Adaptations of literary classics have always been a part of cinema, whether it be the Harry Potter series or even Twilight. With YouTube vlogs, the viewer gets to see the multiple perspectives of the characters via the character’s vlogs, other means of social media that the characters use and just simply their personalities shining out from behind the camera.
- Lizzie Bennet Diaries (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)
This is a great series to start watching if you love any of the “Pride and Prejudice” movies. Ashley Clements, Laura Spencer and Mary Kate Wiles are the perfect women to play the main three Bennet sisters, Lizzie Bennet, Jane Bennet and Lydia Bennet. This series is true to the original books but puts a modern twist on the story. They do change Mary Bennet to be a cousin in the story and Kitty Bennet is played by an actual cat. Lizzie Bennet is not the only main character in this vlog. Lydia Bennet and Gigi Darcy get their own videos, and this helps the viewers get their point of views of the story. This series has published two books, one with the point of view on Lizzie and the other with the point of view of Lydia Bennet.
The vlog ended March 28th 2013, but on January 24th 2017, Ashley Clements posted a photo on her Instagram that made fans think that they are getting more on this story. The photo showed the cast of Lizzie Bennet Diaries, them reading a script, and a picture of the script. The title of the script is “The Lizzie Bennet Wedding” and Fans are hoping that this means that we are getting one more addition to the Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
- Carmilla (Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu)
Carmilla is a gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. This story was published in 1871 and deals with a female vampire named Carmilla. In this story, Carmilla falls in love with the main character, Laura. In the vlog, the story changes the setting to a college where Laura’s roommate is missing, and Carmilla becomes her new roommate. The story stays pretty consist to the book in the first season of Carmilla, but once the vlog starts season two, the story is the vlogs own creation. They have two couples, one who is on and off, and the other who aren’t officially together. The third season ended in October 13th of 2016, but the people behind this production have stated to make a Carmilla movie.
- Green Gables Fables (Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery)
Green Gables Fables season one started in January 8th 2014. It continued until April 27th of 2016 with season two. The vlog follows Anne Shirley as she is adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. The story is conveyed in the form of the vlogs, tweets from the characters, Tumblr posts, and other social media. This is a very interesting way of telling the story and is one of the first vlogs to tell the story in this interactive way. This story doesn’t stray away from the book, except for making it more modern and making the characters older.
- Emma Approved (Emma by Jane Austen)
Emma Approves is from the same YouTube channel that made The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which means that it is filled with amazing looking actors and actress and that it is very well done. The story is true to the original material and brings in a character from The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which is a great tie in for people who watched that vlog. The vlog ended on August 23rd 2014. This story didn’t just focus on Emma Woodhouse, but it put Alex Knightley, Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax as the main point of view for a couple videos. This helps the viewers connect to the characters who are not the main focus in the original book. This also helps these characters become two dimensional characters. Fun Fact: the actors who played Emma Woodhouse, Joanna Sotomura, Alex Knightley, and Brent Bailey, acted as a couple in a Kay’s Jewelers commercial.
- The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy (Peter Pan by JM Barrie)
The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy is a re-imagination of “Peter Pan.” In this vlog, the main characters are in their late 20’s and are all struggling with growing up and becoming the people they want to be. This vlog has three seasons, with the third one finishing on December 15th 2016. The first two seasons are on YouTube but the third is on a site called Fullscreen. This vlog is full of romance, adventure, angst, and laughter. If you like Supernatural, the person who plays Bobby plays Mr. Darling in this vlog. This story doesn’t follow the books that well, they use their creative freedom to change a lot, but it is well done and amazing. Tiger Lily is a better character in this story and Smee is a great character that isn’t just a backup to Captain Hook. The characters are very life-like and you will want to know the stories to each of the characters.
- I Didn’t Write This
This one is different from the other vlogs on this list. This is a set of eleven videos directed by Yulin Kuang, an up and coming director. Each one of these videos takes a scene from a book, wither it be a new young adult book, such as Fangirl, or a classic story, such as Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare. The videos are not more than 10 minutes and are a great visualization of great scenes from books. Mary Kate Wiles, who played Lydia Bennet in the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, is a recurring actress in these scenes. She and her boyfriend, Sean Persaud, play a lot of the couples in Yulin Kuang’s pieces. They show the chemistry that is needed in these scenes.
- Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party
Do you enjoy seeing a group of famous authors through time join together and solve a murder mystery? Do you enjoy watching famous authors having conversations together? If so, Edger Allan Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party is the web series for you. This web series combines Edgar Allan Poe, Charlotte Bronte, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, HG Wells, Emily Dickinson, George Eliot, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mary Shelly, and Louisa May Alcott all together in a murder mystery that no one expected. The series ended in November 7th 2016. This web series is a collaboration of authors and how they would help each other not be killed. It has laughter, slight romance, and adventure. It has Mary Kate Wiles, Ashley Clements, Sean Persaud, and even Jim O’Heir (from “Parks and Recreation”) in this series.
Literary Vlogs are a great way to get introduced to a story, or even get re-introduced to that story. These channels are a great way for people who don’t like to read to get the story in a way they like. Check out these Vlogs and you won’t be disappointed.