By Jodie
The fascinating and frustrating thing about classics is that they almost never stay static. Other writers pick them up and mess about with them in ways that infuriate, or enliven readers.
As we discuss the good old classic here at Estella's Revenge I thought it might be fun to look at the how one of the world’s favourite classics has been altered, extended and recast. Welcome to Meryton 2.0, full of all the usual Bennety goodness, but with plenty of surprises more shocking than Kitty’s shotgun wedding.
It may not be universally acknowledged that a classic written by Austen must be in want of a sequel but you’d never realise that if you search Amazon for novels related to Pride and Prejudice. There are a huge amount of sequels and re-imaginings based on Pride and Prejudice, all listed at the online book giant Amazon. One sequel, ‘Mrs Darcy’s Dilemma’, has previously been rated by a reviewer at Estella's Revenge.
Every Austen fan on the web seems to be alarmed about the news that a supernatural version of Pride and Prejudice is set to be released. 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' turns the Bennet sisters into head kicking zombie killers in skirts and petticoats. Personally I think it sounds just a bit awesome. There’s already been discussion about a possible movie, although the book won’t be released until April. This is one costume drama the boys will beg to see.
And it’s not just zombies dropping in on the Bennets without introductions. Rocket Pictures has decided to revamp their Predator franchise by placing their hideous monster into the Regency period. Will Clark, the film’s director said ‘Pride and Predator’ felt like ‘a fresh and funny way to blow apart the done-to-death Jane Austen genre’. Purists, prepare to shudder.
One author has decided to continue the supernatural twisting by tinkering with Austen herself. Michael Thomas Ford has signed a deal for a series of three novels about Austen rising as one of the undead . Vampiric Jane is upset about all the money other people are making from her novels and starts biting back in revenge.
British TV series ‘Lost in Austen’ features some pretty extreme plot changes, which I found much harder to swallow than a hoard of zombies rampaging through Longbourn. As much as I loved the heroine, played by Jemima Rooper, the idea that Elizabeth might not be the perfect partner for Darcy slightly appalled me. Sam Mendes plans to make this into a film, which seems a little pointless. Expect it to make lots of money for the corporate types.
My favourite alternate version of Pride and Prejudice has to be the fun, Facebook page set up recently See what the main characters would have been said and done if they’d had access to social media . Elizabeth gets on much better with Facebook than she does with text culture as this comic strip shows.
If you love the trend of classics reinvented as comics then search out the Marvel edition of Pride and Prejudice. Then, if you still haven’t had enough why not see the musical based on the book? There are no zombies, the plot ends happily ever after and there’s a whole song based on that famous first line. It might be just the tonic you need after your boyfriend brings home ‘Pride and Predator’ on dvd.
Showing posts with label articles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label articles. Show all posts
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Book Tour: Salt Lake City
By Melissa
When one thinks of Salt Lake City, two things usually come to mind: skiing and Mormons. But while Salt Lake City can boast of world-class ski resorts (the 2002 Winter Olympics were there after all; a fact that they are still proud of), and while it is the headquarters of the Mormon Church, Salt Lake City is also more than that. It is home to a world-class arts scene -- including ballet, symphony, museums, and the Sundance Film Festival, the Utah Jazz (if you're into basketball), beautiful canyons for hiking and camping, and a plethora of fine dining experiences. So it's not surprising that in Salt Lake City I found two of the best independent bookstores that I've ever been in.
I first came across Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore (informally known just as "Sam Weller's") during college. If you were a serious bibliophile in Utah, then you had to know of Sam Weller's; it was the best place to get books. Since I was 45 minutes (by car) away in Provo, though, I didn't get to the store much, but I did longingly wander through the stacks on the rare occasions I was up in Salt Lake. Conveniently located on Main Street in downtown Salt Lake, it looks relatively unimposing upon first glance (in fact, my husband drove right by it a couple of times before we found, completely by chance, the alleyway that leads to the back entrance). Another busy urban store, perhaps, nothing special. But walk inside, and you are confronted with towers of books. Sam Weller's not only carries recent releases, but specializes in used and rare books, particularly Mormon and Utah history books. Still, Sam Weller's--a family-owned business since 1925--prides itself in being able to find just about anything for just about anyone. (For a more extended, and quite fascinating, store history, see here.) I dropped in for a look on a Friday afternoon while on vacation recently. I couldn't stay long -- sleeping kids in the car -- but I did stay long enough to wish that I had more time. I was greeted by a friendly staff member (which is saying a lot, since I came in the back door), and I spent the precious minutes I had looking through the stacks. I didn't get through a hundredth of it, and if I had the time, I could have spent all afternoon there.
The only downside of Sam Weller's, in my opinion, is that there wasn't enough comfy places to sit and browse. It seemed like a place where you'd go, get what you need, and leave. It wasn't quite inviting enough for me. Still, it's a staple in downtown Salt Lake, and worth the visit.
While The King's English, the other independent bookstore in the Salt Lake City area, isn't located downtown, it's well worth the drive. Located in the Sugarhouse area (a neighborhood on the hills of eastern Salt Lake) since 1977, it's a bit off the beaten path for the average tourist. Situated in a lovely little strip-mall -ish area, for lack of a better word (it looked like a bit of bohemia in an older suburb, surrounded by coffee shops and art stores), and in an old house rather than a box store, it oozes charm. My girls were thrilled when we drove up ("We get to go inside, Mom?!"), and made a beeline to the fabulous children's section. I didn't see them again until we were dragging them out so we could make it to our next event on time. Which was fine, since I was lost in the seemingly endless (well, eight) rooms stacked with books. I liked how they organized the books: there was a mystery room, a nature/history room, a fiction room, a Western author's room... it made browsing more interesting. And there were many inviting comfy chairs (children-sized ones in the children's room), for sitting and reading. The staff were extraordinarily nice people, more than happy to help us find what we need as well as gift wrap our purchases. My only regrets were that I hadn't discovered it before this visit, and that I was only visiting and wasn't able to be a frequent customer there.
The other thing that impressed me while in Salt Lake was the local first movement. Everywhere I looked, especially wandering through downtown, there were "Buy Local First Utah" stickers, encouraging consumers to buy the local product and to patronize the local store first. I think that's a terrific idea, and well worth imitating in other areas.
When one thinks of Salt Lake City, two things usually come to mind: skiing and Mormons. But while Salt Lake City can boast of world-class ski resorts (the 2002 Winter Olympics were there after all; a fact that they are still proud of), and while it is the headquarters of the Mormon Church, Salt Lake City is also more than that. It is home to a world-class arts scene -- including ballet, symphony, museums, and the Sundance Film Festival, the Utah Jazz (if you're into basketball), beautiful canyons for hiking and camping, and a plethora of fine dining experiences. So it's not surprising that in Salt Lake City I found two of the best independent bookstores that I've ever been in.
I first came across Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore (informally known just as "Sam Weller's") during college. If you were a serious bibliophile in Utah, then you had to know of Sam Weller's; it was the best place to get books. Since I was 45 minutes (by car) away in Provo, though, I didn't get to the store much, but I did longingly wander through the stacks on the rare occasions I was up in Salt Lake. Conveniently located on Main Street in downtown Salt Lake, it looks relatively unimposing upon first glance (in fact, my husband drove right by it a couple of times before we found, completely by chance, the alleyway that leads to the back entrance). Another busy urban store, perhaps, nothing special. But walk inside, and you are confronted with towers of books. Sam Weller's not only carries recent releases, but specializes in used and rare books, particularly Mormon and Utah history books. Still, Sam Weller's--a family-owned business since 1925--prides itself in being able to find just about anything for just about anyone. (For a more extended, and quite fascinating, store history, see here.) I dropped in for a look on a Friday afternoon while on vacation recently. I couldn't stay long -- sleeping kids in the car -- but I did stay long enough to wish that I had more time. I was greeted by a friendly staff member (which is saying a lot, since I came in the back door), and I spent the precious minutes I had looking through the stacks. I didn't get through a hundredth of it, and if I had the time, I could have spent all afternoon there.The only downside of Sam Weller's, in my opinion, is that there wasn't enough comfy places to sit and browse. It seemed like a place where you'd go, get what you need, and leave. It wasn't quite inviting enough for me. Still, it's a staple in downtown Salt Lake, and worth the visit.
While The King's English, the other independent bookstore in the Salt Lake City area, isn't located downtown, it's well worth the drive. Located in the Sugarhouse area (a neighborhood on the hills of eastern Salt Lake) since 1977, it's a bit off the beaten path for the average tourist. Situated in a lovely little strip-mall -ish area, for lack of a better word (it looked like a bit of bohemia in an older suburb, surrounded by coffee shops and art stores), and in an old house rather than a box store, it oozes charm. My girls were thrilled when we drove up ("We get to go inside, Mom?!"), and made a beeline to the fabulous children's section. I didn't see them again until we were dragging them out so we could make it to our next event on time. Which was fine, since I was lost in the seemingly endless (well, eight) rooms stacked with books. I liked how they organized the books: there was a mystery room, a nature/history room, a fiction room, a Western author's room... it made browsing more interesting. And there were many inviting comfy chairs (children-sized ones in the children's room), for sitting and reading. The staff were extraordinarily nice people, more than happy to help us find what we need as well as gift wrap our purchases. My only regrets were that I hadn't discovered it before this visit, and that I was only visiting and wasn't able to be a frequent customer there.The other thing that impressed me while in Salt Lake was the local first movement. Everywhere I looked, especially wandering through downtown, there were "Buy Local First Utah" stickers, encouraging consumers to buy the local product and to patronize the local store first. I think that's a terrific idea, and well worth imitating in other areas.
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