DoJ: Pride/Prejudice

From Herendeen's website

I recently picked up Ann Herendeen's Pride/Prejudice. It is a slash fiction re-telling of P & P.  Herendeen's definition of slash fiction is when "existing stories are re-told with same-sex relationships between some or all of the main characters" (410). Basically, Darcy and Bingley have a relationship inspired by ancient Greek and Roman culture, when men had relationship with younger men in an "ideal love." Plus, Lizzy and Charlotte also have a relationship, though Charlotte is really a lesbian.

The premise isn't that strained, as Darcy obviously has a whole lot of authority over Bingley, but the fact that Darcy is part of the Brotherhood of Philander (the gentlemen's club whose members are all gay/sodomites). The Brotherhood is a major part in her first book, Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander.  It's a little to much product placement for me; plus she adds so many characters, the actual story of P&P is lost.  The flip side of not dwelling too much on the original is that Herendeen actually creates rather than retells:

"all authors who write versions of Austen novels are faced with the hellish problem that the Divine Miss A. produced some of the most elegant prose ever to appear in English literature... we have two unpalatable options: to paraphrase, or to dump vast chunks of her text into our narrative. Neither alternative is attractive to a writer. Copying is, well, copying - not creative at all" (412).

On the whole, it was okay; pretty smutty, but being able to see more of Darcy (even a bi Darcy) was refreshing. Grade B. Rating R.

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