We’ve all encountered these books in some way: assigned reading for school, book clubs or personal pleasure.

Like it or not, classic literature has maintained a high level of popularity over the years. Popularity that is not going to go away anytime soon, as indicated by the recent trend of YouTube web series that are retelling beloved stories, but with a modern twist.

It all started in April 2012 with The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a modern version of Pride and Prejudice cleverly retold in vlog format. Throughout its 100 episode run, the show generated more than 250,000 YouTube subscribers and a Prime-time Emmy for Original Interactive Program.

Along with its huge fan following, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries franchise generated its own production company (fittingly named Pemberley Digital), a book and collection of DVDs. Most significantly, it revolutionized the way classic stories are presented to the public.

A major goal for the Pemberley Digital team has been to converting situations from classic literature into ones that could realistically occur in the twenty-first century. Through Lizzie Bennet and other YouTube adaptations, the media company has placed a specific focus on making characters relate-able to viewers.

That has been accomplished through something referred to as trans-media, the use of YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr and Instragram to portray famous fictional characters as average people trying to get by like everyone else. It’s a groundbreaking development for two hundred year old heroes and heroines to have Twitter accounts. The concept is interactive and original and fans can’t get enough of it.

Bernie Su, the executive director of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, spoke to the phenomenon of modern YouTube adaptations in a recent interview with USA Today. “When I was growing up, you never got to interact with your favorite characters,” said Su.”This is why I think the format works and there’s a demand for them and a shelf life for them.”

“I like to think we’re creating franchises rather than just Web series,” continued Su. “A lot of branching out has been outside of Web content, with books and interactivity. This is the greatness of what we do-is we grow the roles out bigger than just video.”

The legacy of classic literature has only been intensified by Lizzie Bennet. Pemberley Digital has shown that the process of adapting classic novels to the contemporary era can be completed with relative ease, leading the way for successive YouTube users to retell other stories.

These creators may not have their own media companies or have the funding of YouTube entrepreneur Hank Green, but, according to Ashley Clements, the star of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, that doesn’t matter.
“I am very happy that our show inspired other people to be creative,” Clements told USA Today. “The model that Lizzie Bennet set up is very doable. It relies heavily on the writing and actors, but not on extensive equipment.”

Pemberley Digital’s experiment in modernizing a famous Jane Austen novel built a fan base. As a result, classic novels ranging from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to Jane Eyre, Peter Pan to Romeo and Juliet are receiving are being adapted through YouTube.

These productions are low budget and informal. To web show creators, the logistics of filming comes second to (re)kindling an interest in literary classics among modern viewers.That goal has been met, as indicated by the thousands of Twitter followers, merchandise sales and Emmy and Streamy (Internet awards) wins.

Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Lucy Maud Montgomery and others’ works have been enjoyed by generations of readers. Now, with fresh YouTube adaptations, the legacy of these books is as lasting as the World Wide Web.

Popular YouTube adaptations of classic novels

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (LBD)                                                                                                                                                                                 

Novel adapted: Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen- 1813)
Synopsis: Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet is a graduate student living at home with her parents and two sisters. Confident, funny, and headstrong, Lizzie thinks she is an excellent judge of character. But when a handsome med student, his conniving sister, and disagreeable friend move into town, Lizzie begins to question her beliefs about career, love, and family life.
Fun fact- Much of LBD story lines are told through costume theatre re-enactments between Lizzie and friends.

Emma Approved (EA)

Novel adapted: Emma (Jane Austen- 1815)
Synopsis: Spunky Emma Woodhouse runs a company devoted to what she calls “lifestyle excellency.” Emma believes she has all the answers, especially when it comes to matchmaking for the people around her. In order to be properly humbled, she must realize that determining every outcome in her colleagues’ career and love lives will only bring chaos to her ‘approved’ workplace.
Fun fact- EA is the second modern adaptation of a Jane Austen novel by Pemberley Digital.

Green Gables Fables

Novel adapted: Anne of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery- 1908)
Synopsis: It’s the same Anne Shirley we all know and love. Opinionated, imaginative and clever, Anne is determined to make the most of her new life in Avonlea, Saskatchewan with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Through the Internet, the teen recounts her experiences with school, friends, and family in an entertaining vlog style only she can deliver.
Fun fact- The creators of the show are high school students, showing how access to Youtube is the only element necessary to retell a literary classic.