The great thing about the way the zombies have been incorporated is that the original plot has barely changed. In Jane Austen's original, in the first scenes the family attend Mr Bingley's ball at a nearby manor, in this new version, all the relationships, events and characters are identical - except they've all been brought up from birth to wield weapons to slice and bludgeon the long-term 'social nuisance' of the undead.
The part which I recognised the most, is the point where Mr. Darcy rejects Elizabeth just after meeting her. In Jane Austen's original, he takes a liking to her later on but in this version, his mansion is invaded by the undead, and he suddenly notices the graceful way she disembowels and beheads the corpses which break through the window.
"From a Corner of the room, Mr Darcy watched Elizabeth and her Sisters work their way outward beheading zombie after aombie as they went. He knew of only one other woman in all of Great Britain who wielded a dagger with such Grace"
I don't know how the author came up with this idea, but it is genius. It is being made into a film next year, with rumours of Natalie Portman playing Elizabeth.
There also seems to be quite a few more monster re-writes including ' Sense and Sensability and Sea Monsters' and 'Queen Victoria : Demon Hunter' which I am DEFINITELY buying.
Hey Sam - you're ahead of the theoretical curve here: 'mash-ups' are a cultural phenomenon associated with Postmodernism, and we'll be dealing with the whys and wherefores as part of the theory programme in semester 1. I suggest you DO finish this book, and maybe tackle some of the others, as, when the time comes, you'll be looking for a subject for your theory essay, and 'mash-ups' are a great way into the subject area. I also read P&P&Z a while back, but found it a little bit 'one note' - unlike you, however, I've never read the original text, so probably missed the nuances! :-)
:) Phil, what - you've never read Pride and Prejudice?...shame on you!
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...hmmm, but then again, I haven't read the 'with zombies' version!
I know - my head is lowered in literary shame... :-(