Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"He had these lists, and on one side he had a column of War and Peace and Crime and Punishment and Wuthering Heights and whatever public domain classic literature you can think of. And on the other side he would have these phenomena like werewolves and pirates and zombies and vampires. He called me one day, out of the blue, very excitedly, and he said, all I have is this title, and I can't stop thinking about this title. And he said: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. For whatever reason, it just struck me as the most brilliant thing I'd ever heard."--Lev Grossman interviewing Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith, 2009, Time Magazine |
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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009) is a parody novel by Seth Grahame-Smith. It is a mashup story combining Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice with elements of modern zombie fiction. oks]].
Plot summary
The story follows the plot of Pride and Prejudice, but places the novel in an alternative universe version of 19th century England where zombies roam the countryside. The undead are generally viewed as a troublesome nuisance, albeit a deadly one, and their presence often affects the plot of the story in subtle ways — messages between houses are sometimes lost when the couriers are captured and eaten; characters openly discuss and judge the zombie-fighting abilities of others; women weigh the pros and cons of carrying a musket (it provides safety, but is considered "unladylike").
Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters live on a countryside estate with their parents. Mr. Bennet trains his daughters in martial arts and weapons, molding them into a fearsome zombie-fighting army. On the other hand, Mrs. Bennet plans to marry the girls off to wealthy suitors. When the wealthy Mr. Bingley purchases a nearby county house, Mrs. Bennet spies an opportunity and sends the girls to Bingley's first ball. The girls defend the party from a zombie attack, and Mr. Bingley and eldest daughter Jane begin a relationship. Elizabeth, meanwhile, spars with the haughty monster-hunter Fitzwilliam Darcy, a friend of Bingley. Although Elizabeth and Darcy strongly dislike each other at first, their common interest of zombie-killing draws them closer together.
The Bennets are shaken when Bingley suddenly abandons his country home and returns to the walled fortress city of London; they assume he has left because of the zombies (who eat his household servants). Later, Elizabeth learns that Darcy was responsible for Jane and Bingley's breakup. When the local militia arrives in town to dig up and destroy dead bodies, one of the soldiers tells Elizabeth that Darcy cheated him out of an inheritance. Elizabeth's dislike of Darcy turns into full-blown hatred, culminating in a vicious physical fight between the two in which Darcy is badly beaten. He then writes a long letter to Elizabeth in which he explains his actions. He broke up Jane and Bingley out of fear that Jane had contracted the "mysterious plague" and was about to turn into a zombie. With regards to the wronged soldier, George Wickham, Darcy explains that Wickham had attempted to marry Darcy's younger sister in an attempt to get his hands on her considerable fortune — this was the "inheritance" that Darcy had cheated the man out of. Elizabeth realizes that she has judged Darcy too harshly, and is humbled. Darcy, meanwhile, realizes that his arrogant nature encourages people to believe the rumors about him, and resolves to act more appropriately.
Elizabeth embarks on a trip around the country, fighting zombies along the way. At Pemberley she runs into Darcy, who helps her to defeat a rampaging horde of zombies. Darcy's new attitude and mannerisms impress Elizabeth and lead her to consider reconciling their relationship. Unfortunately, her tour of duty is cut short when her younger sister Lydia elopes to London with Wickham. The Bennet family expects the worst, but later discovers that Wickham has changed his ways and seeks to settle down into a proper marriage with Lydia. Darcy and Bingley return to the countryside, and Jane and Bingley resume their relationship. Elizabeth hopes to do the same with Darcy, but his aunt (the Lady Catherine) interferes, insisting that her daughter Anne is a better match for her nephew. Lady Catherine challenges Elizabeth to a fight to the death, intent on eliminating the competition, but Elizabeth defeats Catherine and her cadre of ninjas. She spares Catherine's life. Darcy is touched by this gesture, and he returns to Elizabeth's side. The two cheerfully wipe out a field of zombies (their first battle as a couple) and begin a long and happy future together.
