Grahame-Smith’s update of Austen’s classic is fun, bizarre, and surprisingly good. He re-casts the tale of social manners, customs, and etiquette in the midst of a zombie-plagued land. The Bennett girls have been trained in the deadly arts by the best masters in China, but some see this as dent in their social status.
Grahame-Smith has great timing in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and that’s why the book works. When the plot stalls for 21st century male readers or the language becomes overly cumbersome, we get passages like the following:
“When his blade was only inches from her [Elizabeth’s] throat, she moved from her opponent’s path and dragged her Katana across his belly. The ninja dropped to the floor—his innards spilling from the slit faster than he could stuff them back in. Elizabeth sheathed her sword, knelt behind him, and strangled him to death with his own large bowel” (130).
Or, Wickham is left lame by Darcy, constantly soiling himself and forced to become a priest. None of this, however, detracts from the tension provided by Elizabeth and Darcy, who are least comfortable in the stultifying atmosphere of social gatherings intended for marrying off young ladies. They also happen to be excellent warriors. They help each other confront their prejudices in terms of class and character.
The extras also make the book fun. Included are roughly a dozen illustrations of Elizabeth in action, with captions such as, “Two adult unmentionables—both of them male—busied themselves feasting upon the flesh of the household staff.” In addition, the book has a suggested book club guide which is quite possibly a funnier piece of satire than the novel itself. A sample discussion-starter:
“Some critics have suggested that the zombies represent the authors’ views toward marriage—an endless curse that sucks the life out of you and just won’t die. Do you agree, or do you have another opinion about the symbolism of the unmentionables?”
It’s worth noting that Grahame-Smith doesn’t over-reach and try to elevate the zombies and ninjas into some type of lame metaphor. Really, they serve as comic relief—a pause in a heavy book that makes it bearable. That said, the book is about “the arts”, the skills and deceptions that were required in 19th century social circles and the physical dimension of battles serves to underscore this kind of jousting.
No comments:
Post a Comment