Review by Peter Syslo
There has been a lot of buzz circulating about the novel PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES (2009 Quirk Books (www.quirkbooks.com)). When I first heard the title and caught what it was about, I was definitely intrigued. Author Seth Grahame-Smith has taken Jane Austen's classic literary work, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and has added his own original content to it – which just happens to focus on a zombie-infested England . To be honest, I nearly groaned like a zombie when I learned that most of the novel consisted of Austen's story. I mean no disrespect to the deceased, but hers has always been an area of literature which I have failed to “get into”. That being said, the best part about PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES is Grahame-Smith's hilarious and skilled additions. I absolutely loved what he did with the story and the way that he weaved his content in and out of Austen's tale… I only wish that his writing was a larger part of it.
I'll give a brief synopsis of Austen's story and then I'll speak to what Grahame-Smith has added. Basically, the novel is about a girl, Elizabeth Bennet, who is fond of a man named Mr. Darcy. She is part of family of five girls and her mother wants to marry all of her daughters off, to any man that is willing and able... and wealthy. Her father is a very realistic, practical kind of guy who isn't totally happy being married to Lizzy's mother and he recognizes that a marriage has to involve a loving decision. Elizabeth met Mr. Darcy at a ball and she found him arrogant and condescending, yet he interested her. The point of the novel is that Elizabeth thinks that Darcy is smug and proud, but really he acts that way in order to navigate through who is being honest to him and who is not. Elizabeth is an honest and real person, to him, and he truly falls for her. She has all of these preconceptions or prejudices against him until she realizes that he is a good person and has heartfelt intentions for all who are in his life. So, the Austen tale is about the push-and-pull between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Also, there is pressure from Lizzy's mother, her dim-witted sisters, other male suitors, and Darcy’s Aunt Catherine which nearly derails the courtship. In the end, the reader learns whether or not Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy can put aside “the game” and truly be with one another.
That, in a nutshell, is the gist of the classic story. Now, I will give you an idea of Grahame-Smith's additions - mind you, all of this takes place within the framework of the Elizabeth/Darcy plot. In PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, there has been a strange plague raging throughout England which has created a zombie problem, for about fifty years. Apart from her romantic life, Lizzy and her sisters are all highly-trained in martial-arts and have studied under masters, in the orient. Lizzy is proficient with blade, musket, and other manner of weaponry – as is Mr. Darcy. Both are widely regarded zombie killers and both have done well defending their families (and England ) from the “unmentionable” creatures. In fact, Lizzy's family has a Dojo on their property, as does Darcy's Aunt Catherine. At every turn (and when they least expect it), the Bennet family has to fend off zombies in various settings - especially while traversing the English countryside. One of the most surprising attacks happens in a basement where a ball is being held (the servant staff is killed and eaten) and another occurs at Mr. Darcy's home (where he displays his skill in zombie-slaying). Also, the threat of infection becomes all too real as one of Elizabeth 's friend's, Charlotte, is bitten and suffers from the vile plague. She experiences a slow demise into “zombiehood” as she loses a bit of her human side each and every day. To recap, the zombie aspect serves as a backdrop to the Elizabeth/Darcy romance, it is always lurking in the background, and it functions as a source of unity for all (everyone drops their “prejudices” to fight a common enemy). Elizabeth and Darcy have their warrior and their lover personas which do play a part in their back-and-forth relationship.
With PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, Grahame-Smith has developed a zombie sub-plot and it blends very well with the Austen material. It really is amazing how he works in the zombie content and it is often hilarious; you are reading along in the “proper” style of Austen and all of a sudden a zombie-related term will catch you off-guard. For instance, there is a section where Lizzy is speaking to/confronting Lady Catherine and all of a sudden the story moves into Lizzy having to fight off Lady Catherine's Ninjas. This scene ends with Lizzy taking a bite out of a heart that was ripped from a Ninja's chest. There are other instances where the references are more subtle, for example: (paraphrasing) “...and then she and Mr. Darcy walked by the Dojo” or “...she played with one of Lizzy's throwing stars while considering the situation”. The whole humor of the novel is based upon the fact that Jane Austen's work is so “proper” and it is contrasted with the “tasteless” mix of martial arts and zombie gore.
One of the other things that I really enjoyed about the novel was that there seemed to be a steady build-up of the ridiculous. Grahame-Smith starts out with those subtleties that I mentioned above and towards the end of the novel, he goes “all-out”. My favorite part of the story was when Lizzy's friend, Charlotte, became infected. The funny thing about it is that Lizzy seems to be the only one that notices Charlotte ’s worsening condition and the others act like she is just a little “under the weather”. There is a dinner scene which is described like the “soup” scene from DEAD ALIVE – and it is sharply punctuated by Lizzy vomiting in her napkin. Another one of the perfectly timed uses of the proper/obscene contrast came when the following scene was described: (paraphrasing) “...and Lizzy sadly contemplated what she had said as the coach drove off. Then, Charlotte scooped a handful of leaves into her mouth”. Also, the whole part about Wickham being crippled by Darcy and having to study at a “seminary for the lame” is a riot. It is something along the lines of Monty Python and it is augmented by the fact that Lizzy's sister (who is married to Wickham) keeps stressing, “...isn't my husband such a catch!...”, as Wickham lays there and repeatedly soils himself. It's a masterful display of comedy.
Before finishing, I want to take a moment to discuss the zombie content. It goes by the standard zombie rules, which are basically the “Romero rules”. The zombies feast on human brains, often attacking in hordes. The head-shot is not really emphasized but the descriptions of Lizzy and Darcy using their muskets and blades to behead the zombies is basically an equivalent. The zombie attack scenes are always entertaining; my favorites being the attacks at the balls. I think that it is just the outlandish contrast which makes it so exciting and humorous. In one of the first attacks, at the first ball, zombies crash into the ballroom and Mr. Bennet cries out something like, “girls! five-pointed star of death!”. The five girls huddle together with their blades pointed out towards the zombies and the killing proceeds. Also, the zombie attacks are set-up really well by the content of Austen. A very clever interspersion is when Lizzy is going on a walk to visit the sickly Jane (the same walk occurs in the original tale). It is perfectly set, zombies do appear, and they get quite a thrashing from the comely and deadly Elizabeth Bennet.
Gnawing through the flesh: Yes, my stale catch-phrase is strangely appropriate. I loved Grahame-Smith's treatment of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, despite the fact that I found Austen's portion of the novel to be somewhat tedious and cumbersome. The language of the novel is certainly something which, if you are not familiar with literature in this style, can be challenging. Grahame-Smith's portions mend seamlessly with Austen's but his are more accessible to the reader. Again, the “propriety” of Austen is the perfect “straight man” for Grahame-Smith to play off his humor and zombie madness. Also, it is an ingenious idea; it actually reminds me of a “Cheers” episode where Frasier was trying to read something like “A Tale of Two Cities” to Norm and Cliff. Frasier begins the novel and when he sees that he is losing their attention, he injects a part about a bloodthirsty clown who lives in the sewer and preys upon children. So, for those of you who hated literature class, loved it, or loved and hated it, you will definitely appreciate what Grahame-Smith has done with Austen's revered novel. It is well-worth taking up the challenge of reading it, I would love to see this made into a film, and I would love to see Grahame-Smith inject a slasher subplot into Flaubert’s “Madame Bovery”. I give PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES an 8/10.