Jane Austen Lives on . . . as the undead?
Recently in publishing history it has become de rig-eur to publish classic novels with a little bit of contemporary monsters thrown in. For example "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" which is one of the first examples of what is now known as the "mash-up" genre. Where a writer takes one book and then with some artistic licensing smooches it together with another type of book. Other titles in this genre include: "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters", "Android Karenina", "Alice in Zombieland" and the list goes on.
Now with this new genre we get a tantalizing chance of creating a new format of fiction – and to be honest how often does that really happen? Art always tends to be a amorphous kind of entity that changes with the times; but I daresay that it has been a while since we have seen a new literary genre. And one of the most refreshing voices to join this genre is that of Michael Thomas Ford who has done the unusual and taken the genre a little bit further by taking a literary figure (that of Jane Austen) and pairing her with Bram Stoker's classic "Dracula".
In this literary trilogy we enter the world of Jane Austen who has been undead ever since she died all those years ago. Since her death she has been trying to get her last novel published but all the publishers refuse her for being "too Jane Austen-like" and also since she became a vampire she has had a serious case of writers block and only has her last manuscript as any ties to her past.
Jane owns and runs a quaint bookshop in upstate New York where she lives in constant annoyance of this surge of interest in all that is Austen. She is embittered that all these publishers are making tonnes of cash off her work while she has to listen to all the different interpretations of her novel and remain silent but incredulous at how often the critics and the public just get it wrong. But with this resurgence in all that is Austen comes a publisher interested in her novel and before she knows it Jane is whisked away on a whirlwind book tour and has to deal with a runaway best seller.
However fame has its downfalls and it is soon that Jane has some run in's with some undead people from her past, one of them claiming that they are the author of her recently published novel and that Jane is a fraud. Also while all this is going on love is blooming for Jane and her book store is booming and this is only the first book in the series.
Jane Bites Back , the follow up Jane Goes Batty and the final novel Jane Vows Vengeance.
These three books might not fit the mash-up genre perfectly, but they do go one step better and create original novels in the genre. From this librarian they are considered highly recommended reading. I personally am hoping that the Jane Fairfax series will be turned into a movie series as well, that way I can have my cake and eat it too!
Also if this topic interests you pleaslea fee free to read this blog entry that is also about the mash-up genre.
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