Pride and Prejudice Round Up – Bridal Book Club

Posted on by Giftast_KEH

Happy Valentine’s Day! My gift to you is an enormous blog about Pride and Prejudice and it’s various spin-offs.

How are you finding Pride and Prejudice?

The thing about P&P is, it’s everywhere. So if you love it, and you get to the end and your eyes go misty and you sigh “How am I supposed to carry on, now it’s over?”, then FEAR NOT. I’ve compiled a list of film adaptations, spin offs and P&P-related miscellanea for your pleasure. 

Disclaimer: I’ve not checked all of these out, so these aren’t all recommendations. In fact, if you do try any of these, I’d love to hear your feedback either in the Book Club Group, the comments below, or on Twitter.

Click the images to view on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Bride & Prejudice:

What can I say? It’s fun, and there are songs, and keep an eye out for Naveen Andrews, Nitin Ganatra and Indira Varma flying the flag for the Brits, as well as Ashanti making a surprise appearance as… Ashanti!

I last watched this about 9 months ago and I still get “No life without wife” in my head regularly. 

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

I’ve not watched this. Not read it, either, although I *do* have the graphic novel on my bookshelf. When this first came out I was sneering and dismissive, but now I’m older and less of an unbearable snob! So why not? I’ve added it to my to-watch list, and as a fan of Lily James, and Charles Dance I’m all for it.

Ask me about how I once saw Charles Dance walking on a cliff-top in Devon. That’s literally all there is to it, but I can talk about it for *hours*.

Lost in Austen

Ah, Lost in Austen. Now, I’ve not seen this for years, but I do remember that in spite of all my reservations, Elliot Cowan was a surprisingly brilliant Darcy. There’s also a great cast, full of Brit favourites like Hugh Bonneville, Gemma Arterton and Alex Kingston. One thing which stands out in my memory is heroine Amanda Price’s being completely thrown by having to brush her teeth with sticks and charcoal. 

Pride & Prejudice (1940)

My love of Laurence Olivier brought me to a VHS copy of this 1940 treasure, almost 10 years ago. I transferred it to a DVD to watch in all its grainy, flickering glory whenever I choose. It’s.. an odd one.

It’s charming, funny, and awkward by turns, and arguably, it’s Pride and Prejudice in name only. So many liberties are taken with the frocks and the story, but it’s just so *nice*.

One of my favourite anecdotes about this film is that, despite there being no push whatsoever for historical accuracy in costumes, the props department had other ideas. They spent a fortune on original period antiques, many of which were broken or damaged by the completely inappropriate, southern belle-style hoop skirts which kept knocking them over. Ah, the magic of Hollywood.

Pride & Prejudice (1980)

The lesser known and original 1980s BBC Pride and Prejudice. I have to say, I wasn’t a fan. Less faithful than it’s 1995 counterpart, a lot of Austen’s witty asides are given to Lizzy, to be spoken in lengthy conversations with Charlotte about how awful her family are. And they are; Mr Bennet seems cruel rather than funny. 

Darcy is 2D, boring and completely unknowable. I couldn’t bring myself to care about any of the characters, except for Mary. Why? Because she’s played by Tessa Peake-Jones, AKA Raquel from Only Fools and Horses. 

Pride & Prejudice (1995)

I mean. Yeah. Obviously. 

Fun anecdote: apparently Colin Firth was asked to dye his naturally reddish hair dark brown for the part. Clearly, the look worked for him. 

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

This is the P&P which seems to divide people the most? I like it. I like how un-polished it is. To me, that feels more relatable. There’s real mud, and dirt, and pigs walking though the house. And in this adaptation more than any other, Mr & Mrs Bennet actually seem, underneath it all, to like each other.

There’s this wonderful tracking shot which follows various characters through the Netherfield Ball, as all the embarrassments happen and the damage is done. It must last a couple of minutes, and is just magical. It also has an amazing cast. I wasn’t convinced Matthew Macfadyen would be a good Darcy, he won me over. 

Pemberley: Mr Darcy’s Dragon: A Pride & Prejudice Variation – Maria Grace

 I’m reading this at the moment. I’m not really a fan of fantasy, and I’m not that keen on dragons. But I read the blurb, and I just had to buy it! I’m only a few chapters in at the moment, but it’s really well written, and I’m enjoying it a lot.

From Amazon:

England is overrun by dragons of all shapes and sizes. Most people are blissfully unaware of them and the Pendragon Treaty that keeps the peace between human and dragon kind.  Only those born with preternatural hearing, like Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are able to hear and converse with dragonkind.

Pride – Ibi Zoboi

 On my TBR! From Amazon:

Pride and Prejudice gets remixed in this smart, funny, gorgeous retelling of the classic, starring all characters of color, from Ibi Zoboi, National Book Award finalist and author of American Street.

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

Unmarriageable – Soniah Kamal

 This one is on my wish list! It sounds so good. And isn’t that cover beautiful?

From Amazon:

A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in Pakistan

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a girl can go from pauper to princess or princess to pauper in the mere seconds it takes for her to accept a proposal. But Alys Binat is resolute she will not marry.

This warm and witty tug-of-love between mothers, daughters and rich, eligible bachelors is a fresh take on Jane Austen’s original.

Being Elizabeth Bennet: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure – Emma Campbell Webster

 Shockingly, yes, shockingly, I’ve had this book for almost 10 years and haven’t read it. FOR SHAME, KATHERINE. But I will, and then I shall update this accordingly. 

From Amazon:

Elizabeth Bennet is the wittiest and most attractive heroine in English literature. And for the first time, in Being Elizabeth Bennet, you are given the opportunity to star in the most popular novel in the English language: Pride and Prejudice.

You will be faced throughout this book with delicate challenges and dangerous choices. Whether you’re accepting Mr Darcy the first time he professes his attachment, deciding to elope with Mr Wickham or avoiding a murderous Lady Catherine de Bourgh, this is a chance to rewrite Austen’s most famous book. You decide who to marry and when. And if you have always preferred Mr Knightley’s sophistication or have a sneaking admiration for the odious Mr Collins then you can marry them instead.

However, make choices with caution: Being Elizabeth Bennet is packed with characters and plot twists to thwart your happy union with Pemberley’s most eligible bachelor. You must complete five stages – and successfully negotiate your way through Austen’s five other novels – before you can choose to accept Mr Darcy. But if the outcome does not suit, simply return to page 1 and create a new Jane Austen adventure.

Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding

 Woah yeah.

I don’t think I need to say much about this one! Although in traditional book snob style, I preferred the book.

From Amazon:

A dazzling urban satire of modern relationships?
An ironic, tragic insight into the demise of the nuclear family?
Or the confused ramblings of a pissed thirty-something?

As Bridget documents her struggles through the social minefield of her thirties and tries to weigh up the eternal question (Daniel Cleaver or Mark Darcy?), she turns for support to four indispensable friends: Shazzer, Jude, Tom and a bottle of chardonnay.

Lizzy Bennet Diaries

On my endless to-watch list. This is a 100 episode web series based on P&P, and I’ve heard some really great things about it! 

Death Comes to Pemberley – by P. D. James

 Want to know what happened after the (spoiler) double-wedding, but want it to include murder? I’ve not seen the TV adaptation yet, but I have rad the book. I usually like this kind of thing, but it was just a bit boring and procedural for me. Worth a pop though, and I’m on the look out for the TV series, which I’ll definitely be giving a go.

Austenland

 I think my thoughts and feelings regarding Austenland are pretty well known at this point.

Marrying Mr Darcy, The Pride & Prejudice Card Game

 What is this? What do I do with it? Who will play it with me? 

From Amazon:

  • It is a truth universally acknowledged, that lovers of Pride and Prejudice want to marry Mr. Darcy.
  • Marrying Mr. Darcy is a strategy card game where players are one of the female characters from Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice.
  • Ages 13+
  • 2 to 6 players
  • 60 minute playing time

Counted Cross Stitch Pattern – by MrsPeggottyArts on Etsy

I bought this on a whim over a year ago because, obviously, it’s lovely. And I want a Lizzy Bennet cushion on my reading chair, because yes, I am the sort of person who has a reading chair. However, it languishes, half-finished, in my to-do pile. 

There is a great range of literary prints and cross stitch patterns on the Mrs Peggotty Arts store on Etsy. This is in no way an ad – I just think they’re really lovely.

Elizabeth Bennet Print

P&P Elizabeth Bennet PrintThis, however, is an ad! If you’ve made it this far through my enormous list, then congratulations! You will be one of the perhaps 2 people who get to see my collection of prints, available through Red Bubble. Click the image for more – there are notebooks, cushions, and good old-fashioned prints available. 

So that’s…. barely scratching the surface! If you’ve any other Pride and Prejudice-based media to recommend, I’d love to hear about it. Every recommendation helps me on my way to my life goal: 

Consuming any and all Austen-related media.