Many apologies to Melanie J of Write Stuff, my guest bloggist today. I was away from my computer (French for sleeping early and late---oooh, I love me some time off from early mornings!) and didn't realize this fab post was sitting here waiting in my inbox all of that time. I have long admired Melanie for her writing skills and knew I could count on her to come up with something perfect. This is how I could sleep so blissfully with no worries, so thanks muchly, Melanie! If you aren't currently a Melanie J fan, you should check her out. (Really.)
I like to think I'm on the cutting edge of contemporary literature, but my church book group drags me back into the classics on a regular basis. Leave it to some precocious Gen-Y savant to figure out a way to combine pop culture with the classics. Zombies, of course, are celebrating a pop culture resurgence only slightly less pervasive than vampires. Consider movies like Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days. Then consider the new life Jane Austen classics have enjoyed in the hands of thousands of new fans in this new century (perhaps with a little help from Colin Firth, hm?). Then put the two together. You know, zombies and Jane Austen?
You don't know?
Sigh.
Don't feel bad. It's not easy to be as culturally trendy as me. You really have to commit to your television and celebrity gossip websites to stay ahead of this stuff. But I'm generous and will share my knowledge. So here you go:
You don't know?
Sigh.
Don't feel bad. It's not easy to be as culturally trendy as me. You really have to commit to your television and celebrity gossip websites to stay ahead of this stuff. But I'm generous and will share my knowledge. So here you go:
This is for real. You can check it out here. If you've read Pride and Prejudice a million times like (sheepishly raising hand) me, then you know the opening lines well:"It is a truth universally acknowledged that, a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies isn't so different: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains, must be in want of more brains."
So, the same, really.
While I don't personally believe Pride and Prejudice needed any improving, I can't say the same thing about Jane Eyre, which I was forced to read last month for book club. And no, I couldn't skip it, because I'm in charge. I think it lends itself much more naturally to the zombie mashup. I mean, the original Mrs. Rochester (SPOILER ALERT for those of you who didn't trip over this novel eighteen thousand times before finishing college) lurking up in the attic is practically a zombie anyway. Imagine how much more entertaining the whole story would have been if instead of listening to Jane wander over moors in search of food and whining about her love for Mr. Rochester, she was chased by zombies instead and was constantly having to stab them with pitchforks or burn them and stuff. And then when she whined about the impropriety of her soiled gloves, I would totally feel sorry for her instead of finding her annoying. And what if everyone Mrs. Rochester attacked became a zombie, too? Come on, tell me that it wouldn't be cool if that uppity girl that Mr. Rochester pretends to woo got eaten because she condescended to the WRONG ZOMBIE one too many times.
I guess there's a danger in people taking it too far, though. You know how it is. Jack Johnson hits it big so Jason Mraz starts singing like him. Or someone comes out with a penguin documentary and suddenly everyone else's movie has gotta have penguins, too. I'm talking to you, Happy Feet and Madagascar. Not that those were bad. But you know how one movie studio comes out with a earthquake or meteor movie and suddenly everyone else has to have one? Not all of them should get made, you know. Sometimes it's best to just leave it at the original. What if these literature mash up artists (cough, cough) started messing with the good stuff? Like Anne of Green Gables? There's funny (I'd laugh if zombies ate Mrs. Bennet or Kitty) and then there's wrong. Like suddenly Marilla is a zombie and Anne has bigger problems than a missing amethyst brooch. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
So I guess in thinking about it, I'm going to vote against the zombie/classic mashup trend, even if the book's tagline is: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read. Although, if Miss Heidi turned out her third sequel with Miss Delacourt kicking zombie butt and taking names, I feel sure I couldn't resist a look-see...
Melanie J blogs at www.readandwritestuff.blogspot.com every day which is stupid, but she does it anyway. She feels sure if she blogged only Monday, Wednesday and Friday that Tuesday and Thursday would feel left out and she can't stand the guilt. Melanie actually majored in English but confesses that she swapped British lit for modern American lit on a semi-regular basis. However, she still quite likes a good classic every now and then. But not so much Jane Eyre. And she will never read Wuthering Heights.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies isn't so different: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains, must be in want of more brains."
So, the same, really.
While I don't personally believe Pride and Prejudice needed any improving, I can't say the same thing about Jane Eyre, which I was forced to read last month for book club. And no, I couldn't skip it, because I'm in charge. I think it lends itself much more naturally to the zombie mashup. I mean, the original Mrs. Rochester (SPOILER ALERT for those of you who didn't trip over this novel eighteen thousand times before finishing college) lurking up in the attic is practically a zombie anyway. Imagine how much more entertaining the whole story would have been if instead of listening to Jane wander over moors in search of food and whining about her love for Mr. Rochester, she was chased by zombies instead and was constantly having to stab them with pitchforks or burn them and stuff. And then when she whined about the impropriety of her soiled gloves, I would totally feel sorry for her instead of finding her annoying. And what if everyone Mrs. Rochester attacked became a zombie, too? Come on, tell me that it wouldn't be cool if that uppity girl that Mr. Rochester pretends to woo got eaten because she condescended to the WRONG ZOMBIE one too many times.
I guess there's a danger in people taking it too far, though. You know how it is. Jack Johnson hits it big so Jason Mraz starts singing like him. Or someone comes out with a penguin documentary and suddenly everyone else's movie has gotta have penguins, too. I'm talking to you, Happy Feet and Madagascar. Not that those were bad. But you know how one movie studio comes out with a earthquake or meteor movie and suddenly everyone else has to have one? Not all of them should get made, you know. Sometimes it's best to just leave it at the original. What if these literature mash up artists (cough, cough) started messing with the good stuff? Like Anne of Green Gables? There's funny (I'd laugh if zombies ate Mrs. Bennet or Kitty) and then there's wrong. Like suddenly Marilla is a zombie and Anne has bigger problems than a missing amethyst brooch. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
So I guess in thinking about it, I'm going to vote against the zombie/classic mashup trend, even if the book's tagline is: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read. Although, if Miss Heidi turned out her third sequel with Miss Delacourt kicking zombie butt and taking names, I feel sure I couldn't resist a look-see...
Melanie J blogs at www.readandwritestuff.blogspot.com every day which is stupid, but she does it anyway. She feels sure if she blogged only Monday, Wednesday and Friday that Tuesday and Thursday would feel left out and she can't stand the guilt. Melanie actually majored in English but confesses that she swapped British lit for modern American lit on a semi-regular basis. However, she still quite likes a good classic every now and then. But not so much Jane Eyre. And she will never read Wuthering Heights.
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