Pride & Prejudice & ZOMBIES

At  some  point  in  your  educational  career  you  will  be  instructed  to  read  Pride  and  Prejudice,  might  I  suggest  this  alternative?  Pride  and  Prejudice  and  Zombies is a reanimation of a long dead corpse that reaches  a hand  through  the dirt with  the  full  intention of  scooping  out your brains, and changing your perception of antiquated  chick literature.       

The classic novel from Jane Austen which  is universally  slathered  over  (like  fresh  brains)  by  romance  obsessed  women and girls everywhere has been  remade  into a dude  friendly action adventure. How does one go about making  this  obsolete  instruction manual  of  long  dead  (or  undead)  courtship  practices  palatable  to  a modern  audience? Easy,  interject  the  walking  undead  and/or  blood  thirsty  Ninjas.  This book has both; however the zombie’s get title billing.    

Make no mistake, you are reading Austen’s novel complete  with  sophisticated  lyrical  prose.    However,  the  story  has  been augmented, or more to the point punctuated, by Shaolin  Kung Fu and zombie mayhem. These alterations are courtesy  of co-author Seth Grahame-Smith. The premise remains the  same,  following  the woes  and  trials  of  fve  sisters  of  the  modest class  in  their attempts  to win husbands and greater  status. In this version the young women are skilled marshal  artists versed in the delicacies of dispatching Satan’s hordes  of  “unmentionables”. Don’t  feel  left  out  ladies,  all  of  the  fnery you fell in love with in the original retains its splendor,  including fancy balls, grand estates and impossibly romantic  misunderstandings.     

There will be little in the way of surprises as PPZ follows  the  original  right  up  to  the  ending. What  you  are  reading  for are the slight alterations of scene and character that take  place with  the new  ingredient of  a world where  a  zombie  attack  is  a  common  occurrence.  For  instance,  Elizabeth  “Lizzy”, our hero,  is an uber dealer of righteous death and  protector of the scenic countryside of Hertfordshire, as well  as the acerbic daughter of the Bennet family.     

The  action  in  the  book  is  entertaining  and  includes  showdowns  not  unlike  the Dread  Pirate Roberts  vs.  Inigo  Montoya of The Princess Bride. An example of this dueling  can be  found  in  the battle between Elizabeth and her soon  to be betrothed Mr. Darcy as a kind of violent foreplay. The  zombie scenes are gruesome, over the top and a lot of fun. In  fact, fun seems to be a reoccurring component in this work  as  there are  scenes and  ideas  that  simply make you  smile,  such as  the fate of  the deceitful Mr. Wickham. If you have  yet to tackle Jane Austen’s opus in the form of an assignment  it might be  soon coming.  I would  suggest as an enjoyable  alternative this fantastic hybrid of pop culture and literature. fc