I must give a bit of credit to a dear bookishly lovely friend of mine, who has kept the #ClassicAlice badge in her bookish linkage section of her sidebar ever since she originated a new book blog title (Macaroons & Paperbacks) and re-defined her bookish presence within the book blogosphere! I spied that badge, I was CURIOUS about that badge, yet until the TEAM behind *Classic Alice!* pitched me an idea to host them on my blog as a way to seek out new audience members for their episodic web series (on YouTube!), I must confess, I never had the proper chance to ‘experience Classic Alice’!
Fast forward a wee bit to Wednesday night, where I had this smashing idea to pitch a “tweet me your favourite Classic Alice episodes for a newbie to watch AHEAD of binge watching the ENTIRE serial!”
(tweets returning soon)
This was the same night I had mistook Wednesday for Thursday, (woe was Jorie!) whilst camping out in the twitterverse a full two hours AHEAD of the projected start-time for #StoryDam! Yes, dear hearts, I even logged myself into #Nurph, settled inside my [ Home ] button feeds, grabbed a bottle of water, chowed down on some homemade pudding & raisin cookies, and tried to sort out why there wasn’t anything happening in/round #StoryDam!
.@OfTheWilds @TheresaSnyder19 @JE_Owen camped out for my Wednesday weeklys! :) ::wing winks:: 1st in #Nurph for #StoryDam too! lol Til soon!
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) January 21, 2015
@OfTheWilds @TheresaSnyder19 @JE_Owen Wait a full second! I am a FULL DAY EARLY on #Nurph for #StoryDam! Oyyyy vie! Sighs claw tap #StoryDam
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) January 21, 2015
By the time I learnt what was happening, I was properly deflated!
What is a joyfully bookish girl to do, eh?
- I tweeted Ms. (Heather) Webb about my blog (which is not archiving well on Twitter!)
- Responded to #Nurph’s suggestion to continue to provide feedback on their platform (I use their #tag quite frequently!)
- Pitched my idea for this blog post!
- Became curious about August House’s BIG reveal for #WeNeedDiverseBooks
- Had to decline a FB party (I chose Twitter over FB!) yet promised to give s/o’s!
- Discovered PLUME had tweeted out my interview with Heather Webb!
- Found out I was included in ‘National Hug Day’!
- Tweeted out more support for “Gimme Shelter” & Kathy DiFiore!
- Learnt about the schedule for #yalitchat (returns 4th of February!)
- Had a truly spontaneously lovely convo with Mr. (C.W.) Gortner! (on behalf of Coco Chanel!)
Alas! *lightbulb!* There was a *Wednesday, 8pm NYC* chat I had forgotten about and thereby have unfortunately missed completely for the past (oh, let’s be hopeful!) ‘few’ months! I remembered discovering the #VeganFoodChat quite by wicked accident, as I was starting to follow a few vegans & vegheads on Twitter after posting my first #TheBookishFoodie posts wherein I started to blog about healthy living, cookery, & baking via cookbooks by Front Table Books!
(tweets returning soon)
After a complete hour of veg friendly information overload of joy, and a cheekily bookish ending to the conversation where everyone attempted to ‘best the ideas for ‘foodie’ classic novels’; I headed off into #CreatureChat which is my stand-by meet-up for readers & writers (more writerly than readerly!) of Fantasy Fiction! You could consider this the hour where Jorie finds a rather keenly unique way to cross-compare a heap of #dragonfiction (archive) with her beloved #LelandDragons series by Jackie Gamber! Thus, a direct signal she hasn’t earmarked off enough new Fantasy novels to consume, and is surely lacking a bit in comparative literature options when it comes to fantasy creature fiction! Ironically, Wood Nymphs, Fairies, Sprites, and other such lovelies have yet to thread through the conversations!
Tonight’s moment of highlight came where we started to bounce ideas off each other, whilst collaboratively and rather ingeniously coming up with a few wicked stellar options for ‘armour’ trade specific to dragons!
In the background, I had pitched an ‘end-time’ of suggesting Classic Alice episodes to me @ 11pm (as let’s face it, I hadn’t turnt my blog off yesterday until *5AM!*, so how far into the dawn could I last this night? if you wondered if I were a ‘burnt the midnight oil book blogger, this surely confirms it!) to which end, I would then randomly select the “Top 5 Classic Alice episodes for a Newbie!” Quite a smashing idea, but the full credit for such a landmark choice goes to Rinn @ Rinn Reads who helped me sort out this non-traditional introduction to Doctor Who! (a project of which will be revised, completed, & published during #RRSciFiMonth 2015!)
I had no honest way of knowing which episodes would be selected nor would I have any preferential preferences to guide me as to how to watch Classic Alice!
Here’s the breakdown:
- No.20 Diedrich Knickerbocker – Episode 20 – Classic Alice – Rip Van Winkle
- No.7 x2 Why Can’t the English? – Episode 7 – Classic Alice – Pygmalion
- No.6 Punishment – Episode 6 – Classic Alice – Crime and Punishment
- No.9 With a Little Bit of Luck – Episode 9 – Classic Alice – Pygmalion
- No.18 x2 Birnam – Episode 18 – Classic Alice – Macbeth
- No.24 The Golden Age – Episode 24 – Classic Alice – The Wind in the Willows
- No.27 Bleak House – Episode 27 – Classic Alice – A Christmas Carol
- No.21 Geoffrey Crayon, Gent – Episode 21 – Classic Alice – Rip Van Winkle
- No.17 Fife – Episode 17 – Classic Alice – Macbeth
- No.15 Forres – Episode 15 – Classic Alice – Macbeth
- No.14 Beauty of Mind – Episode 14 – Classic Alice – The Butterfly
- No.13 Beauty of Form – Episode 13 – Classic Alice – The Butterfly
And, the results are below of what random.org generated when I entered in the numbers into their widget for computing a random order of numbers you provide! This was the order in which I wrote down the numbered and/or titled episodes given to me by the following #Ocelittles (a term that has not yet been explained to me!): @shannenaux + @kayeu + @a_cat0o! (repeated numbers were suggested more than once!) UPDATE: I have sorted out ‘Ocelittles’ is a direct reference to the fanbase for #ClassicAlice; I will have to sort out how it started & what inspired the term!
*drum roll*
The TOP 5 #ClassicAlice episodes for a newbie!
- 9 | No.9 With a Little Bit of Luck – Episode 9 – Classic Alice – Pygmalion
- 27 | No.27 Bleak House – Episode 27 – Classic Alice – A Christmas Carol
- 20 | No.20 Diedrich Knickerbocker – Episode 20 – Classic Alice – Rip Van Winkle
- 15 | No.15 Forres – Episode 15 – Classic Alice – Macbeth
- 17 | No.17 Fife – Episode 17 – Classic Alice – Macbeth
.@TheClassicAlice#Ocelittles Thx! TOP 5 | #ClassicAlice (for a newbie!) :) 9 27 20 15 17 via randomorg CC @shannenaux@kayeu@a_cat0o
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) January 22, 2015
Confession of a newbie to #ClassicAlice No.1:
When it comes to understanding the breadth of what this series involves, somehow I missed a few key factors! For starters, the series follows the breadth of works of classical literature, of which you can observe in the Episodic Archive! Rather than a traditional webisode or web series that is written off-the-cuff and/or out of sequence of episodic continuity! This is a full-on television serial of work that happens to AIR on YouTube but is a bonefide serial of merit! It’s not a vlog, it’s not a booktuber’s exploits on reading — it’s a well cast, well produced series that is at times cheeky but at it’s heart is an inspiring story about how you reach a moment in your life where you have two choices: shift forward through enlightenment OR continue to be muddled on your path!
The first 7 books S T O R I E S featured were:
- Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
- Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
- The Butterfly by Hans Christian Anderson (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
- MacBeth by William Shakespeare (Play Synopsis on Riffle)
- Rip van Winkle by Washington Irving (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
- Wind in the Willows by (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
Which proves the diversity of choices the team behind #ClassicAlice are making, as they are not merely seeking out stories within the scope of a novel but rather a crossing of where novels meets short stories and where narrative voice intercedes through a play!
Having found the listing for the books and stories, I have it in mind to pick up each of the stories in due course, whilst binge watching #ClassicAlice! Originally, I was going to binge watch the series, but part of me wants to hold back a bit and read ahead of my viewings; if only to enhance my enjoyment of the series for which it was given and to be able to draw a measure of thought out of what I’m reading vs what I am watching! I love the creative liberties that are taken in adaptations to classical literature in motion picture, mini-series, and all the lovelies produced by the BBC! This is an extension of that passion for me, because I love seeing how each writer and performer interprets what has been left behind from the canonical legacy of the originating author!
Except before I get too far afield ahead of myself, this isn’t how I was introduced to Classic Alice,… not if I were being completely confessional and openly honest! You see, whilst the lovely team behind the web series contacted me, they also included a link to the #SaveAlice campaign video! Of which I tweeted out as a precursor of what this blog post has developed into as a surprise of joy for them to receive!
#ClassicAlice#IndieGoGo Pitch Video http://t.co/2zmi2omqOr via @TheClassicAlice | #bookbloggers where my journey started :) #classic novels
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) January 22, 2015
I couldn’t help but become *caught up in the excitement!* of a #SaveAlice campaign, when they have this unique approach to raising awareness whilst adding a dash of comic timing to the plea itself! I knew from the first moment I read the pitch sent to me to host a guest feature on behalf of Classic Alice, there was something to this particular series that would get my attention; the campaign pitch video confirmed this straight-off, and I launched into this idea that has become this blog post!
I had originally intended to capture everything about Classic Alice within the first 24 hours, however, I did not progress too far with my goal last Wednesday, the 21st of January! I continued to work on this over the weekend, and now that Monday has arrived, I can reveal why I decided to host my *first!* serial that is in effect not based on reading a book, poem, play, short story, or even listening to an audiobook! I have a long history of attachment to the Film Industry from the outside perspective of keeping an eye on production, costume design, lightning, script to screen breakdowns, continuity, location, cinematography, and all points before, after, and during production! I grew up mesmorised by how motion pictures were created and I never met a ‘behind-the-scenes’ featurette, documentary, and/or interview with an essemble cast, crew, or writer that I wasn’t itching to learn more about!
My propensity for watching TCM (Turner Classic Movies) was sparked by a deepening curiosity about where the origins of motion pictures came from and how the craft of creating motion pictures began! One of my favourite things to do is to seek out the silent film era releases (especially for Charlie Chaplin & Buster Keaton!) inasmuch as the early releases by Alfred Hitchcock – as it shows the dexterity and fortitude of how he learnt as he filmed each story he brought to camera! There are distinctive ‘tells’ for how he used the camera to evoke the emotions whilst showing how he used atmosphere and locale to curate a ‘character’ outside the action.
I have a particular interest in the 1920s through the late 1940s (a bit of a clue why I love typewriters!), where Claudette Corbet, Myrna Loy, William Powell, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Raymond Burr, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, and countless others created such an intense presence on camera and screen, that they re-invented the medium in which their performances gave credence to the craft of bringing ‘stories alive from off the printed page’.
There is something to be said for the art and the craft of how stories evoke a sense of place as much as a sense of timing; characters who convey a particular era of life whilst giving us a grounding of insight into how those lives differ from contemporary times. There are similarities and there are abstractural differences, but at the heart of all of it is the pursuit to tell a story whose niche is the human capacity for conceptualising how our time reveals the most about who we are.
Classic Alice is rooted in the classics, whilst the main character tries to sort out her life based on what was left behind inside them; she’s a seeker on a mission to gather understanding out of the past. How clever then, to honour the writers by shining a creative light on their works in a way that spins them into a medium of acceptance and breaking down the barriers of where classical motion pictures might not have thought to breach? By releasing across media platforms, the acceptance of #ClassicAlice is strengthened through the willingness of her creators to seek outside the box stragedies to yield the most out of a receptive audience whose seeking alternatives to the norm!
With a Little Bit of Luck – Episode 9 – Classic Alice – Pygmalion via ClassicAlice
My first thought was that I was about to disappear into a new dimensional space (like I had with Doctor Who) where at first up would feel down and down would feel sideways bent towards the moon! I had to get my sea legs and I needed to get them fast! Welcome to my new wormhole! (a reflective reflex that denotes you cannot take the Trek out of the Trekker, even if she’s Whovian!)
When you can automatically feel ‘hooked’ by the music of a serial programme, you are one step immersed into the full-on experience it affords you! The theme music for Classic Alice has a distinctively recognisable ‘sound’ with a tone that implores you to continue clicking on the episodes! It is slightly inherently ‘cheeky’ and quite reminiscent of the style of music I appreciated seeing spin out of the 2008 Nanowrimo Toronto Team! I was gifted their “Nanowrimo theatrical compilation” (aka NanoWriMusic) album and continuously find myself wicked happy for the beauty for which they gave to the release! The creative genius behind it was Errol @Elumir & Debs @lindentree (combined: @debsanderrol)
Ooh! Ooh my dear sweet ghouls!! There IS a sequel! (WrimoSongs | BandCamp) I am seriously going to have to sort out if this NanoWrimo Musical is on CD! Dear hearts, you will be seeing a *separate blog about this SOON!*
@Elumir ooh! I just found the Nanowrimo Musical via Bandcamp! Is this on CD like the original album? Ooh boy! I’m seriously wicked happy! :)
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) January 26, 2015
As I’m watching this episode, my mind is attempting to remind me that I picked up a sequel to Pygmalion this year (which I failed to blog about at the time!) on a larkspur discovery at a dollar shoppe that I had forgotten gets a heap of lovelies in on a regular basis! (books, I’m referring to BOOKS!) I’m quite a bit lost, but that’s alright — it only took me most of my first episode of seeing Doctor Who to grab a straw towards understanding a Time Lord and the curiously out of this universe time jolt of visiting different dimensional worlds!
I sort of know a partial bit of the plot, due to my fascination of wanting to see “My Fair Lady”, as much as the fact the forementioned book I found? It’s a re-telling of the original story re-set to a new era which sparked a bit of a literary chat in the shoppe of which people waiting in line felt compelled to snag a listen of! Mind you, I am not sure why they felt it was so fascinating as I was relating to Mum why I first felt My Fair Ladymight have been inspired by a book! (as it turnt out it was a play!)
{ loved the s/o for TWC! anybody follow “Highway thru Hell”? }
Ah, ha! That curious spot where you become entangled with good intentions which may or may not yield to the outcome you were originally pursing or attempting to pursue as somewhere the lines have become a bit blurry! Smashing! I like this pace and I like how each installment is just a bit of a teaser to give you a reason to tune back in!
Confession of a newbie to #ClassicAlice No.2:
I much prefer this series over The Lizzie Bennett Diaries! which I honestly can say I couldn’t get myself to become interested in seeing past the first nanosecond! No, seriously, #ClassicAlice has something that grounds you in the frames, whether that goes directly to the writing, the acting, or just the manner in which it is being produced, this one has my personal seal of approval for enticing you to drink in more of the series! I do like how it keeps re-directing you back to what is ‘inside’ the original story vs what is playing out on camera. It just ‘works for me’! Give it a try!
This blog post was inspired by the:
campaign via #ClassicAlice!
I am working with the team behind Classic Alice to bring a special feature to Jorie Loves A Story! As I was quite impressed with the quality of production, original writing, and the ability to fuse a direct connection to classical literature in a full-on immersion experience for those who might not have approached Classical Lit without an eye of caution! This is a series that instantly would appeal to those of us within “the classics club” and of whom are attempting to continuously read, discover, blog, & chatter about the works of classical literature that curate a thought-provoking experience out of our time spent inside their pages! In a way, Classic Alice is developing a new medium of exploring how the classics are still pertinent to the 21st Centurions who are hungry for quality over quantity in their reading queues!
Classic Alice: Site | Episodic Archive | IndieGoGo | Twitter | Podcast
Next up: My impressions of Top Episodes 2-5!
Share your thoughts on #ClassicAlice in the threads below! And, what it is about Classical Literature that still inspires you to become bookishly geeky in reading writers whose works have lasted through centuries of creative thought!
{SOURCES: Badges for “Classic Alice” were all provided by Classic Alice and used with permission. Stories on the Rise Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Post dividers & My Thoughts blog graphic by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. “Classic Alice” episode via Classic Alice had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share this serial to my readers. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2015.
Tweets I composed on behalf of #ClassicAlice:
{ Kindly favourite & Retweet if inspired! }
#amwatching the #YouTube Episodic #ClassicAlice No.9 With a Little Bit of Luck – #Pygmalion#classic#SaveAlice via http://t.co/LwFQ85Umc1
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) January 22, 2015
Have you seen our #levelUp2015 $5 perk? http://t.co/tHbkpFGl86
— Classic Alice (@TheClassicAlice) January 22, 2015
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