Truly, one of the oddest literary concepts I've seen in recent years. After guffawing heartily at the gruesomely appropriate cover art, I nearly squealed with devilish glee after reading a few of the books passages.
Here is the beginning of the plot summary found on Wikipedia:
["Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"] follows the plot of Pride and Prejudice, but places the novel in an alternative universe version of 19th century England where zombies roam the countryside. The undead are generally viewed as a troublesome nuisance, albeit a deadly one, and their presence often affects the plot of the story in subtle ways — messages between houses are sometimes lost when the couriers are captured and eaten; characters openly discuss and judge the zombie-fighting abilities of others; women weigh the pros and cons of carrying a musket (it provides safety, but is considered "unladylike").
Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters live on a countryside estate with their parents. Mr. Bennet trains his daughters in martial arts and weapons, molding them into a fearsome zombie-fighting army. On the other hand, Mrs. Bennet plans to marry the girls off to wealthy suitors.
If the novel lives up to even half of the tremendous potential inherent in the title (and concept), then this may be a book to unite the genders, bring us all together in a euphoric, Utopian literary world. After all, what man or woman could turn down a tale filled with (1) unflinchingly true romance AND (2) hordes of the undead.
I may cry.
Update 1: I just purchased a copy of PPZ on Amazon. Through the virtue of Amazon Prime I'll have it in two days. I tingle with anticipation.
Update 2: A old friend of mine (with whom I have recently reopened correspondence after years of silence and neglect ... and whose Facebook profile re-sparked my interest in PPZ) alerted me to another fascinating exercise in Austen-esque imagination. The series, "Lost in Austen," gives us a rather witty, surreal glimpse at one young woman (Amanda Price) whose Austen obsession opens a door to the world of Pride and Prejudice.
Favorite quote (thus far): "How lovely to have the society of ladies who are not promiscuous with speech."
2 comments:
Yes, the dichotomy of the original work with the idea of the new is certainly original - and jarring. Of course, what I think many people fail to remember is that zombies are also a social commentary; not nearly as nuanced, perhaps, but a metaphor nonetheless. It is suggested in the book that zombies represent the author's idea of marriage: "an endless curse that sucks the life out of you and just won't die." But when you look at the legend of zombies as a whole - all the terrible B movies included - they represent so much more. Zombies are, essentially, the fear of ourselves, the fear of the mob, the fear of what we can become when reason is forgone. So what better way of highlighting this aspect than placing it in a work that values reason and sensibility above almost any other virtue? Indeed, zombies would have seemed almost too at home in works about the French Revolution, but serve as a stark contrast in the world of manners that was Regency England.
Okay... I think I've rambled on enough. Next installment - "A Critical Look at the Undead in Popular Culture: Where the Vampire Myth Went Wrong"
I originally heard about this book on NPRs "Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me," and I thought it had to be fake. I actually bought it recently for a friend of mine who is an English teacher and completely obsessed with zombies. I'm interested in reading it . . .
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