September 10, 2014

Stories, Classics, & YouTube


Yep! I'm going to talk about some of the YouTube sensations in this post. You know what I'm talking about....
Emma Approved! Frankenstein MD! Welcome to Sanditon! The Autobiography of Jane Eyre! and the best for last.....THE LIZZIE BENNET DIARIES! (Plus a few others.)
In the last couple years, video storytelling has blasted off into the sky with much fanfare and from the looks of it, no chance of dying out anytime soon. Which is great! Because I've really been enjoying all the different stories we get to be a part of.

And that? Is exactly what (or part of what) makes these videos so popular (in my opinion). The viewers get to feel like we're part of the story. And if you ask any avid book reader, I imagine you'll get very similar responses. We like to feel like these characters are actually real people and we could be best friends with them. We get sucked into their lives and feel like we're literally in the story with them. That's one way writers hook us in, after all. By dragging us into the action and refusing to let us go back to real life until they decide when. So when stories that we may or may not know well get put into video form, with real people playing the characters and then talking directly to the viewers (and using transmedia {instagram, tumblr, and twitter for example} to interact with us as well), we like it. We flock to it. We obsessively search out every single detail about said characters and real life actors and......or wait, is that just me? ;)

Regardless, whatever the formula for hooking viewers, it's clearly been working. Much to my delight! (Because you know what that means? More awesomeness to come! More stories getting told! Always a good thing in my book.) (Pun not on purpose.....but I like it so it's staying.) (Although not really sure it's actually a pun?) (Nonetheless. It's staying.) (And that's all I'll say about it.) (Promise.)

So! The Lizzie Bennet Diaries was the beginning of it all and what a beginning it was. Talk about a high standard to live up to! Arguably the best of them all so far (I say arguably because some people probably agree with that and some people probably don't.) (But surely we can all agree that it was certainly a phenomenon!) (Still is for that matter), the producers, writers, and actors of the show caught everyone by surprise and made a huge splash the world over. Literally! I remember watching it faithfully and seeing all sorts of languages in the comment section under each video.

Then there was Welcome to Sanditon. And The Autobiography of Jane Eyre started up around the same time The LBD finished (about which I have a few thoughts, so a more detailed post may come later.....maybe). And we then had Emma Approved come on the scene. Also can't forget the newest, Frankenstein MD (Victoria talks a mile a minute, which is good since she always goes above my head with all that science mumbo jumbo. And Iggy is great!) Now there are multiple others on YouTube. I haven't watched very many of them, although I did try the first few episodes of the New Adventures of Peter and Wendy (which is quite adorable and fun!). I've also watched a couple episodes of Nothing Much To Do. As well as heard of Classic Alice and Green Gables Fables (neither of which I've watched). I'm sure there may also be a few others that I know nothing about.

That's one thing I think is pretty awesome about it all. That these great classic stories are getting known in the minds of teens today! Of people in general! It may even spark some of them to want to read, which would be amazing. Now granted, all these stories are updated into modern times, but they are still getting put out there. Reminding people of how fabulous they are. That they're classics for a reason! And that maybe, just maybe, they are worth taking a second look at, instead of dismissing as just some old story that's probably boring. (I admit, I wasn't so thrilled to read them when I was a teen. But I have since changed my mind. Quite happily I might add! :)

And isn't that the goal of any writer? And the dream of every reader? To have these stories out there for people to consume and enjoy and talk about? So whether you're a purist or not, I think it's pretty wonderful that these stories are getting refreshed. (Plus, since I've not ever read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, I'm intrigued to watch a story that I know nothing about.) And as a Jane Austen fan, I am beyond thrilled that her stories are getting told again. I never tire of watching and reading about her regency (or modern!) heroines! :D

Have you been watching any of these? Why or why not? Any thoughts to share? Anyone? Hello?



10 comments:

  1. Great post! Aren't webseries a wonderful phenomenon? I agree with you that the LBD is absolutely the best, although in my opinion Emma Approved comes veeery close. At the moment I'm watching Classic Alice, which I quite like. I tried a few episodes of Nothing Much to Do, but I couldn't really get into it.

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    1. Thanks Birdie! :) They really are. And you're right, EA is simply wonderful! After The LBD, I admit it took me a little to warm up to anything different than that. But I'm so glad I stuck around. That "If I loved you less..." moment was delightfully amazing! :)

      I couldn't really get into NMtD either. But I know Classic Alice is pretty popular and if you recommend it, I'll definitely have to try it soon.

      As always, thanks for dropping by! :)

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  2. I've watched all of these with the exception of Nothing Much To Do(but it's on my list!). I actually thought Emma Approved was better than LBD although no one shined in that series more than Lydia<3 I loved what they did with her character. I only wish we could have seen more of Mary.

    Classic Alice is very fun, and Green Gables Fables is cute. I haven't read the books but it seems that GGF is sticking to the original story line. I LOVE the new adventures of peter and wendy<3 I can't wait for season 2, especially with that ending...!

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    1. I so agree with you there, Sandy. Lydia was amazing! I never thought I'd find a version where I'd like her, but those LBD writers are magicians in that area. :) Yes! I'd've loved to have had more Mary. She was awesome!

      I haven't seen the rest of New Peter and Wendy and now you have me intrigued....

      I'll also definitely have to try Classic Alice and Green Gables now. I love the Anne stories, so if they're sticking pretty close to the originals, then I'm in. Thanks!

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  3. Eh, I've watched them all, my current favorite is Green Gables Fables, mostly because it's just so enthusiastic about it! :) I've watched Nothing Much to DO and it was pretty cute, but I had a big problem with the audio, half the time I couldn't hear what they were saying so I had to put on my head phones and turn it all the way up, and it got annoying after a while, so I only watched about 5 or 6 eps but it was fun.

    Saw Classic Alice but lost track of it and didn't go on, Peter and Wendy was fun but a bit slowish. Really liked The Autobiography of Jane Eyre but I would have liked a better ending.

    LBD was good, but Lydia stole the show, I loved all the videos she was on about twice as much as the ones where she wasn't (lizzie often came off as very judgy); and I LOVED Emma Approved, Emma's heart was always in the right place even if her methods weren't always the best, and I liked her a lot for it. She wanted to help, often made a muck of things, but it came from a genuine place.

    Now... I can't stand Victoria from Frankenstein MD, I have science degree and I would have been kicked out of university for doing even a third of the crap she pulls off in a show, and I wasn't even studying to be a doctor. She really rubs me the wrong way.

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    1. I do love the Anne stories, so I'll have to check out their enthusiasm for myself. Thanks Alex! :) And actually, I had that same problem. The audio for NMtD wasn't that great for me either. With their accents, understanding them was kinda difficult. But I may go back to it someday. We'll see.

      Yes! The AoJE was so good! Until that ending. Was so disappointed with how they ended it. :( I understand that they may have had reasons for that, but somehow I think they still could have worked it out better than they did. Such a letdown to a great series.

      Lydia was amazing, wasn't she? I agree that The LBD wouldn't have been half of what it was without her. I think I liked Emma for the same reasons as Lydia. They change so much for the better during their respective series. And they have such great hearts, even when they're making a mess of things. As well as they both tend to put up a front for other people, but those who love them know different. If that makes sense?

      I don't know anything about science personally, so all that stuff Victoria talks about just goes over my head. But I can see where her antics would be frustrating. And I can certainly tell that it wouldn't be tolerated in real life. I've enjoyed the show so far though, so I'll keep sticking with it. We'll see where it goes. (Also? I didn't realize you had a science degree. How cool are you?! :)

      Thanks for stopping by, Alex! It's fun to know who else is watching these besides me. :)

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  4. I have tried twice to watch the LBD and just can't quite get into them. I should try some of the others, though -- maybe I'd like them better.

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    1. Maybe you would, Hamlette! There are some fun ones out there. I know you love Jane Eyre, so you could try that one. I thought they did a great job with the creepiness/sweetness/whatever you call it. :)

      And I know several others who don't really like The LBD at all, so you're far from alone in that.

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    2. Yes, I'd like to try the Jane Eyre version! One of these days.

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    3. If only we had all the time in the world for all the things we'd like to read, watch, and do, right? :)

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