As an English major, I can appreciate the sentiment that Jane Austen's novels would have been better with zombies. Heck, what wouldn't? Well, Los Angeles author Seth Grahame-Smith obviously agreed, and saw fit to correct the issue. His new book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, is set for release on April 15.Actually, Grahame-Smith is not the only author. Rather, he collaborated with Ms. Austen, despite the fact that--much like many of the characters in the book--she's dead. I'll let the official press release do the explaining:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies features the original text of Jane Austen's beloved novel with all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie action. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead.
With any luck, this will spur a trend of classics of English literature being interpolated with zombie horror. Bleak House of the Dead is soon to follow, I'm sure.
I wouldn't mind reading Romeo and Ghouliet. The house of capulet being all zombies. Book ends with romeo turning himself in a zombie only to have ghouliet shoot each other in the brain.
ReplyDeleteMy wife is a Jane Austen fan and this would throughly outrage her.
ReplyDeleteI must get her a copy.
Now if we can just get a novel where Cthulhu fights Moby Dick...
I say, what a splendid thing! i initially didn't realise this was actually a real book. now that i have assured myself, i can continue in my assumption that all is indeed well with the world.
ReplyDelete'Oh Mr Darcy!'
In all honesty, I think literature infused with horror sounds awesome.
ReplyDeletePretty creative, and I wouldn't mind checking this out.
i saw this over at megwood and came up with these suggestions for future titles…
ReplyDeleteGeorge Orwell’s “Zombie Farm”
Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Zombie of the Baskervilles”
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Zombie”
and my favorite…
J.D. Salinger’s “Zombie in the Rye”
Isn't this simply another remake disrespecting the original work, or does that only apply to movies? Perhaps it's more like the 30th Anniversary NOTLD DVD, with the added scenes and new soundtrack. Is this different because we don't have the emotional attachment to Pride and Prejudice that we have to horror films we grew up with?
ReplyDeleteIt's different because it's commenting on, and parodying the original work--not rewriting it. It would be different if the author was literally rewriting Pride and Prejudice. Interesting, now that you bring it up, that books, unlike movies, never get "remade". Probably because there's not nearly as much money to be made.
ReplyDeleteMy mum goes on about Pride and Prejudice and I was forced to read it at school. I assume the pupil understanding of character development would be greatly enhanced by sdding an undead brain eating feel to the novel. Classic Literature brought up a notch.
ReplyDeleteI have written some sci-fi where humanoids are targeted and preyed upon as food. Those not chosen to be butchered are genetically tampered with and turned into hideous creatures who run fast food friers and outlets across a vast alien supermarket and fast food empire. A free plastic toy with every Happy Hatchling Meal. It is called Doom Of The Shem.
doomoftheshem.blogspot.com
Awesome..
ReplyDelete