Antiquitopia

...that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Such are the famous first words to Jane Austen's masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice . But what if they read just slightly differently? Here is the product description to a new take on the classic masterpiece: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies , an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young...

I am obviously very far afield from my own little sandbox of antiquity; yet, alas, I teach Pride and Prejudice next week, and I am finding so many a bon mot to put Oscar Wilde to shame (ok...maybe not that many). Nonetheless, it is a very witty book. Here are some arresting lines of love that caught my passing eye (both spoken by Elizabeth Bennet): I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love. (1.9) Is not general incivility the very essence of love? (2.2) What makes the latter funny to me is that its tone in context seems quite serious, whereas the first quote is in a series of witty banter.

Next week in my class we will be reading Jane Austen's masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice . In preparation, I came across this site, the Republic of Pemberley , named after Mr. Darcy's estate in P&P. If you go to their shoppe, you will find the true meaning to WWJD: What Would Jane Do? As can be found here .