Thank You, Lizzie Bennet

Written by: Michelle Gajewski

Today marks the final installment of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. It is a bittersweet reality that I am not willing to accept, but all good things must come to an end, as the cliché goes. I take some comfort in knowing that there is much more to come with the next book adaptation, the Sanditon mini-series, and a DVD with a lot of special content that should be fun. But, it won’t be the same, mostly because I’m choosing to be melodramatic about it. But aren’t we always a bit dramatic over the things we love?

Many people have laughed at me for being so incredibly obsessed by this story, but the LBD has done something for me that nothing else could for a really long time. It allowed me to finally get excited about something again, to look forward to things. It has allowed me to want to enjoy stories again. Going through university has killed the joy I once had with immersing myself into fictional worlds. I rationalized that I didn’t have time to do these things, and when I did, it was too much effort. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries made it virtually effortless.

The trans-media format that the creators incorporated allowed me to engage with the story by doing what I always do – sitting at my computer, infinitely scrolling through Tumblr, tweeting on Twitter, stalking Facebook, and most importantly, browsing YouTube. It also helped that I was already a fan of Pride & Prejudice and enjoy its other film adaptations, which motivated me to press the subscribe, follow, and like buttons.

The format of the show has definitely made the characters almost feel like real people to me, somewhat adding to my feelings of grief. The vlogging format itself is very intimate, offering personal insight to the vlogger’s life. The periodic tweets and character interaction with fans only enhanced that. The expansive universe that has been created through on-line media really started to blur the line of reality and fiction – and I love that. Most well-told stories leave me fantasizing about how life would be if these stories were real and I was somehow involved in them. The LBD left little to the imagination in that regard, but now it’s more difficult to let go, to know that these characters are moving on and will be replaced by the next set.

The LBD fandom is the first I have actually been involved with, which I think helped foster my semi-obsession to full-out crazy fangirling over the show. The fact that there was such a huge collective group to share the experience with made it all the more enjoyable. That’s not to say that many of my close friends in real life haven’t been following along with me. They have been fangirling as well, though some maybe not to the same extent as I have been. Having the LBD team so involved with the fans was also something new to me, and their constant trolling showed no compassion for my poor nerves.

Like Ashley Clements (Lizzie Bennet) put it so eloquently,

We need stories. Stories are important. There is nothing silly or dumb about relating to them and feeling attached to them. They help us see ourselves and others in new ways. They help us feel our feelings. They make us laugh when we feel low. They help us realize dreams and conquer fears. They give us a fuller understanding of the world.

This story and the way it has been told has done all of this and more for me.

So thank you, the entire cast, for perfectly portraying these characters. Thank you writers for your beautiful, clever, and heartfelt words. Thanks to the trans-media team, and everyone else involved with the project, for bringing us this innovative version of P&P to light. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will forever and always have a special place in my heart. Not just because it is a great adaptation, but because of everything it has become to mean to me and so many others. Thank you all for this incredible experience.

When 12pm EST rolls around today, I will still be squealing with anticipation, maybe crying, and fully enjoying the experience as I have been for the past year. After replaying the video a handful of times, I will migrate to Tumblr and proceed to reblog all the LBD gifs on my dash, weeping with the rest of the fandom while my real life friends either join in or roll their eyes. I don’t think I’d have it any other way.

Follow the entire story, watch Lizzie’s videos, or check out this awesome fan-made summary to get a better idea of what I’m talking about.