My love for Jane Austen

If it ever so happens that I get to confess my love for Jane Austen, people usually assume – if they don’t just  think I’m an even bigger nerd than I was before – I just really enjoy the Pride and Prejudice movie with Kiera Knightley. Now, I really do love that film. I probably watched it over twenty times and I will admit that with every time my crush on Mr. Darcy became bigger (gah!). Still, when I say I love Jane Austen I’m not just talking about that movie. I am actually talking about all her novels, but also about the really cool spin-offs that have sprung up in the last 200 years. In the last two years or so that I have been reading Austen’s novels, I’ve stumbled upon lots of these new adaptations. Because I think some of these gems are worth checking out, even if you’re not into Regency novels and stuck-up guys in tight pants, I decided to share my favorite ones with you today.

Let’s begin with a very simple one, my favorite Austen novel. It’s Persuasion. Now this might not seem like a novel that lacks  attention (which it doesn’t!), but I feel like Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility or are the novels everyone immediately knows. They’re also probably the ones that are/were on your school’s reading list, which is a real loss because I think Persuasion is a really awesome and relatable novel. So, why is it so great? Well, I could mention all kinds of literary terms or give an in-depth analysis of the relationships in the novel, but I’m just going to say this; Anne is just like us. She’s a real girl, who makes mistakes and has been through some hard times that have made her more of a realist than an optimist. So when I found out for the first time that she eventually gets a happy ending, it felt like I was watching a really well-made feel-good movie. (Eating chocolate ice cream also adds to this experience.)

Now, this book called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Graham Smith is basically a dream come true for me. (Seriously, this is the kind of stuff you come up with in a strange dream.) It’s the perfect mix of two things I really love. Kick-ass action and Regency romance. The book is very similar to the original Pride & Prejudice, almost 75% of the original text is still in there, but instead of reading Elizabeth spends her time slaying zombies. The book also contains some very nicely done illustrations of Elizabeth and her friends cutting of limbs and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Even if you hate everything having to do with Jane Austen, this book is still worth checking out. Just don’t read it before your Literature exam, because you don’t want to accidentally start describing an epic zombie battle as an answer.

This last one, the web show Emma Approved, might actually help if you have to read Emma for your English class. Although the show is set in present day and the storyline is altered a little, reading the book while following the series can really help to understand what is actually happening and relate to Austen’s characters better. Even if you don’t have to read anything for school, this web series is a lot of fun to watch. Emma wears super fashionable out, Mr. Knightley is a real cutie and every episode is either so funny or so shocking that you have to keep on watching. So, every Monday and Thursday I always look forward to the new video going up online. If you want to begin to  watch, you can do so here: www.youtube.com/pemberleydigital. (The creators of the series have also made a modern day adaptation of Pride & Prejudice that I also really love. You can check it out here: www.youtube.com/lizziebennet)