Is there life after zombies? For "Pride & Prejudice," there is, indeed.
For this literary transformation, Sittenfeld has moved the witty romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy to modern-day Cincinnati.
Here’s a primer to drag your fond memories into the 21st century:
Opening sentence
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
“Well before his arrival in Cincinnati, everyone knew that Chip Bingley was looking for a wife.”
Elizabeth Bennet
20-year-old girl | 38-year-old magazine writer
Fitzwilliam Darcy
Landed gentry | Brain surgeon
Charles Bingley
Gentleman | Reality TV star
Mr. Collins
Clergyman | Coder
Caroline Bingley
Snob | Rhymes with rich
Mr. Wick(ham)
Blocked from the clergy | Blocked from Stanford
Mary Bennet’s hobby
Books | Bowling
Crisis
No male heirs | No health insurance
Women
Have hats | Have jobs
Transportation
Horses | Airplanes
Communication
Letter writing | Texting
Artificial
Manners | Insemination
Social event
Ball | Barbecue
Social ills
Snobbery, greed | Racism, homophobia
Meet via
Dinner parties | Dating apps
Entertainment
Cards | Charades
Exercise
Stroll | CrossFit
Gender issue
Primogeniture | Transgender
Indiscretion
Peccadillos | Dildos
Pemberley
Derbyshire | California
Darcy’s proposal
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
“It’s probably an illusion caused by the release of oxytocin during sex, but I feel as if I’m in love with you.”
Ron Charles is the editor Book World. You can follow him on Twitter @RonCharles.
On April 28 at 7 PM, Curtis Sittenfeld will be at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016.
Read more:
Eligible
A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice
By Curtis Sittenfeld
Random House. 512 pp. $28
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