Two things I wanted to draw your attention to today, both warping Pride and Prejudice. One meets with my censure and the other my mirth. We all know that I'm not adverse to messing around with Jane Austen a bit, if it's done intelligently and with affection. My love for Lost in Austen, for example, makes a mother's love for her newborn look like callous disregard. But when it is done solely for commercial reasons, or done without any respect for the original or the authoress, then my wrath is untold.
But, first the pleasant. For anybody familiar with Facebook, you'll enjoy this link.
And now the unpleasant. You've probably heard, by now, of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It does what it says on the tin. I'm going to be wicked, and not mention the author or show the cover, as I only want to raise the title to tut-tut and shake my head in disgust, not give him publicity. 85% of the book is taken straight from P&P, apparently, and I can only imagine the remaining 15% was taken from a passing 13 year old boy. I should confess at this juncture that I haven't read it, won't read it, and won't consort with anyone who does read it. Or have anything to do with the film, which is apparently in the pipeline.
So why do I accept some distortions and not others? As I said, intelligence and affection. And my own contrary little mind, I suppose. But I'd be surprised if my reaction and horror and disgust wasn't echoed in much of the blogosphere. It is officially no longer possible to come up a spoof concept for manipulating Pride and Prejudice. I simply can't think of anything more ridiculous than the ideas already being shown the light of day.
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