Jane Austen Gets Twilight-ified
Little Yuzu is Reading
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre
Amanda Grange
I saw this in the Jane Austen community and wanted to share it here. A new paperback edition* of Pride and Prejudice was released last week. Amazon lists it under the "young adult" category. And judging by the cover and the novel's description, it's clear that this edition of Austen's classic is geared toward a specific audience: the Twi-hards.
Book description: "With all the forces of the world conspiring to keep Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet apart, how will fate manage to bring them together? It certainly won't be easy if they're fighting it every step of the way. But theirs is a love that was meant to be, despite all the odds against them. One of the most captivating love stories of all time, Jane Austen's enduring masterpiece is beloved by generation after generation. Beautifully presented for a modern teen audience, this is the must-have edition of a timeless classic."
Funny that they're claiming it as "the must-have edition." If any edition is a must-have, it's this beautiful cloth hardcover Penguin edition. Or even The Annotated Pride and Prejudice. While I get annoyed any time Twilight is linked to something I love (Harry Potter vs. Twilight much?), the thing that bothers me the most about this new edition of Austen's classic is the comparison it makes between the characters - "Discover the connection between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, and Bella and Edward, take the Which Character Would You Be? quiz, and more." I mean, seriously?
Harper Teen also released new editions of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. How do you feel about these covers? I rolled my eyes the first time I saw them, and then I laughed. But really, I'm all for young adults reading the classics. If these "Twilight" editions get young people to approach classic literature without feeling daunted, then it's not such a bad thing.
*I'm probably going to end up buying this edition because I like to own as many editions of Pride and Prejudice as humanly possible. But, of course, I will use a coupon so I only have to pay around $5 for it. I couldn't bring myself to buy it at the book store. It was too awful and cheesy.