How do you feel about the latest trend that re-creates literary classics with zombies and sea monsters?

I think these are a vehicle for writers who cannot come up with a decent story line on their own, so they have to borrow (steal) from real writers.

I think it’s amusing.

I agree with both DrBill and Michael Huntington . The idea is humorous enough that if this is only a fad then it should be of no concern to people who enjoyed the classics. It is quite similar to those who follow classic movie remakes as well. While the attempt may be a waste, there is always someone who enjoys them. I fear zombies btw.

I didn’t know about it, but I think it’s funny. It’ll wear itself out soon enough. The borrowing of ideas has been going on probably since the first account of an experience turned into a story.

This fad takes nothing away from the classics that are being imitated or parodied; but you can hardly expect to find these takeoffs as well written and engaging as the originals.

um… I don’t like zombies or sea-monsters so merging them with classics or anything for that matter cannot be good.. but each to their own :-)

I like the idea of America’s favorite rail-splitter also hunting down vampires, while saving the Union.

@Jeruba don’t fear zombies. They are creepy, by they are the Wile E. Coyote’s of monsters.

Three of the books you listed are currently sitting nearby in my To Read pile. So obviously I’m interested/amused enough by the trend. When I actually find the time and do read them, I’ll let you know if the amusement continued.

Being a huge Jane Austen fan, I was highly amused when I first came across “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” I thoroughly enjoyed it, got a lot of laughs from it, and couldn’t wait to read “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.”

However, the “Sense and Sensibility” book wasn’t nearly as entertaining or clever for me. It was enough to convince me that P&P&Zombies was probably the best of the lot, and the others classic knock-offs would probably be a waste of time. I think what happened was someone had a good idea, took it in a clever direction, and then just didn’t know when to stop.

It’s an amusing fad that is already fading. Maybe more people will read the original classics out of curiosity after reading the zombie version.

@filmfann, thanks, but I’m not the one who said “I fear zombies.” That was @deadleaf. If I feared zombies, I probably wouldn’t have lasted 33 years with a man who walks like the dead straight to the coffeepot in the morning.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is awesome. I always thought everything always needed moar zombie. I can’t wait to see Scarlett O’Hara duking it out with undead Yankees instead of tending the garden and pretending to be rich.

That said, while it can get old, Max Brooks is the guy you wanna blame for introducing the classic zombie into modern literature, and it probably will end eventually…I hate to say it, but there’s a limit to what you can do with classic work that explores a special concept that just can’t be exploited by sprinkling zombies everywhere.

Still, it’s better than turning my beloved eighteenth century vampire literature into that Twilight bullshit, thanks.

Agreed @Symbeline
I’d rather have zombies in Oliver Twist than glittery vampires

Has anyone tried to introduce zombies into Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein? That one might actually make sense.

Maybe I should place zombies in my doctoral thesis…

I don’t think it’s any worse than re-writing Shakespeare with Vampires.

@Symbeline I just got around to reading “World War Z” and loved it! Very creepy.

120 days of Sodom…with Zombies?

It doesn’t interest me. I don’t think it’s all that original, except the very first time someone came up with the concept.

P&P&Z was not bad, but not good enough for me to read the 2nd one. I think I’ll keep my classics & my zombies on separate ends of my bookshelf.

It almost seems like it would have started off as a joke. I have a friend who would probably have come up with a title like that. Someone would “I love Pride and Prejudice” and he’d say “Needs more zombies.” He says these things as a matter of course, it just comes out.

Those great classic writers are turning in their grave. It should go away ( I hope ) soon.