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Jun. 30th, 2009 10:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsOkay, guys - I have a confession to make.
I didn't like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
I KNOW. I'm shocked at myself too! The mere concept fills me with delight! And yet! I have been trying to figure out why, and I think maybe the biggest problem for me was just that Zombie-Slaying Ninja Master Elizabeth Bennet did not feel like Elizabeth Bennet, and Elizabeth Bennet is a character that I love enough that OOC Lizzie makes me irritable. Is a review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies the place for in-depth character analysis? No, but I am going to add one anyways, SO THERE.
To my mind (though I welcome argument, as always), here are the things that make Elizabeth Bennet, Original Flavor an awesome character:
1. She has a fabulous sense of humor, and is just as good at laughing at herself as she is at everyone else.
2. She is independent within the confines of her society, which means that she knows how to navigate the rules to allow for her own freedom without being completely shocking (or Unbearably Spunky, for that matter). This is extremely important for Austen, and is what shows her to have good sense as well as an independent spirit.
3. She loves her family. Yes, even the silly and stupid ones.
4. She is not particularly accomplished, and what accomplishments she does have she is mediocre at. That really is important! First of all, it saves her from being too perfect, but more essentially, it means that the focus is not on what Elizabeth can do, but who she is. We like her - and so does Mr. Darcy - because of the force of her personality, not because of her zippity fingers.
Contrast this with Elizabeth Bennet, Ninja Master:
1. Grahame-Smith keeps a lot of Elizabeth's jokes, but because her own sense of WARRIOR HONOR is so easily offended, it is hard to read her except as taking herself crazy seriously. That is no fun! And makes her jokes at others' expense a lot more mean-spirited.
2. I . . . can't even quite figure out what the social rules of zombie-infected England are so I can't really comment on this one. (But I wish I did! That would be such a fascinating read!) I have to say, though, while I love the kickass ladies, this book totally pinged my "the only way for girls to be awesome is if they can beat up everyone!" senses - especially considering all the comments Elizabeth makes about being ashamed of showing any 'feminine weakness' when she is sworn to the sword, etc.
3. She dreams about beheading Lydia. D: D: D: D:
4. I really wanted Elizabeth just to be a mediocre ninja master, and not the best of the best. That would actually have been really cool! As it is, her mad zombie-slaying skillz pretty much overshadow everything else about her, and . . . I just didn't care! I wanted Original Flavor Lizzie back. :(
Other things: the truly ridiculous levels of Orientalism (oh god, the disposable ninjas and constant appropriativeness of everybody, WHY). And all the vomiting and soiling is really not as funny as Seth Grahame-Smith thinks it is. Which is not to say he doesn't get off some great lines! Or that there weren't some scenes that, by all rights, I should have thought were awesome, if I was not so cranky at the book already. Sadly, I was cranky, and though the end was better than the beginning, by that point I was unsoothable.
(Also: Charlotte Lucas' plotline. D: D: D: D: CHARLOTTE.)
I didn't like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
I KNOW. I'm shocked at myself too! The mere concept fills me with delight! And yet! I have been trying to figure out why, and I think maybe the biggest problem for me was just that Zombie-Slaying Ninja Master Elizabeth Bennet did not feel like Elizabeth Bennet, and Elizabeth Bennet is a character that I love enough that OOC Lizzie makes me irritable. Is a review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies the place for in-depth character analysis? No, but I am going to add one anyways, SO THERE.
To my mind (though I welcome argument, as always), here are the things that make Elizabeth Bennet, Original Flavor an awesome character:
1. She has a fabulous sense of humor, and is just as good at laughing at herself as she is at everyone else.
2. She is independent within the confines of her society, which means that she knows how to navigate the rules to allow for her own freedom without being completely shocking (or Unbearably Spunky, for that matter). This is extremely important for Austen, and is what shows her to have good sense as well as an independent spirit.
3. She loves her family. Yes, even the silly and stupid ones.
4. She is not particularly accomplished, and what accomplishments she does have she is mediocre at. That really is important! First of all, it saves her from being too perfect, but more essentially, it means that the focus is not on what Elizabeth can do, but who she is. We like her - and so does Mr. Darcy - because of the force of her personality, not because of her zippity fingers.
Contrast this with Elizabeth Bennet, Ninja Master:
1. Grahame-Smith keeps a lot of Elizabeth's jokes, but because her own sense of WARRIOR HONOR is so easily offended, it is hard to read her except as taking herself crazy seriously. That is no fun! And makes her jokes at others' expense a lot more mean-spirited.
2. I . . . can't even quite figure out what the social rules of zombie-infected England are so I can't really comment on this one. (But I wish I did! That would be such a fascinating read!) I have to say, though, while I love the kickass ladies, this book totally pinged my "the only way for girls to be awesome is if they can beat up everyone!" senses - especially considering all the comments Elizabeth makes about being ashamed of showing any 'feminine weakness' when she is sworn to the sword, etc.
3. She dreams about beheading Lydia. D: D: D: D:
4. I really wanted Elizabeth just to be a mediocre ninja master, and not the best of the best. That would actually have been really cool! As it is, her mad zombie-slaying skillz pretty much overshadow everything else about her, and . . . I just didn't care! I wanted Original Flavor Lizzie back. :(
Other things: the truly ridiculous levels of Orientalism (oh god, the disposable ninjas and constant appropriativeness of everybody, WHY). And all the vomiting and soiling is really not as funny as Seth Grahame-Smith thinks it is. Which is not to say he doesn't get off some great lines! Or that there weren't some scenes that, by all rights, I should have thought were awesome, if I was not so cranky at the book already. Sadly, I was cranky, and though the end was better than the beginning, by that point I was unsoothable.
(Also: Charlotte Lucas' plotline. D: D: D: D: CHARLOTTE.)
