As we spend February featuring Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg, we thought this would be the perfect time to explore other spoofs, mash-ups and twisted adaptations on Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride & Prejudice. (After all, Prom & Prejudice is a modern retelling of Austen’s novel!)
Of course, not everyone loves these twisted takes on Austen’s novel. Some feel they are blasphemous or disrespectful. But we like the idea of putting a unique spin on something so culturally pervasive. So with that in mind, here are some of our favorite twists on this classic tale:
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.
Yes, that’s right. It’s Pride & Prejudice. With zombies. This mash-up poses the question: what if Elizabeth Bennet experience everything that happened in the original Pride & Prejudice … while also fighting off a zombie horde? You’ve got verbal sparring between Lizzie and Mr. Darcy … and actual sparring between Lizzie and all those undead.
There’s also a prequel, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls — which shows how the zombie plague came to Regency England, and how Lizzie Bennet becomes a “slayer of the undead.” Here’s the prequel’s book trailer:
A third book in this series comes out later this year — Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After. There’s also a graphic novel adaptation of P&P&Z.
Jane Austen’s Fight Club
This is what happens when Chuck Palahniuk meets Jane Austen … you get a fight club set in Regency England. It’s polite, classy … and a bit bloody.
Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters
Much like the Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, this is another creature-feature mash-up of a classic Austen novel. Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters also features one of the most spectacularly hilarious book trailers I’ve ever seen:
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre
Here’s another case of mixing Austen’s Pride & Prejudice with a creature du jour, in this case the ever-popular vampire. Amanda Grange’s Mr. Darcy, Vampyre is a twisted sequel to Austen’s classic, in which a dark Darcy family curse is introduced. Lizzie soon learns that Mr. Darcy has more secrets …
Jane Austen Graphic Novels
Marvel comics had a bit of fun a couple years ago, when the writers set aside superheroes like Spider-Man and Iron Man to revisit Jane Austen’s classic novels.
Marvel released a series of graphic novels inspired by Austen’s work, most notably a series adaptation of Pride & Prejudice and an adaptation of Sense & Sensibility. The cover art for these books is truly charming, giving them almost a magazine-cover quality. In my opinion, this is a very charming concept!
Also, points to Marvel for using comic books to bring reluctant readers to some classic literature!
For the comments: What other Jane Austen spoofs/mash-ups can you think of? Share them with us in the comments below!
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