7/2009 Winner: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"

GWC Community Book Club Winning Nominees and Polls
#41

I’m about halfway through, and I just happened to notice the “Study Questions” at the back–they’re hysterical! I’ll include them for you Audible folk:

spoilers ahead

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a rich, multilayered study of love, war, and the supernatural. We hope these questions will deepen your appreciation and enjoyment of this towering work of classical zombie literature.

  1. Many critics have addressed the dual nature of Elizabeth’s personality. On one hand, she can be a savage, remorseless killer, as we see in her vanquishing of Lady Catherine’s ninjas. On the other hand, she can be tender and merciful, as in her relationships with Jane, Charlotte, and the young bucks that roam her family’s estate. In your opinion, which of these “halves” best represents the real Elizabeth at the beginning—and at the end of the novel?

  2. Is Mr. Collins merely too fat and stupid to notice his wife’s gradual transformation into a zombie, or could there be another explanation for his failure to acknowledge the problem? If so, what might that explanation be? How might his occupation (as a pastor) relate to his denial of the obvious, or his decision to hang himself?

  3. The strange plague has been the scourge of England for “five-and-fifty years.” Why do the English stay and fight, rather than retreat to the safety of eastern Europe or Africa?

  4. Who receives the sorrier fate: Wickham, left paralyzed in a seminary for the lame, forever soiling himself and studying ankle-high books of scripture? Or Lydia, removed from her family, married to an invalid, and childless, yet forever changing filthy diapers?

  5. Due to her fierce independence, devotion to exercise, and penchant for boots, some critics have called Elizabeth Bennet “the first literary lesbian.” Do you think the authors intended her to be gay? And if so, how would this Sapphic twist serve to explain her relationships with Darcy, Jane, Lady Catherine, and Wickham?

  6. 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?

  7. Does Mrs. Bennet have a single redeeming quality?

  8. Vomit plays an important role in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Mrs Bennet frequently vomits when she’s nervous, coachmen vomit in disgust when they witness zombies feasting on corpses, even the steady Elizabeth can’t help but vomit at the sight of Charlotte lapping up her own bloody pus. Do the authors mean for this regurgitation to symbolize something greater, or is it a cheap device to get laughs?

  9. Is Lady Catherine’s objection to Elizabeth (as a bride for her nephew) merely a matter of Elizabeth’s inferior wealth and rank? Or could there be another explanation? Could she be intimidated by Elizabeth’s fighting skills? Is she herself secretly in love with Darcy? Or is she bitter about the shortcomings of her own daughter?

  10. Some scholars believe that the zombies were a last-minute addition to the novel, requested by the publisher in a shameless attempt to boost sales. Others argue that the hordes of living dead are integral to Jane Austen’s plot and social commentary. What do you think? Can you imagine what this novel might be like without the violent zombie mayhem?

I invite my fellow readers to answer any or all of these questions, as the mood or muse strikes. Have fun!

#42
  1. Does Mrs. Bennet have a single redeeming quality?

One of the reasons P&P&Z works so well- Mrs. B is as obnoxious as ever, thank the Gods.

In terms of Charlotte (and I’m about where you are D), I’m surprised Lady Catherine doesn’t say something, but then she’s so full of herself and Charlotte is “beneath” her.

Am enjoying this, but I’m ready to get back to some Star Wars reading. Like I said before, I think the zombies are dull, but how their presence has affected the characters is interesting.

#43
  1. Is Lady Catherine’s objection to Elizabeth (as a bride for her nephew) merely a matter of Elizabeth’s inferior wealth and rank? Or could there be another explanation? Could she be intimidated by Elizabeth’s fighting skills? Is she herself secretly in love with Darcy? Or is she bitter about the shortcomings of her own daughter?

Lady Catherine. First off, the Audible.com narrator, Katherine Kellgren, truly made this character’s “voice” nothing short of a tour de force. I listened with tears forming in the corners of my eyes from laughter. Kudos!

Lady Catherine seems to me the quintessential control freak. Old Money, long-established social dominance and status, she has been saying “jump” for a long time, and everyone around her has fallen over themselves to reply “but of course! Of what height do you require?” Add a Master’s degree in The Deadly Arts, and, well, is there any reason to doubt how she developed her monstrous ego?

This makes Elizabeth her perfect foil…er, katana. The immovable object meets…the other immovable object. Best get out of the way for a bit.

I believe Lady Catherine would have strongly confronted any woman who in any way seemed to be disrupting her life’s dream of marrying Mr Darcy and her daughter, regardless of the social status, beauty, or wealth of the supposed interloper. If it’s not her idea, not her plan, it’s not going to happen. Period. And while most ladies of the age may have quailed at her reproach, Elizabeth is, of course made of sterner stuff. I’m sure this infuriated Lady Catherine all the more, and led to the wonderful dojo scene that led to the afforementioned tears in the eyes.

#44

I have just under an hour left of the audiobook (which I guess means I’m about 90% done, since it’s about 10 hrs). I cannot stop laughing! The narrator is absolutely delightful! (I was howling with laughter at her performance of poor Charlotte’s rapidly declining power of speech!) Speaking of which:

  1. Is Mr. Collins merely too fat and stupid to notice his wife’s gradual transformation into a zombie, or could there be another explanation for his failure to acknowledge the problem? If so, what might that explanation be? How might his occupation (as a pastor) relate to his denial of the obvious, or his decision to hang himself?

Now really! What does his size have to do with his not noticing? But no, I do think he knows, but this is Victorian society. Nothing is ever confronted directly. As a man of the cloth, especially, he would have seen it as his Christian duty to remain steadfastly by Charlotte’s side to the end. Nor would Mr Collins ever have spoken of it to anyone, so as not to embarrass her tender sensibilities (or, for that matter, himself). No matter how pompous his speech, his behaviour throughout the book is always above reproach. Even Elizabeth, who has little patience for the societal habit of speaking around things, doesn’t say anything, either, merely wondering on it to herself. What seemed odd to me, was Lady De Bourgh’s silence. Despite her asertions that she knew, I can only assume that she was too wrapped up in telling everyone else what to do (the hateful old bat!) to notice.

As for Mr Collins’s suicide, I am at a loss. It seems a more tragically romantic action, and much less self-serving, than I would expect from Collins. Appearances being so important to him, it seems a bit odd…

#45

I’m done! I’m glad I read it, Austen is always good and the zombies were an interesting addition. The only complaint I have is the fate of Mr. Collins, he seemed too proud for such an action, but with the Ninja teachings, I understand the concept of an honorable death.

Loved Wickham’s fate, it suited him quite well. Am sad Miss Bingley remained unharmed. Would have made a great scene.

I’ve heard his next book is supposed to be about Lincoln and vampires. That sounds interesting. I was kinda hoping for a cure to the plague since Austen usually has a happy ending.

Now when are we going to have a frak party for the Colin Firth BBC production?

#46

As long as I’m available, I’m in!

#47

me too, anytime, anywhere :smiley:

#48

girlie squee voice Yeah me too… nervous cough manly voice Ugh! Me Grimlock think that would be cool.

#49

snort Grimlock think Jane and Mr Bingley perfect couple! Me no like Miss Bingley! Grimlock smash Miss Bingley!

#50

I agree about the pride bit. Also - suicide? I have a hard time seeing the pastor do that, but hey, if zombies can run wild in the Realm, hey, vicars can kill themselves.

#51

Listen Mr. Smarty Pants- seeing the Colin Firth Production will change your life… and enrich your fantasy life. Is there no place on the forum where the women can be girlie without the men jumping in? :wink:

#52

I’ve seen it and it did. Wonderful production.

No.

#53

I’m about half way through - the more I read, the more I like this quirky book. Having dodged the Austen bullet through highschool and college, this is my first read through any P&P related work, though the characters are familiar thanks to a “Wishbone” phase a while back. Just a fun read.

#54

I am sorry, I have tried to read this off and on again for weeks and have had to give up. It’s archaic language is grueling to plod through and I have found none of the characters interesting enough to care what happens to them.

The form of storytelling is simply too distant, I feel removed from them, as if watching them from a distance. I prefer a novel where your point of view is from a characters standpoint, and where you can even share thoughts with them. And I was hoping that with such a silly concept that the book would be campy, but it is not…

During the time I attempted to read this book I consumed-

Harry Potter 1-3
Stephen Kings ‘On Writing’
Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Graveyard Book’
Jocelynn Drakes ‘Nightwalker’ and am about to plunge into ‘DayHunter’.

I am not saying PP and Z is bad, it is just not my cup of tea, sorry…

#55

We all have different tastes in entertainment - just because a number of us love the Austen original doesn’t mean it’s for everyone (my spouse, for example, can’t get through it, or Tolkien - too archaic). Definitely make suggestions for the book club in the future though!

#56

After a very long wait on my local library’s reserve list, I finally got to read Zombies and I really liked it. I read the unzombified version of Pride And Prejudice before I dived into this one so I could compare the two versions and I was surprised at how “naturally” all the undead action fit into Austen’s writing. I loved all the euphamisms the author used: “stricken,” “sorry stricken,” and "unmentionables”. I’m going to try and find a way to work those words into casual conversation.

Whenever I read books set during the nineteenth century I struggle with how limited the choices were for women during that time—it’s the reason that it’s very hard for me to fully enjoy regency romances. But watching the Bennet sisters slash and hack their way through their enemies made me like them even more than I did in the original. It made me feel like they were more empowered, and the little feminist in me was waving her little flag when the Bennet girls formed the Pentagram of Death.

My favorite quote, which still makes me smile, was:

As Mr. Darcy walked off, Elizabeth felt her blood turn cold. She had never in her life been so insulted. The warrior code demanded she avenge her honour. Elizabeth reached down to her ankle, taking care not to draw attention. There, her hand met the dagger concealed beneath her dress. She meant to follow this proud Mr. Darcy outside and open his throat.

I like the idea that Elizabeth, at any given moment, could kill Mr. Darcy if she wanted to. Is that wrong?

But I still can’t stand Lydia. I’m not sure if there’s enough martial arts training in the world to make me like that empty-headed girl. I detest that character in movies and in print.

I was disappointed that Mrs. Bennet’s character remained unchanged in Zombies. I was hoping that she would be given a unique skill or something that would give her just a little depth. I watched the movie before reading the books and one of the things that went completely over my head on film, that was painfully outlined in the books, was the amount of contempt everyone feels towards her. She doesn’t command any respect and I found that a little shocking.

I was delighted with how Wickham ended up, and pretty shocked at Charlotte’s death and Collins’s suicide. I kept expecting that some kind of cure would be found that would reverse Charlotte’s condition.

I’ve tried to read Pride before and gave up. It’s hard for me to get through Austen’s books—but haven’t given up on her yet. Zombies has renewed my interest in her work, and I’ve put Sense And Sensibility on my reading list.