But there's saving literature, and there's saving it by scrapping the stuff that makes it literature. Author Ann Herendeen's self-described "queering" of Pride/Prejudice doesn't stink because it's got heaps of explicit gay and straight sex. Dawn of the Dreadfuls isn't substandard because it's gory and has monsters, which Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith first defended as the personification of late-Georgian horrors (the ever-present English militia, the ghastly social mores, etc.). These books are objectionable because they strike out Austen's greatest contributions—seething satire, brilliant language, critique of classism—while helping themselves to the benefits of her name brand.
For now, it's still a powerful brand. Toting a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies still grants you hip-Anglophile status, even if your actual interest is sweet nunchuk skills. Yet, in a mashup marketplace, familiarity with authentic Austen seems on the verge of fading—unless someone speaks up. So where are you, harrumphing English teachers with Austen-filled syllabi? Old boots with poodles named Darcy? Crazy person who paid $11,000 at auction for a lock of Jane's hair? Consider this your conscription notice.
词句笔记：
menfolk:n. 男人们
blithely:adv. 愉快地，无挂虑地
gobble:v.贪婪地吃，吞没
prequel:n. (文艺作品)先行篇，前篇
sardonic:a.讽刺的
chortle:v.& n.开心地笑
seething:adj. 沸腾的，剧烈的
动词seethe(vi.拥挤，云集；发怒，激动，骚动)的现在分词
