Tag: #pride and prejudice

Classical Music Stories

Pride and Prejudice: A Choose Your Own Adventure Story with Classical Music

Aubrey Leaman

pride-and-prejudice-book-austen

If YOU were in control of the story, what would happen next?

If you’re like me and love to read novels, you also love to use your imagination. Traveling to foreign places, having adventures, and experiencing all kinds of emotions and experiences through the characters we read about can be a fun escape from the world!

Classical music can also transport us into new worlds. Film scores can transport us to a very specific place, but you can imagine your own images and storyline to match any piece of instrumental music you hear!

Here’s a choose-your-own adventure version of Pride and Prejudice, then, with which you can follow along as you listen to some music written waaaaaay back in the 18th century (around when the book was actually written in the first place!). Some details are different than what you’ll actually find in the book, but others are the same.

Ultimately, the choice is yours.

What will happy to Lizzy Bennet? Continue reading “Pride and Prejudice: A Choose Your Own Adventure Story with Classical Music” →

Books

Mr. Darcy and Whiskey: If Literary Characters Were Beverages

Aubrey Leaman

Mr. Darcy is whiskey

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that whiskey makes for an excellent character arc. –Jane Austen, probably

Have you ever thought about how different drinks have different personalities? If chocolate milk were a person it would surely have different hobbies, character traits, and life goals from Wine or Orange Juice, for example. So naturally, this question simply begs to be asked: if certain characters from literature were beverages, what type of beverage would they be?? Continue reading “Mr. Darcy and Whiskey: If Literary Characters Were Beverages” →

Music

Top 10 Song Adaptations: The Quirky, the Funny, and the Intriguing

Aubrey Leaman

Quirky funny song adaptations; cat banjo

Some are quirky; some are funny; some are both. Some are even inspired by books and movies!

Back in Music Mash-Ups: Rock + Chopin, Rock + Opera, I talked about how retellings of fairy tales and books like Jane Eyre (Jane Steele/Jane Slayre) are a lot like mash-ups between different genres of music–and how amazing they both are. But lately I’ve come across some new mash-ups, as well as some looser “adaptations” of music where it’s less about two genres coming together and more about importing a song into a new context (like in the Pride and Prejudice movie with Keira Knightley).

The best part is that depending on the song and style, adaptations can be hilarious, moving, or just plain quirky! So without further ado, here are ten song adaptations to brighten your day: Continue reading “Top 10 Song Adaptations: The Quirky, the Funny, and the Intriguing” →

Books

If Gatsby’s Car were Remote-Controlled (and Other Literary Vehicle Toys That Need to Happen)

Aubrey Leaman

The Great Gatsby car

What if you could bring a piece of your favorite book’s world into real life–a piece that you could manipulate and control? Continue reading “If Gatsby’s Car were Remote-Controlled (and Other Literary Vehicle Toys That Need to Happen)” →

Books

Who Would Win a Game of Telephone: Mrs. Bennett or Emma Woodhouse?

Aubrey Leaman

telephone-158190_1280.png

They’re both super nosy, after all.

Mrs. Bennett has the benefit of experience. Since she’s older she’s been gossiping for a lot longer than Emma has…with disastrous consequences of course, but it could be a plus for her in this game. Emma, however, strikes Continue reading “Who Would Win a Game of Telephone: Mrs. Bennett or Emma Woodhouse?” →

Books

If Book Characters Celebrated Thanksgiving (And What They Would be Thankful for)

Aubrey Leaman

Thanksgiving may be a traditionally American holiday, but what if your favorite book characters celebrated it, as well? Amid the food comas and family visits, here’s what I think they might be thankful for:  Continue reading “If Book Characters Celebrated Thanksgiving (And What They Would be Thankful for)” →

Books

A Bookish Guide to De-Stressing After the Election

Aubrey Leaman

So the election happened. Maybe you’re happy, maybe you’re not. (Please don’t leave political views in the comments section! This is a strictly book-and-music safe space.) But I think we could all use a bit of a detox. So here are some books to read in the aftermath of the crazies:

1. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

madeline-main2

A simple and lovely picture book, follow Madeline into Continue reading “A Bookish Guide to De-Stressing After the Election” →

Books, Music

Pride and Prejudice As Told By Taylor Swift Songs

Aubrey Leaman

No one captures the angst of Pride and Prejudice quite like T. Swift does. What follows, then, is a trip through this classic novel by means of some of her greatest songs:

1) Mean: When Darcy insults Lizzy’s Continue reading “Pride and Prejudice As Told By Taylor Swift Songs” →

Books

Pride and Prejudice Characters Sorted Into Hogwarts Houses

Aubrey Leaman

Jane Austen with wand

What if your favorite Pride and Prejudice characters lived in the world of Harry Potter? What houses would they be sorted into and what can that tell us about the similarities between (and functions of) various characters?

Jane Bennett = Hufflepuff

She is incredibly kind.  She can’t think ill of anyone! The reader also has a sense of her loyalty to Bingley.

Mr. Bingley = Hufflepuff Continue reading “Pride and Prejudice Characters Sorted Into Hogwarts Houses” →