Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is exactly what it sounds like: The upcoming novel will reprint the text of Jane Austen’s 1813 classic Pride and Prejudice, only rewritten to include tons of gory zombie action sequences. As an appreciator of Regency literature, I must differ with a recent press release’s claim that author Seth Grahame-Smith’s additions have "spruced up the ‘duller’ moments in the book." Pride and Prejudice is probably the most formally perfect novel in the English language; what dull moments, dude? However, as an appreciator of Regency literature who also appreciates pop-culture portrayals of the undead, I am officially beyond stoked for this book.
Another press release informs me that the novel opens as follows: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." Too true! Having read that sentence, I am very much in want of more zombified Austen, please. Lizzie Bennet fending off a ravenous, staggering Mr. Collins with stinging witticisms and/or a shovel…Mrs. Bennet fretting that Mr. Bennet will surely be killed in a duel with Wickham because Wickham is totally a vicious zombie…the possibilities are endless. The only way I could be more excited for this is if it were being penned by my favorite zombie-lit author, Max Brooks. Best of all, a rep for publisher Quirk Books just told me that they’re considering moving up the June publication date because of all the online buzz Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is getting. As far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better. Anybody else getting hungry?
More on zombies and literature:
Interactive EW Gallery: The Zombie Movie Preparedness Kit!
Photo Gallery: George A. Romero’s Living Legacy
Max Brooks’ World War Z got a well-deserved A review
EW rated three on-screen P&P adapatations
Another unusual Austen take-off, 2005’s awesome Bride & Prejudice, got an A– review
Comments (1-27) of 27 Add your comment
The fact that this is going to exist pains me greatly. Way too completely ruin one of the greatest works of literature.
Simon, seriously? Hip hop, zombies and Regency lit? Are you the perfect man?
Do you think they could have a World War P and get Max Brooks to write some first person accounts, Regency-style?
I’M SO EXCITED!!! my inner caroline bingley thinks this will be more refreshing than a vigorous turn about the room.
Allison take a chill pill. P&P is one of my all-time favorite books, but I see nothing wrong with a zombie parody. The day we stop laughing at ourselves, we will…I can’t remember the full quote. But I do think that Jane Austen, a of irony and humor, would have enjoyed the idea herself. Mr. Darcy and zombies….can’t wait.
Allison take a chill pill. P&P is one of my all-time favorite books, but I see nothing wrong with a zombie parody. The day we stop laughing at ourselves, we will…I can’t remember the full quote. But I do think that Jane Austen, a master of irony and humor, would have enjoyed the idea herself. Mr. Darcy and zombies….can’t wait.
No, no, no! Please tell me it’s not true. Why not Northanger Abbey?
The curiosity factor alone will lead me to pick this up. All hail the public domain!
Oh, i’ve seen a couple of New York Play productions that changed the text of plays to include Zombies… it’s been the thing for a few years now…
My favorite one thus far, Twelfth Night of the Living Dead!
Allison and others who share her opinion – do you have any idea what a good zombie film/story entails? Some of what your precious P&P and other good stories about the human condition do. It pains ME that people do not recognize this. It isn’t about the gore and scares, it’s about the meaning underneath it all. Zombies especially represent something the majority of mankind fears – death. And of course they are simply entertaining.
It won’t ruin the original, it’ll just take it for a little ride.
how awful! i enjoy reading p&p spinoffs as much as the next darcy stalker, but zombies?! that’s called being ridiculous! ugh, can’t anything be done to stop this crap from happening? poor jane austen must be groaning in her grave
This. Is. Awesome.
For those of you who don’t think so: calm down. This isn’t a “reimagining” or a modernization of any kind, it’s not like them adding sports stars to “Clue”. This is about zombies, straight up. It’s about the zombies, man. They could add zombies to freakin’ Shakespeare and it would only make it better.
P&P is my fave book and this is amazing. All my male friends will be getting it for christmas.
Simon, I know that pointing this out makes me a pedant, but I’m going to do it anyway: Jane Austen actually spells Elizabeth Bennet’s nickname as “Lizzy,” not “Lizzie.”
It’s a common mistake, particularly in people more familiar with the film & TV adaptations of P&P than with Austen’s version…
I am not shy when admitting that I find most of Austen’s work painfully tedious 90% of the time. I am, however, quite sure that the addition of Zombies to P&P will render the story tolerable. I am already on the wait list.
Steph, I was all set to kvetch about this monstrosity, but then I read your “My inner Caroline Bingley thinks this will be more refreshing than a vigorous turn about the room,” and I had to stifle a sudden case of the snickers. Oh, all right, HAVE your rotten old zombies, but please let them get Lady Catherine first.
LOL! I would love to be in the lit class where someone tries to get through a discussion of the original having only seen the inevitable film adaptation of this parody. Could be very entertaining.
Very nice site!
LOL, this will be amazing. People need to quit acting like such wet rags, it’s a book. A form of escapism and entertainment. It’s not like your life will be ruined cause there’s some added brain eaters in the precious world of P&P. And it’s not like you have to subject yourself to it if you think it sucks so bad and ruins the original P&P — they’re not changing the original book.
Yesssssss!!!!!
I can’t remember the full quote. But I do think that Jane Austen, a of irony and humor, would have enjoyed the idea herself. Mr. Darcy and zombies.. http://harry.freeunlimitedweb.com/blecoupto.html f
imitation is the highest form of flattery…as is the addition of the walking, ravenous undead!
Oh, and Cara K., different publishers have actually spelled Elizabeth’s nickname differently – I have a 20-year-old version that used to belong to my mother that spells it Lizzie, and another newer version, part of a compilation of all of her works, that spells it Lizzy. I don’t really care, but just thought I’d throw it in to defend the writer of the post from accusations of not having read the book or something.
Oh, the possibilities are endless here! Darcy and Elizabeth’s dance at the Netherfield ball is interrupted not by the silliness of Sir William Lucas, but by the invasion of legions of the undead! Also, it’s possible that Mr. Hurst is actually a zombie in the original text, albeit a very lazy, slow one.
jackie wrote: “I have a 20-year-old version that used to belong to my mother that spells it Lizzie”
Oh, now that’s just disturbing! Did the publisher think Austen needed to be more French??? Oh, I’m going to have nightmares about this tonight…
I need this book yesterday. Jane Austen’s best + undead hordes = the greatest literary work since, well, Pride and Prejudice. I see no downside to this. My only hope is that Mrs. Bennet gets turned into a zombie. I mean, she sort of *is* one already….
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Very nice site!
Luckily, this isn’t one of the greatest works of literature. It’s a fairly horrible romance novel, which doesn’t stand up to the likes of Dickens or Rushdie’s best work or Pullman’s first three Sally Lockhart books, to Steinbeck or Golding or even the Dirk Gently books. To Kill a Mockingbird is even better, though I dislike Bildungsromans. Pride and Prejudice is a boring read, so there are plenty of “dull” parts to spruce up. The zombies might make an improvement on it, though I’m not a big fan of contemporary zombie lit either.