Since 2012, literature has found its way in overtaking some corners of YouTube. We've seen web series and films of all lengths emerge on the creative platform, but it was "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries" that truly changed things.
A production started by Hank Green of the vlogbrothers (the other brother being acclaimed author John Green) and Bernie Su, the single-frame web series was an adaption of Jane Austen’s "Pride and Prejudice." The show was the first digital series to win an Emmy, and its first episode has over two-million views on YouTube.
The show has become a transmedia phenomenon, not only celebrating classic literature in a very modern way — from its format itself, as well as its substance — but also has created a gateway for other stories to be revisited and discovered by audiences in the same way.
The production team of the show, Pemberly Digital, has since put out multiple other webseries ("Emma Approved" and "Welcome to Sanditon," both Austen works, for starters) all based off the classics, and has driven YouTube into what might be the golden age of literary video-media. The great thing about this platform is that it modernizes the stories without removing their integrity, making it more approachable for viewers who criticize outdated plots and ideas, while also embracing the stories’ themes and showing how influential and relatable they remain.
And if you don’t like the a-typical classics, there is so much more out there. Some are well-funded, and others are quite low budget, but yet all of them are a joy to watch and have their own charms. Some are in vlog (video-blog) formats, and others are full-on multi-frame videos. These shows are especially great for those who are busy and overwhelmed with work. I miss the feeling of reading full-length books for pleasure, and often trade in my hardbacks for articles, academic journals, and fan fiction when the mood hits to read. These shows give me the luxury of exploring the world of stories on my own time, and hopefully you’ll get your own joy out of watching them too:
"School of Thrones"
Probably one of the lesser known series on this list, I’m starting off with a contemporary story to show how extensive the world of literary transmedia is. The name very much reveals it’s origins: "A Song of Ice and Fire." In this riff off of George R. R. Martin’s legacy, prom is coming, and we get to explore the world of Westeros High School with internet favorites like Starkid’s Joey Richter and internet darling Mary Kate Wiles (aka Lydia of "Lizzie Bennet").
"The March Family Letters"
To quickly jump back into the English-major cannon, this "Little Women" adaption is also hosted by the same company as "Lizzie Bennet." Initially a home-brewed series, the popular show was picked up by Pemberly Digital and would go on to have 50 episodes, in which we learn about the March family, and our world at large.
"The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy"
An internet favorite, this adaption of J.M. Barrie’s works has high production value and locates its characters in small-town Neverland, Ohio. The show places the characters as adults, and is known for its quirky, quick-witted, funny, and charming style. Trickled with magical realism, this web series is a delight; if not too romantic.
"The Autobiography of Jane Eyre"
"AJOE" was one of the first large fan-series to take off after "Lizzie Bennet." Jane, here, is a 21-year-old nanny in the home of CEO E.D. Rochester. A naturalistic production, this brings us truly through Jane’s world, and the opulence that she grapples with.
"Frankenstein, M.D."
Another Pemberly Digital production, its origins are pretty self-explanatory. In a fun gender-bend, Victor becomes Victoria in this modern-yet-accurate retelling of the story’s plot. A murder-mystery, it’s gorgeous and fun to watch.
"Green Gables Fables"
Anne Shirley, in this webseries, is the headstrong teen in all of us. A foster kid with braces and a biting blog in which she slams Gilbert Blythe constantly, this Anne takes no shit and loves poetry. This "Anne of Green Gables" retelling is spirited and full of heart, and as a bonus, much more palatable than her 1908 counterpart.
"Nothing Much to Do"
Since the beginning of the transmedia-literature trend, there have been so many Shakespearian play reincarnations. My personal favorite is "Nothing Much to Do," a retelling of "Much Ado About Nothing." This student-developed New Zealand series is spectacular, IMO. If it isn’t your cup of tea, you should check out the acclaimed "Jules and Monty" ("Romeo and Juliet"), "Kate the Cursed" ("The Taming of the Shrew"), or definitely hunt down one of the dozen others out there on the web.
"A Tell Tale Vlog"
Populated by Edgar Allen Poe himself and the sassy ghost Lenore, this cheeky and sometimes morose vlog is filled with literary references as our struggling hero attempts to write "The Raven." Truly hilarious, this series is full of puns, black comedy, and an overall good time.
"Classic Alice"
"Classic Alice" is one of the non-direct remakes on this list. Alice is a college student, who, after receiving a bad grade on a paper, decides to live life to the rules of the novels she reads for school. The story threads through between everything from the “true” classics (i.e.: "Crime and Punishment" and "Pygmalion") to childhood classics like "The Wind in the Willows" and "Rip Van Winkle."
"I Didn’t Write This"
To end this article, this series is not exactly a series, rather being an anthology. Written and directed by one of my favorite young creators on the web, Yulin Kuang (of A Telltale Vlog) builds a series of short literary adaptions that encompass everything from sonnets and poetry, to full length novels in a matter of minutes. If you like her stuff here, definitely check out "Kissing in the Rain," a series of shorts between two actors who embody literary couples and their first kisses.
