Have you seen The Lizzie Bennet Diaries? You should really see The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. It’s a great adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in the form of a web series, narrated by our favorite Lizzie Bennet and edited by her best friend Charlotte Lu. This is the first episode:
Watching these videos is like falling down a rabbit hole. I spent a whole evening catching up on the series instead of doing work, and I consider it time well spent. This series is a cute and clever way to update Pride and Prejudice, and I think the casting is perfect for the eight characters we’ve seen. I’m still impatient for Mr. Darcy to show up (or William Darcy, as he’s called in this series).
Then I started thinking about my own updated version of Pride and Prejudice, a project that’s still in its brainstorming stage.
Yes, I have a plot bunny in mind for another Pride and Prejudice adaptation. What a relief. There simply aren’t enough Pride and Prejudice adaptations to begin with and the world desperately needs mine.
What can I say? Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book. I reread it once a year and watch the BBC miniseries with my mother every Christmas vacation. It makes sense that I would want to create my own modernized version of the story where the genders of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are reversed.
For several months now, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of a role-reversal Pride and Prejudice where a witty, clever, energetic young man named Ben crosses the path of a wealthy, reserved, snobby young woman named Darcy.
How do they meet? Well, it’s terribly simple. Ben is the pianist in an indie music duo with his older sister Jane, and they’re about to perform at a concert in a small bar with a small audience. Meanwhile, who should be in the audience but two big names in the music industry: the rich, successful talent agent Charlie Bilson, and the even richer, more successful Darcy Williams, owner of a prominent record label. Jane and Ben’s music duo plays a concert, and Charlie is not only impressed with their catchy pop tunes, but instantly smitten with Jane. Darcy is less impressed and is blunt with Charlie when they have a moment alone: she thinks Jane is very talented and pretty, but needs to ditch her brother and his corny lyrics that sound like they were ripped from Taylor Swift’s middle school diary.
Ben, of course, overhears this and is furious. When he and Jane go on for an encore, they surprise the audience with one of their less commercial tunes, one where Ben has a complicated solo that he kills. This time, Darcy is genuinely impressed, but when she meets Ben after the show to compliment him, he thinks she’s being insincere. He instantly dislikes her while she finds him intriguing. And thus the plot is set up.
In this brainstorm, some of the characters (Jane, Mr. Bingley, Lydia, the Bennet parents, George Wickham, Georgiana Darcy) remain the same sex as they are in the original story, while others (Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, the Bingley sisters, Mr. Collins, Charlotte Lucas, Lady Catherine de Bourgh) switch sexes. I envision the Wickham character as a fellow musician who befriends Ben by talking about the rich girl who cheated him out of his inheritance and broke his heart. Instead of getting a crush on him, Ben gets more of a heterosexual man crush on another cool musician type. I haven’t quite worked out the details of the Charlotte/Collins story, Lady Catherine, or the Lydia/Wickham plot, but the wheels are still turning.
Right now, the plot details aren’t my main concern. I’m not even committed to the music plot (it was the first one that popped in my head and I’m willing to change it). I’m wondering if this idea is even worth pursuing – if anyone but me would want to see a gender-swapped Pride and Prejudice.
Let’s face it – Pride and Prejudice is typically more popular with women than with men, and a lot of us are really into Mr. Darcy. Are (straight) women going to be as interested in a story where the snobby character (who turns out to be a really good person after all) is a rich woman who gets to play the romantic hero? Are they going to be interested in seeing a man brush off this woman for half of the movie while she’s awkward with him?
Maybe. I don’t know. Here are the reasons that a gender-swapped Pride and Prejudice appeals to me. I like the idea of portraying a quiet, more reserved woman who’s often dismissed as a snooty bitch, but turns out to be a total catch. I like the idea of a woman getting to be the romantic pursuer without seeming pathetic. I like the idea of a woman getting to deliver a version of a love confession that is both heartfelt and hilariously rude, of the “I love you even though your connections are terrible and your family is an embarrassment to be around!” variety. I like the idea of a male Elizabeth, snarky and clever and smart but too impressed with himself, having his world completely turned upside down when he realizes that the rich bitch he can’t stand is in love with him.
Or maybe the idea of a gender-swapped P&P appeals to me just because I want to see if it CAN be done.
So this is where I put the question to the readers: can it be done, and done well? Or is this modernized take on Pride and Prejudice with a boy Lizzie and a girl Darcy a project that would only appeal to me?
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Of course, it can! It would certainly appeal to me (but I’m the girl who has watched every avaible Jane Austen adaptation)! I think the roles can be changed – and it will be interesting:)
Lizzie Bennet Diaries are great! Did you notice that the characters have their own tumblrs and twitters on which we can see the other side of the story? (For example right now we can see the “good brother” side of Darcy through his twitter conversations with his sister). Wickham has his creepy okcupid account.
The great thing of Austen’s writing, and Pride and Prejudice in particular, is that the story – with its wit, comedy and tragedy – just begs to be adapted. And it can be. I myself am thinking of how it could be adapted into Polish reality – both modern for us, and modern for Jane Austen…
I have not yet read the tumblrs and twitters of the other characters, but clearly I must. I can’t wait to see what d-bag Wickham says.
I myself am thinking of how it could be adapted into Polish reality – both modern for us, and modern for Jane Austen…
I would be interested in seeing that.
http://www.lizziebennet.com/story/ Here’s most of the tmblrs and twitter conversations that are significant to the story (though there’s more to explore on each account-the site offers links). Wickham’s twitter is super-douchebaggey.
As to the Polish reality: With the modernized version it wouldn’t be that different from any Western culture modernized adaptation, with a change of names, etc.
The Polish adaptation taking place in the 1800s would be much more tricky, as at that time Poland was being occupied by three countries, with the social and political situation of Poles (and Polish gentry) in, to put it mildly, different levels of uncomfortable, trying organizing uprisings or being persecuted in various ways. I guess in my version George Wickham (Jerzy Wikanicki?Jerzy Paskudko? (Paskudny=Wicked)) would tell that Elizabeth (Elżbieta) that Darcy (Darciński?) collaborated with one of the occupants (Austrians or Prussians or Russians), while being himself a traitor. I’d love to try both, but first my M.A, thesis has to be finished…
I would definitely be interested in your adapation. I’m already interested. I think my only fear would be the risk of female Darcy being modelled too much on the current popular “mean girl/rich girl” stereotype. Not that I think you would do this, but that it is a risk. But it’s a cool risk, because it would be amazing to see a character who seems like this stereotype at the beginning but then becomes more complex, not in a “I’m really a hurt little girl inside!” but rather, “I appear snobby and aloof because people have a hard time understanding why a woman wouldn’t immediately be either your BFF or a total bitch – I’m really something else all together, subtle and thoughtful and complex”. I would say I can identify with the aloof yet kind, complex character this might describe and I’m sure a lot of women do.
I’m also totally intrigued by the Wickham and Ben as male intimates idea. I personally would be comfortable with some actual gay tension there, sort of a “sexuality is a continuum” thing, not overt, but kind of the subtle. Or, it could be more a portrayal of the generally culturally unexplored yet deep and real love that can develop between intimate friends of the same gender. To some degree you see this in the original P&P between Jane and Elizabeth, in the scenes where they are in bed. Now these aren’t sexual, but they do have that wonderful intimacy that close friends/siblings share that is very embodied and physically as well as emotionally close.
Keep us posted!!
Yeah, Darcy definitely wouldn’t be a rich bitch/mean girl stereotype (face it, the Bingley sisters are already versions of that). I don’t see her as someone who likes to rag on people just to be mean, but she IS a snob in several ways, just like Mr. Darcy is. What makes Mr. Darcy interesting is that – in most of the book, at least – he’s a good person without really being a nice person, and I’d like to see if a woman Darcy could pull off that same complexity.
Ben and Wickham, I can see having a slight homoerotic undertone, but I don’t know if this story is the best place to explore deep intimacy among same-gender friends, because Elizabeth and Wickham’s relationship isn’t that deep in the book to begin with. She’s just a little dazzled and charmed by him. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t change it, but I see Ben as having more of a heterosexual crush that fizzles quickly.
I love the idea!
Thanks! We’ll see when I can actually start working on it.
This needs to happen.
I’ll get on it! 🙂
I love the Lizzie Bennet Diaries! I was wondering, how did you come across them? I started watching them from the beginning as the creator, Hank Green, has a youtube channel Vlogbrothers, which I’ve watched for years. I am just curious as to how others found the series.
I think it’s a brilliant idea, although I think I prefer if all the characters were switched. I think the character of Jane as a male would be very interesting.
A friend of mine alerted me to Lizzie Bennet Diaries and that’s how I started watching.
The reason I don’t want to switch all of the characters is largely because of Wickham. I could not think of a scheme that girl-Wickham would pull on a boy-Lydia aside from faking a pregnancy or tricking him into getting her pregnant or something horribly antifeminist-stereotype like that. I’d want to keep Wickham and Lydia the same, and a few other characters.
I think that’s a really cool idea! And I also think the idea of Ben and Wickham becoming best friends is great too.You could always make Lydia Ben’s little sister so that it’s more of a friend betrayal when Wickham goes after Lydia. I’m intrigued to see how the Darcy character would turn out. I think she could be really great.
I don’t see Ben and Wickham as becoming best friends so much as brief buddies who get high a few times and talk about music and women. Elizabeth and Wickham’s friendship wasn’t that deep in the book and I’d rather keep it shallow between those two. That doesn’t mean Ben won’t beat the stuffing out of Wickham when the Bennets catch him, though. 🙂
I for one feel really excited about this possibly becoming a thing.
Thanks! But if someone else beat me to the idea, I wouldn’t mind too much – as long as SOMEONE does it.
I actually fell in love with the idea of genderswapped P&P a few years back – I haven’t seen your exact idea, but there are a few versions out there:
“And This Is Your Opinion Of Me” by Tulina; modern-day, set in Barcelona, unfinished: http://archiveofourown.org/works/33777?view_full_work=true
“First Impressions” by me; Regency: http://archiveofourown.org/works/97016?view_full_work=true
“A Long Engagement” by Tulina and hele; Regency, everyone is genderswapped: http://archiveofourown.org/works/246356?view_full_work=true
“Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had” by biichan; Regency, each Bennet daughter has a turn as a son: http://archiveofourown.org/works/102470/chapters/140793
There are some shorter ones out there, too.
Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll bookmark them for reading later.
“can it be done, and done well? Or is this modernized take on Pride and Prejudice with a boy Lizzie and a girl Darcy a project that would only appeal to me?”
Yes. Yes, it can be done and it should be done. You know why? Because this is probably the most thoughtful idea for a P&P adaptation I’ve ever heard. The majority of it them (and I have seen many of them…oh, so many…) follow the general pattern of “hey, this story is almost exactly like a classic book you’ve all read, but it’s modernized/set in India/set at a Mormon college! See how everything lines up exactly with the origenal story, except the new setting?” I realize that that’s the point of a modernization/adaptation, but when you see enough of those in a row, it starts to feel like folks are missing a lot of untapped potential. I feel like a P&P adaptation could have the freedom to go a lot deeper than just ‘here’s a blueprint of the story transferred to a different time period or location.’ It seems like one could use that format to explore the ideas and themes that Austen deals with, examine how gender roles have changed/haven’t changed in the last hundred plus years, etc. etc. That’s why this whole gender switching idea appeals to me. I’ve more or less given up on P&P stories (except for the P&P and zombies film. If that ever gets made, I will be watching the hell out of it), but the story you just descibed, I’d be totally on board for. That’s just my two cents on it.
Why, thanks! 🙂 I’ll get to writing this once I finish everything else I’ve planned.
I definately know how that goes. “Oh, a new idea for a project! It’s definately going on the list…behind the fifty other in-progress/not-yet-started pieces in que. No sweat.”
So I read this a few days ago and the concept has been brewing in my brain ever since.
Here’s my work-in-progress idea for Mr. Collins:
Mr. Collins is an older man. He’s well-meaning but not a paragon of intelligence or wit. I like the idea of him being an accountant or financial manager for the Lady Catherine figure. It’s a stand-in for the stuffiness of his original clergy-ness and fits with a more modern setting. He’s possibly a family friend (maybe an old acquaintance of Ben’s mother?) who comes to visit. He’s lonely (maybe a widower?) and finds Jane charming and sweet so he flirts with her awkwardly and tries to befriend Ben. Jane rebuffs him politely but Ben is a bit more vehement in his dislike.
Ultimately, one of Ben’s long-time friends, Charlotte, meets Mr. Collins and ends up finding him kind of cute. Charlotte is very shy and somewhat lonely (perhaps she had a crush on Ben some time ago? or maybe not. it’s not necessary), so she gradually falls for Mr. Collins.
After they’re together, she and Collins, who still wants to be friends with Ben, invite Ben to come stay with them in, say, New York (assuming you’re setting it in America. Any mainstream, expensive-to-live place will do). There he meets Darcy’s aunt, etc etc.
I’m imagining Mr. Collins/Charlotte being a tiny bit like Sir Antony/Edith from Downton Abbey, if that makes any sense. Not exactly, but that sort of feeling. A slightly stuffy, blustery, but well-meaning older man and a younger, shy, kind, lonely girl.
Hi, I found this post through googling to see if anyone else ever had the same idea that I had. And WOW you almost had the same idea exactly! Different plot details aside. I was even inspired by the Lizzie Bennet Diaries too!
I’m curious to know if you ever wrote this. I did end up writing my version, which took place in high school, but there are some things I wish I had changed (for instance, the portrayal of most female characters came out as kind of sexist and one-dimensional… which is interesting because several of them were men in Austen’s novel. I now wish I’d done the father as the crazy neurotic one and the mother as the scholarly, tolerant voice of reason.) Still… it was fun. I’ve posted it here if you’re interested: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/3072728/1/Bennett-and-Daria
Anyway, high five for also wanting a female Mr. Darcy! I identify way more strongly with Darcy than with Lizzie. In my head, he and I are bros.