gatsby has. That "stupid wealthy white people doing things that are pointless" aura. I get the point of Great Gatsby and Mrs. Dalloway, they're writing a narrative about how crap these people are and their actions. But my issue is that people eat this universe up. There are Gatsby parties where people dress up and are useless. USELESS!

Okay, so anyway, I wasn't stoked to start this book. And then I started it. And I still hated it.

Hate is a strong word but I'm gonna use it anyway. I really hated these people (expect Mr. Bennet. I will get Mr. Bennet tattooed on my ass I love him so much) and what they didn't do and how they are nothing but useless lumps of flesh. I sat in the English department and told anyone who passed by that I was in pain. 

Reasons why I hated P&P in the beginning:

• Throwing shade
• Obsession with marriage
• Rude behavior
• Regency era stuff that I don't understand and then just got upset about.
• The class system makes me want to spork out my eyes

So, there I am, inspiring English professors on making a class based around useless white people when I decided to ask. Why? Why do people like this book? (Please answer for yourself if you like this book, I want to know!)

Dr. Sandona's answer is that he really likes the way that it's written. The language is really appealing and he appreciates how Austen created this world for readers to escape to during the Napoleonic Wars (Personally, this world sounds like a special ring of hell).

Dr. Mitchell-Buck was all about the narrator. Having a snarky narrator who tells the story but gets punished/chastised for it is refreshing and rewarding. 

I didn't officially ask Dr. Orloff but she digs Jane and hates Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet. 

These are good answers. I appreciate them and they have helped me get through the book. Once I was on a roll I kept myself going. With the aid of Mr. Bennet and a pen I marked my way through the book. What super helped me were The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

I fell in love with the characters, I fell in love with the way the story was crafted, I fell in love with the story changes, and totally fell in love with the LOVE! I was so friggin' stoked for all the little romances and it made me turn to the book with new happiness and excitement.

Then I got to thinking. No one put romance at the top of their list as to why they liked this book. Before reading this book I had seen that Keira Knightley movie so i was expecting some awesome love action in the rain and stuff.

Look at that! Look at that deceleration of love and stuff! That's what I was expecting from the book. Nope. It was not nearly as romantic as I wanted it to be. My romance boner was gone.

 

They take a walk in the garden, go over how they had once perceived each other and how they have not changed, and then they part ways APPARENTLY ENGAGED. WHAT? I SO CLEARLY DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS TIME PERIOD. HE DIDN'T ASK HER TO MARRY HIM! WHAT IS GOING ON!

How did this happen? Someone with a history boner needs to tell me when it was unacceptable to have the spicy-sauce relationships that Shakespeare wrote and replace it with this passive romance. It was such a let down for me that the ending is actually ruined. THEY DON'T EVEN KISS....WHAT?! THAT'S NOT EVEN WHY I'M UPSET. I mean, look at this chemistry!

THAT IS A CUTE SPICY MEATBALL! I was expecting this from the book, and it let me down. 

Don't get me wrong, I am glad that I read the book. I can check it off my list and be in the in crowd of people that 'get' Pride and Prejudice (or fake it at least). I love how Austen does dialogue, Mr. Bennet is my homie, and the book totally wrapped me up in it's dramatics. I was laughing and faux-gasping as I read it which I haven't done in a good long while. I liked it but I probably wouldn't read it again too soon. Like, if I ever have a kid and they have to read it for class I might pick it up again just to keep the neurons firing. 

As far as the feminism in this book goes, I feel like its something that I will need the class to help me understand better. I see little snippets here and there that might be considered feminist but I can't get past that the entire society these people live in revolves around marriage. No matter what personality the men and women may have its all about how they're going to attached themselves to each other. I'm not seeing a who bunch of autonomy here. I mean, I am. The fact that Elizabeth can say no to Mr. Collins and Darcy is pretty impressive and autonomous. I dunno. THIS STUFF IS HARD!! Alright, I should go to sleep now, the cold medicine is hitting me now.

Austenland

I heard about this book a few years ago, but never read it. Now, there's a movie. Go figure. So, this weekend my friends and I watched Austenland. I'm going to be honest; I loved it. We laughed. We said, "this is ridiculous!" and all that good stuff. It was just a lot of fun all around. A few days later, my friend even said, "I could watch Austenland again right now."

 (I love Mr. Darcy, too!) 

The premise is that Jane (lol) is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice and unlucky in love, so she goes to Austenland, a resort of sorts where actors interact with guests and bring Jane Austen's world to life. I saw many parallels between what the actors were doing and saying and various scenes in Austen's novels. Catching those moments is always a bonus.

I still want to read the book, and I'm sure that I will. I think this is an interesting "take" on Austen in that it shows how people today still have strong reactions to her novels, because they do. Much like the Jane Austen Book Club, which I also like. It's one of those movies I can watch whenever I feel like it and not get bored. It's just so cute. I can get a bit of an Austen fix without watching or reading any of her books or their incarnations on film.

I genuinely enjoy the films that aren't modern adaptations of the novels but modern films where the books or films are incorporated. Lost in Austen is another one. The main character actually gets transported into Pride and Prejudice.

(All four episodes of Lost in Austen are available to stream for free and legally on Hulu right here; yay! -- I think I know how I'm spending my Friday night!)

The modern adaptations of the books are great fun, too: Clueless, Bridget Jones' Diary, and the good old Lizzie Bennet Diaries or the follow-up series of Emma.

Austen's novels have been interpreted in many ways and changed drastically for some of them. I will watch any Austen interpretation I can get my hands on.

I'm gonna go read some P&P fanfiction now.