The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

## Introduction

"*My name is Lizzie Bennet, and this is my life."*

The modernization of classic novels is nothing new. Through the entertainment industry, we've seen tales like *The Odyssey* move into 1930s Mississippi and *Sherlock Holmes* enter the streets of present-day London*.* These modern adaptations have certainly grabbed the attention of a new audience, yet these films are still rooted in older media.The accessibility of new media, however, has allowed for a re-imagining of the classics into a technology-driven world, namely on the Internet itself.

### **Transmedia Storytelling**

With the recent development of many social platforms, storytellers are taking to their online resources to create and re-imagine narratives. The idea of transmedia storytelling (or “multi-platform storytelling”) is fairly simple: the writer will use a variety of avenues (such as videography, blogging, tweeting, printed text, etc.) to share a narrative while world-building and adding various means of audience interaction.  However, because this is such a recent trend, the lines of transmedia storytelling are continuously being redefined.

The beauty of this type of storytelling is in its accessibility. Not only can these types of adaptations be accessed by anyone with an Internet connection, but they can also be *created* by anyone that wishes to make their own series. Many different creators--whether it be an individual or an entire team--are turning to classic stories as a basis of their tales, helping adapt older novels for a modern audience.

### **What is *The Lizzie Bennet Diaries?***

First uploaded in 2012, *The Lizzie Bennet Diaries* is a transmedia series that helped usher in a new era of adapted classics. Developed by Hank Green and Bernie Su, the video series is an adaptation of Austen’s famous novel, *Pride and Prejudice*, re-imagined in the modern world. Lizzie Bennet, a grad-student studying mass communications, begins to document her daily life through vlogs on YouTube. However, the plot and character development doesn’t stop at her videos; Lizzie interacts with more of Austen’s characters, such as Lydia and Mr. Darcy, both on screen and through a variety of social networks.

    The series certainly didn’t go unnoticed—in fact, in 2013, in became the first YouTube series to win the Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media-Original Interactive Program. *The Lizzie Bennet Diaries* has also spanned other formats after its original digital release from 2012 to 2013, with the creative team producing a DVD box set and two novels based on the series.

## Transmediation in the Series

### **YouTube**

The primary way Lizzie shares her story with the audience is through her vlogs, which help develop her character as a Mass Communications graduate student. Lizzie's vlogs serve as the primary source of information on how the writers have moved Austen's story into the 21st century, such as home renovations being the cause of Lizzie and Jane's temporary relocation to the Netherfield house and Charlotte's decision to become business partners with Ricky Collins. The vlogs also become somewhat of a meeting place for all other types of mediation in the series, as Lizzie usually explains the off-camera character interaction that the viewer may have missed. The vlogs do change Austen's original narration from third-person to first-person, though this seems to give Lizzie even more of a voice than she had before. Lizzie's unique style and personality help draw the audience into this classic tale, even bringing in viewers that may be completely new to the story.

The use of YouTube also helps develop some other characters and companies in the world of the series. Collins and Collins, for example, is the web video company that Ricky Collins runs with his venture capitalist partner, Catherin De Bourgh. With web video being a common interest between Ricky and Lizzie, Ricky's request that the two become business partners serves as a substitute for Mr. Collin's proposal to Elizabeth in the novel. Likewise, the company's YouTube page actually posts the videos that Ricky alludes to in Lizzie's vlogs, namely in their video series, "Better Living With Collins and Collins." This company also served as a way for the audience to bring themselves into the series as well: Collins actually invited viewers to send in "application" videos for his company's how-to series.

### **Twitter**

Twitter also became a unique way to highlight character interaction in the series. Most characters that appear on Lizzie's vlogs have a corresponding Twitter account, which is used to show the off-screen relationships between the characters. Lizzie's account, for example, shows a number of tweets to her sisters after she moves to another town, allowing the viewers to continually be in contact with interaction between the three sisters. These accounts also serve to better develop the connections between the characters, with Caroline constantly tweeting Gigi and William Darcy, much in the same way that she wrote letters in the novel.

Likewise, these accounts serve to highlight important plot devices in the vlogs themselves. The way Jane finds out about Bing Lee's abrupt move from Netherfield, for example, is primarily communicated through tweets; in episode 47, she receives a Twitter notification from Bing's account, which informs that he's left town in favor of Los Angeles. This gives Jane an opportunity to express her feelings on camera, something that helps both move the plot forward and develop her character.

Lizzie's tweets serve a similar purpose in episode 84: after a string of tweets implying that her phone is malfunctioning, Lizzie shows off her new phone in the episode, which subsequently alerts her to several missed calls from Charlotte Lu. Because she had no other way of being reached besides her cell phone, Lizzie was not aware of the scandal George Wickham had caused with Lydia. These types of tweets help root the story in the "real world", helping the audience further suspend their disbelief and become immersed in the story.

### **Pinterest/Lookbook**

Some other characters, like Jane Bennet, take to some less-typical types of media to develop their personalities. Being characterized as extremely creative, Jane shows her skills to the world via both Pinterest and Lookbook. Her Pinterest page showcases many of her art-related interests, such as fashion and crafting. Even in the video series itself, there is mention of her interactions on these accounts, like when Lizzie mentions Jane continually "pinning sad pictures" on her Pinterest page after she finds out Bing has left without saying anything to her. Once again, this small detail makes Jane's character seem much more real, as you can actually visit her account and see the pins that Lizzie references.

Similarly, Jane's account on LookBook develops her career as a fashion designer. Over the course of Lizzie's vlogs, Jane posts photos of her ensembles to her account, some of them directly related to events of the story, like Bing Lee's party. Again, the use of this type of social media helps the writers develop Jane's character without having to have her in the videos for an extended amount of time, as well as give her character a better sense of realism.

### **Pemberley Digital**

Finally, possibly one of the most interesting modes of transmediation is the presence of Pemberley Digital. During the original run of *The Lizzie Bennet Diaries*, this company was merely used as a fictional representation of a modernized Pemberley estate. As far as the plot is concerned, Lizzie shadowed this company as part of her independent study, which serves to strengthen the relationship between Darcy and herself. However, after the series ended its original run, the company became a recognized name in transmedia storytelling, going on to work on other classic novel adaptations such as *Emma* and *Frankenstein.*Though the company itself is originated as a transmedia aspect for *The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,* it now serves a practical purpose within the real world of digital storytelling.

## Viewer Responses

As is the case with many new media projects, *The Lizzie Bennet Diaries* gained quite an online following during the first run of the series. While the series itself encouraged a lot of viewer interaction with the characters, fans have found ways to express their thoughts and ideas through art and community discussion. These fans took to different types of media to share the support, in the same way the creators of the seriesshared this story through various social media sites.

### **Fan Art**

Fans have taken to many different websites, including DeviantArt and Tumblr, to share their art based on the series. Portraits, graphics, and photo manipulations are some of the most common artistic examples, but fans have shared their work in a variety of different forms, from knitted scarves featuring the logo to pumpkin carvings of the characters. Many of the actors in the series have shared these types of fan projects, allowing these artists to gain a wider audience. The characters' social media accounts acknowledged and shared some of this art as well, especially on websites like Tumblr. This type of interaction not only allowed viewers to further take part in the *Lizzie Bennet* universe, but also interact with other artists in the community. Likewise, some of this art has been transferred onto different merchandise for other fans to purchase.

### **Merchandise by DFTBA**

DFTBA , also co-founded by Hank Green, began creating and selling merchandise based on the series, most of which is still sold today. Viewers can purchase mugs, buttons, posters, even an actual "diary" that showcase each fan's interest in the series. One of the more popular items in the store, though, is *The Lizzie Bennet Diaries* edition of *Pride and Prejudice,* whose cover showcases an illustration of Lizzie and Darcy. This gave viewers a chance to engage with the original text that inspired the show, hopefully bringing Austen's work to a new era of readers. Official merchandise has allowed fans to express their interest in the series on a more routine basis, encouraging viewership of the series despite the fact that the final episode was posted over two years ago.

### **Community**

From tumblr to Twitter, *The Lizzie Bennet Diaries* remains active because of its avid fan base. There remains ongoing discussion of the series as new viewers discover it, sharing new thoughts and reactions to the series in a more public platform. Many viewers have also created GIFs and memes of notable moments in the series, such as the "Are You Fake Texting?" scene and the "Darcy Bot" meme. Also, though the first episode was posted over three years ago, the YouTube comment section of Lizzie's vlogs has remained fairly active, with many fans returning for a second or third viewing of the 100-episode series. This community has shown great enthusiasm over this project's story and characters, which has created an ever-growing fan base with a newfound interest in classic stories.

1. ↑ My Name is Lizzie Bennet - Ep: 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KisuGP2lcPs
2. ↑ *O Brother, Where Art Thou:* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O\_Brother,\_Where\_Art\_Thou%3F
3. ↑ *BBC Sherlock*: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock\_(TV\_series)
4. ↑ Transmedia Storytelling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmedia\_storytelling
5. ↑ Vlogs are typically defined as a blog in video form, which consists of a first-person narration regarding topics of the vlogger's choosing.
6. ↑ The Lizzie Bennet Diaries FAQ: http://www.pemberleydigital.com/the-lizzie-bennet-diaries
7. ↑ *The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet* and *The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet* were written by the show's writers after the main series had ended
8. ↑ The website of the fictional company: http://www.collinsncollins.com/
9. ↑ Mr. Collins Returns (Extended Edition) - Ep: 36: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG5VOu\_hME4
10. ↑ Playlist--Better Living With Collins and Collins: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-kgvWgodA8aexGBQoqNqk8aDZjhjqboV
11. ↑ It's About Communicating - Ep: 47: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf8vHNTEMLU
12. ↑ Ugh - Ep: 84: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k90qMr3Sstg
13. ↑ LooksByJane on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/LooksByJane/boards/
14. ↑ LooksByJane on LookBook: http://lookbook.nu/looksbyjane
15. ↑ About Pemberley Digital: http://www.pemberleydigital.com/about/
16. ↑ DFTBA Homepage: http://store.dftba.com/
17. ↑ Lizzie Bennet is in Denial - Ep: 15: https://youtu.be/9X68-knFQ3c?t=2m55s
18. ↑ Darcybot Malfunction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98Ga5xKwQJM