Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance – Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem By Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance – Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem” by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. If you’re a fan of the novels of Jane Austen, the mere idea is probably enough to set your teeth on edge. But if you’re a fan of supernatural fiction, then it may pique your interest. How on earth did they come up with the idea? And more importantly how did it manage to climb to the third place on the New York Times Best Seller list? The answer involves the rise of a genre of fiction known as urban fantasy.
Urban fantasy, which is an off-shoot of supernatural fantasy, is a term used to describe stories set in the contemporary world that include supernatural elements like ghosts, vampires, werewolves, zombies, elves, and more. The label ‘urban’ is used in the sense that the setting is more realistic than the usual supernatural story. Urban fantasy often involves young, female protagonists who struggle with the challenges of adulthood while battling supernatural forces. Proponents of these works argue that the paranormal elements serve as metaphors, for identity crises and social anxieties, and that is why the genre is so popular with teens and young adults. Examples of books that fall into the category of urban fantasy are the vampire trilogy by Stephenie Meyer, author of “Twilight” and the warlock stories by Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden series.
Seth Grahame-Smith, an American film producer and screen writer, added a supernatural element to Austen’s much-loved novel “Pride and Prejudice” by incorporating zombies into the story line. Austen’s writing is known for its witty and often barbed observations while Grahame-Smith’s adaptation is satirical and tongue-in-cheek. His book includes eleven action illustrations, a reader’s discussion guide, and a cover illustration of a partially skeletal woman in a white gown smeared with streaks of blood. While Elizabeth Bennett, the heroine, and her family still live in Regency England, the new version of the story includes a mysterious plague that results in zombies, who attack the living. The always practical Mr. Bennett takes the precaution of training his daughters in martial arts while Mrs. Bennett continues to worry about the girls’ unmarried status.
Here’s the original opening sentence from Jane Austen’s classic book: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." In Grahame-Smith’s reworking it becomes, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains”. If you don’t find that sentence amusing, then this is probably not a book you’d enjoy.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that everyone has a novel in them. But for some authors, it means borrowing another writer’s ideas. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”: A satiric, comedic reworking or annoying, derivative drivel? Readers are invited to answer that question for themselves.
The Library’s online catalogue is available on the internet at www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca/library and allows you to place a hold on any item in the system.
Linda Kent is the Chief Librarian at the City of Kawartha Lakes Public Library
