MARCH 24, 2010 12:45PM
Should I Try My Hand at a Mash-Up Novel?
And Should I Do it Over Open Salon?
It's on my list, but I've yet to read "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," the book that started the mash-up craze. And I don't want to read it until I've read "Pride and Prejudice" itself. A daunting task, but my pride (hah!) prevents me from feeling like a lazy nitwit who can only take a "serious" literary classic if it's sugarcoated with fantastical zombie horror mayhem.Furthermore, I don't love the idea - or the gall - of taking an existing classic and letting it do 80% of the work for you. And the concept itself does slightly reek of an adolescent attempt at irreverence -- "haha! 19th century high chick-lit is only cool with zombies and gore!" Maybe once I do read "PP&Z" I'll change my mind and realize that there is imagination and wit at work there.
Nonetheless, the sad fact is, I am a lazy nitwit. And when I thought - what kind of mash-up could I do - I came up with a marquee title. And a work of classic, public-domain fiction that I had a tough, tough time getting through. I kind of loathe it.
I know Open Saloners do "fiction fridays" and other fiction and poetry projects...and over at Slate, Dahlia Lithwick did her own chick-lit project in installments... and I'm almost afraid of putting my idea out there in cyberspace...
but what the hell. How about it, OS - are you ready for....
The Satanic House of Seven Gables?
UPDATE: It strikes me that "The Satanic House of Seven Gables" would fall a little flat, not only because of Hawthorne's obvious prose where everything is explained to you, but also because, well - it really wouldn't be out of place in that novel, would it? I don't know. This may be my mash-up project, or I might take another public domain piece of literature where it would be way more absurd.UPDATE 2: Okay, I now have a short list. Suggestions/votes are most welcome.
- House of Seven Gables
- Sense & Sensibility (yes, it's been done with Sea Monsters - I have a better take)
- Emma
- The House of Mirth
- The Age of Innocence
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Comments
I vote yes. And I have no mixed feelings about the matter.
Thanks Ranjit. And what do you mean by 'mixed feelings'?
Well, you seemed to
express mixed feelings: "...I don't love the idea ... letting it do 80%
of the work for you ... adolescent attempt ...."
I do not share those mixed feelings. I'm 100% in favor of your doing it.
I do not share those mixed feelings. I'm 100% in favor of your doing it.
Ah, thanks. Truth be
told, I don't mind all that much, and I'm probably being too critical of
PP&Z - and I haven't even read it yet!
Yeah, no. This mash-up
thing is a fad just like the superhero fad of the late 00's. By the time
you finish your book, no matter how good it is, agents will be
ho-humming the whole idea.
Write a book from your heart.
Write a book from your heart.
Thanks for the input,
Mark. I don't have any publishing ambitions for the idea - it's more of a
goof to (very weakly) flex my (very) weak writing muscles. I do agree
that it's a fad whose time wil
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