Reimagining Austen's Work in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 
Film poster

    Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813) marries dystopian zombie reality in Burr Steers' Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016). Similar to the novel, the film is set in nineteenth-century England, but with twenty-first-century dystopian world-building. In this film, a virus has infected the world, turning people into brain-eating zombies. While navigating the complicated marriage market and societal expectations, the Bennet family also battles against zombies. Unlike the original novel, however, the Bennet sisters were taught martial arts at a Shaolin temple in China. Although the undead plot elements change the story, much of the beloved courtship narrative remains intact. The Bennet family rushes against the clock to get all of the sisters married. When a wealthy young man, Mr. Bingley, moves into town, Mrs. Bennet is determined to see one of her daughters become his wife. During the family's first meeting with Mr. Bingley, his friend, Darcy, gravely insults Elizabeth's pride, starting a tension-filled feud between the two. As they navigate their growing feelings for one another, they must fight against the zombies that threaten everyone they love. The added element of Zombies raises the stakes of the narrative, building the tension to a life-and-death reality.

The Story Reimagined

Elizabeth drops Carrion flies into Darcy's hand

The addition of zombies to Austen's original story gives Elizabeth's character a more active role in the plot. This deviation allows for more creative liberties to be taken, especially in the case of female characters. If the female characters played the same role that they do in the novel, they would not survive the apocalypse. This is why Elizabeth can be the assertive, combative character that she takes on in this film. An example of this is in one of the first extended conversations Elizabeth and Darcy have, which is at Jane's sickbed. During her walk to the Bingley's estate, she was injured and became ill. Darcy, because of his position in the military, attempts to ensure she is not infected with the virus, so he uses Carrion flies as detection. In the defense of her sister, Elizabeth catches all of them in one hand before dropping them into Darcy's palm, saying, "I believe that these belong to you." The added tension of Darcy threatening Jane's life increases the stakes for Elizabeth, but the way she responds is perfect. Instead of lashing out at Darcy, she handles the situation efficiently with no spectacle. She does not let Darcy's status in society or in the military intimidate her into submission. This element of physical capability changes the dynamic between the original story and this one. 

Elizabeth saves Mr. Darcy from zombie Wickham

Another element of the film that changes the dynamics of the original plot is its resolution. When Lydia and Wickham run away with one another to zombie territory, Darcy follows to save her before the bridge is destroyed. He can free Lydia but finds himself fighting Wickham in a final showdown. Just as Wickham gains the upper hand and prepares to kill Darcy, Elizabeth swoops in and kills him. This scene adds to the adaptation by maintaining her active role in its end. Instead of Darcy saving Lydia from Wickham's plot, Elizabeth takes control of the situation. This alteration reinforces the strength of female characters that has persisted throughout the plot.

Treatment of Gender

    In this film, many of the female characters are portrayed as capable, deadly women. Even though they can take care of themselves, their male counterparts still impose gender expectations on them. For example, during the fight scene at the town's ball, the Bennet sisters heroically slaughter a horde of zombies in front of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. 

The Bennet sisters walking into the hall on their way to fight zombies. 

    The scene opens with the Bennet sisters strutting into the hall with a heroic score introducing them. In this entrance, the sisters take up a majority of the screen, placing the focus on them and their actions. Wearing evening dresses adds to the complicated nature of this scene. Not only are these dresses incredibly long, but they have corsets. This restricts movement and breathing for all of the women. For them to be capable of fighting in these dresses reveals the extensive training the sisters have taken to get to this point.

    Both Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy watch them without lifting a finger to help, seemingly in awe of their fighting prowess. Instead of being grateful and impressed by Elizabeth's impeccable fighting skills, Mr. Darcy only comments, "I am forced to acknowledge her figure is both light and pleasing and that her arms are surprisingly muscular yet not so much as to be unfeminine." Not only does this undermine Elizabeth's physical capabilities as a warrior, but it highlights the importance of remaining feminine even in a life-or-death situation. Instead of acknowledging Elizabeth as a skilled fighter, let alone an equal, Darcy focuses on her physical appearance and whether she is too masculine. This speaks to a larger theme throughout the film. Even though many of the women are trained extensively in martial arts and are just as capable as the men, Darcy's comment reveals that society still holds women to certain physical beauty standards.

    This scene also speaks to the male gaze. Instead of focusing on the heroic nature of this scene, the men choose instead to sexualize the sisters. Darcy and Bingley do not see these women as capable fighters; they see them as a release for their sexual desires. Even the weapons the women hold are used to satisfy the male gaze. In the hands of a man, the sword is a tool, but in the hands of a woman, it is symbolic of a penis. Instead of gripping a sword to save lives, the two men see it as a symbol of the women's sexual vigor. To these men, the women are only objects of male pleasure, not talented women who have saved their lives. The film's deviation from many traditional gender roles, the female characters' strength is still diminished by their male counterparts because of the male gaze and societal pressures.

Mr. Collins asking Elizabeth to marry him.

    Another scene that speaks to gender roles in the film is the scene where Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth. Similar to the novel, Mr. Collins asks Elizabeth to marry him by listing all of the reasons they would be a great match. Many of those reasons do not deviate from the original dialogue, but Mr. Collins adds a stipulation: Elizabeth must give up fighting as "marital submission." In a world in which fighting and being capable of defending oneself is a necessity, Mr. Collins focus on Elizabeth being the docile wife reveals how this society thinks women should behave. The focus on being a proper woman over survival reinforces the restrictions that society places on women, despite the world's current climate. His stipulation reveals that a woman's place in a marriage is submission to her husband, relinquishing her autonomy and independence. 

Conclusion

    One of the many reasons Pride and Prejudice has remained timeless is Elizabeth's character. Her intelligence and outspokenness resonate with audiences across history. The film's addition of physicality to her character makes her even more compelling to modern audiences. In this film, she can not only speak for herself, but she can back it up through her actions. Around the time that this film was created, multiple female characters with similar skill sets in dystopian films wowed audiences. The addition of martial artist Elizabeth Bennet fit right in with her peers. Her character fills a niche that existed in that specific set of years but has remained endearing in the subsequent decade. Even with the modern twist, the film draws attention to problematic societal standards and male behaviors that have persisted for centuries, addressing these in often comical ways.