issues of women

7/26/2019 Issues of Women

1/6

Topic : Reinvention Classical Literature: Pride and Prejudice and Zombie by Seth Grahame

Smith and Jane usten

Introduction

This literature revie! brin"s about an overall consideration o# the reinvention o# the classical

literature te$t % Pride and Prejudice by Jane usten to Pride and Prejudice and Zombie by Seth

Grahame& Smith' This revie! !ill be loo(in" into the literary term )*ashup+ that is usually used

in the music conte$t'

Pride and Prejudice and Zombie

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is the mi$ture or colla"e o# many di##erent literary "enres' This

boo( mer"es the !il#ul #emale characters i# the Gothic and anti,uated settin"s% the supernatural

dan"ers o# science #iction and the love story o# the romance' Pride and Prejudice and Zombie is

the )mashup+ that combines the classical -.-/ Jane usten0s novel !ith added 1ombie scenes%

martial arts&style combat and scary description o# blood and "ore' ccordin" to 2elson%

)Grahame&Smith0sPride and Prejudice and Zombies is a mash&up o# Jane usten0s classic te$t%

promoted by its author as .34 usten and -34 Grahame&Smith5the -34 comprisin" the

maraudin"s o# the undead and the 6ennett sisters #i"htin" bac( !ith their death&dealin" (atanas

789-/+

Pride and Prejudice and Zombie !as #irst published in 899; by Seth Grahame&Smith ' Seth

Grahame& Smith !as born in -;


2/6

1ombie and ninja elements' @n 899;% !ith a ti"ht deadline to attend% Grahame&Smith' ccordin"

to the author% Grahame&Smith% the added element o# 1ombie is very much suitable !ith the

ori"inal te$t'

Aou have this #iercely independent heroine% you have this dashin" heroic "entleman% you have a

militia camped out #or seemin"ly no reason !hatsoever nearby% and people are al!ays !al(in"

here and there and ta(in" carria"e rides here and there ' ' ' @t !as just ripe #or "ore and senseless

violence' Brom my perspective any!ay' 7Good!in: 899;

The mashup version uses the plot o# the ori"inal classical te$t% the essential distinction bein" that

an abnormal in#ection had emer"ed in n"land in the previous a ,uarter century% the dead to rise

and assault and devour the livin"'The 6ennet sisters are very "i#ted in the #atal arts% havin" been

perseverin"ly prepared by their dad and by Shaolin *aster Liu in China Perceived as the

principal shields o# the livin" in *eryton% the sisters "et a lot o# e$pert consideration #rom

courteous #ello!s !arriors and o##icers% ho!ever *rs' 6ennet consistently #usses that the youn"

ladies are not su##iciently cultured to pull in "reat spouses' li1abeth 6ennet speci#ically is more

intri"ued by overcomin" 1ombies than marria"e% !hile *r' Darcy is immediately inspired by her

unrivaled military abilities' The outcome is that li1abeth and Darcy must beat their pride and

their pre#erence% as !ell as survive battle !ith scores o# the undead alon" the !ay'

s per one usten researcher% Pro#essor Jenny Davidson o# Columbia% the boo( ta(es advanta"e

o# t!o territories o# the social creative ener"y that reverberate pro#oundly !ith numerous

perusers' )There0s de#initely a school o# thou"ht that says anythin" is better !ith 1ombies%E she

told The Daily 6east 7Good!in: 899;'+ Davidson says nineteenth century #ri"ht#ulness accounts

li(e Dracula and Bran(enstein and Dr' Je(yll and *r' ?yde have imbued themselves into the


3/6

social creative ener"y as solidly as ustenFs stories have5so joinin" components o# both bodes

!ell' EustenFs boo(s appear to "ive section into an allurin" lost !orld%E she said' @t is also

important to note% a"ain% that Smith more than li(ely hoped to attract Jane usten0s initial

audience !ith his mash&up classic' Smith had the ability to be"in his !ritin" career !ith a lar"er

audience that is #amiliar !ith usten0s !or('

Zombie

ccordin" to Cohen% )*onster stories are a projection o# our collective an$ieties 5 and that

may e$plain !hy in the current economic do!nturn% 1ombies are startin" to catch up !ith the

lon"ashionable vampire 7899;'+

)Zombies+ have been a trend since the late =90s and early


4/6

!riterI director Geor"e ' Romero% best (no!n #or his series o# satirical horror #ilms about

1ombies or "houls% startin" !ithNight of the Living Dead% !hich !as inspired by the novel% I

am Legend% by Richard *atheson'

@n the past -9&-3 years% 1ombies seem to be more popular than ever' The movies are terri#yin"

people !ith the li(elihood o# a 1ombie epidemic% video "ames that involve a main character

#i"htin" o## 1ombies to survive are very common% and boo(s such as How to Survive the Zombie

!ocal"!se#by *ichael Thomas and 2ic( S' Thomas have come out' ith this hu"e 1ombie

)outbrea(%+ it is obvious that Smith chose to turn usten0s boo( into somethin" a little bit more

recent5somethin" that a youn" adult "ro!in" up in the 8-stcentury !ould already #eel sli"htly

(no!led"eable about' 6y addin" a more modern element to a classic novel% a youn"er audience

may be more inclined to pic( up a mash&up classic'

Mash-Up

The term )mash&up+ !as used to describe musical remi$es at the the earlier days' *ash&up in the

literary is not #ully developed yet as there still very little boo(s re!ritten' *ash&up in the musical

#ield basically means combinin" t!o son" into one'

ccordin" to 6oone% )a mash&up combines portions o# t!o or more previously recorded son"s

into a sin"le trac(' cursory e$amination o# mashups ,uic(ly reveals that they do not all #ollo!

the same pattern o# construction instead% mashup artists pursue a number o# possible strate"ies'

@t is also not immediately apparent ho! mashups di##er #rom other closely related "enres such as

the remi$ or the colla"e piece 789--'+

@n literature% mash&up is basically the idea o# combinin" the ori"inal piece !ith o# !or( !ith

additional details or "enre' ccordin" to the Library o# Philadelphia% )*ash&up novels combine


5/6

literary classics 7or historical #i"ures !ith anythin"' The Eanythin"E tends to be monsters%

1ombies% sea monsters% androids% !ere!olves% vampires'''+' Pride and Prejudice and Zombie is

the combination o# the classical Jane usten0s Pride and Prejudice !ith additional "enres and

stories' @ personally thin( that Pride and Prejudice and Zombie is a mash&up o# a e$istin" boo(

and ne! unpublished material' The elements and the additional "enre could be considered as a

literary !or(' The concept o# 1ombies are ,uite #amiliar in the Romantic Period due to the boo(%

Bran(enstein by *ary Shelley' Pride and Prejudice% on the other hand is >ictorian Period boo('

6y addin" the "othic elements into the >ictorian classics% Pride and Prejudice% it can be

concluded that the boo( is a mash&up o# time period'

ccordin" to Cohen% )*ashups are also bi"' The idea o# combinin" t!o data sources into a ne!

product be"an in the tech !orld 7also thin( music remi$es and is spreadin" 5 includin" to boo(

publishin" 7899;'+ @ do a"ree !ith Cullen on his point o# vie! as there are more classics bein"

)mash&up+' Such titles includendroid $areninaandSense and Sensibilit" and Sea Monsters

and%ane Sla"re' There#ore% a pattern can be seen emer"in"' ?o!ever% it is not yet clear !hether

this means mash&up is an independent "enre label or just one techni,ue used in !ritin" novels'

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice !as published in the -.-/% in the >ictorian Period' The story can be vie!ed

as the most simply as eerily "ood romance novel' @t depicts the nineteeth&century cruelty% vanity

and #oolishness o# the social system and the economical system dedicated to the mar"inali1ation

and commodi#ication o# a #ull hal# o# the human e$perience'

The boo(Fs plot mana"es the #ive 6ennet sisters% !hose #anatically mundane mother #i$ates on

o##erin" as #ast and as bene#icially as !ould be prudent' The majority o# the activity #ocuses on


6/6

the t!o eldest 6ennet youn" ladies: loyal Jane and do!n to earth% savvy li1abeth' Bor most o#

the boo(% these sisters are involved primarily in harm control a"ainst the di##erent a!#ul just

about en"a"ements they and their sisters end up in% and in addition in pinin" a#ter their di##erent

objects o# #ondness: the dashin" yet perple$ed Charles 6in"ley #or Jane% and the "rave%

computin" *r' Darcy #or li1abeth% !hose perspective is most li(ely & in li"ht o# her mind and

prudence contrasted !ith her sisters& & the nearest to ustenFs' @tFs li1abeth and Darcy that truly

drive the plot throu"h a blend o# their appearin" similarity and their a""re"ate #ailure to "et

to"ether% on account o# their shared lo! suppositions o# each other & or possibly the conviction

!ith respect to each that alternate has a lo! assessment o# them'

hy is Pride and Prejudice is still relevant until todayK ccordin" to Pro# *ar""ra# Turley% )e

tend to #ocus on the #amous courtship travails o# *r Darcy and li1abeth 6ennett and the 66C

have certainly done some !onder#ul adaptations o# their story' 6ut !ith the marria"e o#

li1abeth and *r Darcy% Jane usten places a pretty stic(in" plaster over #ar dar(er social issues

issues she leads readers to!ards !ith the subplot o# ic(ham and li1abeth0s sister Lydia 7 l&

*udallal:89-/

@n my opinion% Pride and Prejudice built up the #ormat #or an no&endin"ness o# romance boo(s%

yet no ensuin" adoration story has ever ver"e on s,uarin" !ith the joys o# the #irst' @n Pride and

Prejudice% contrary ener"ies repulse then dra! in: *r' Darcy is "loomy and sel#&important'

li1abeth is vivacious and be"uilin"' ?e is rich% she is poor' ?e is #rantically enamored% she canFt

shoulder him' @n a scene both entertainin" and sensational% li1abeth s,uashes *r' DarcyFs

monstrous pride !hen she rejects his #irst proposition' To !in her% Darcy is compelled to chan"e%

to !ind up more (ind and !ell mannered' 6e that as it may% li1abeth li(e!ise chan"es% ho!ever

her trip #rom bias is less obvious

issues of women

Documents