Pride, Prejudice, and (why does this exist in our world?) Zombies

Every Janeite loves P&P (and every true Janeite calls it thus); in truth, every Janeite IS a Janeite (1) because he/she/they fell in love with the words on the page of one--and more likely all--of Austen's novels. Jane Austen wrote 6 complete novels, along with numerous shorter works in her youth (collected as Juvenilia). Her journals and letters have also been recovered and published. (2) Such a small collection of works from an author so beloved leaves her fans wanting more. Fans write fan fiction. Fans produce sequels, prequels, adaptations, reimaginings, mashups, and a myriad of other creative works that show their love and dedication to the original works. (3)

Source: http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=4 

It's true that people have been riffing off of Jane Austen for years. Many of these works are brilliant. The BBC's movie series based on the books stay truest to the original works, but they are still an interpretation of the original texts. Some of the literary imaginings of characters' lives before, during, or after the novels are very well-written and do equal justice to the spirit of Austen. 

These are admittedly my unqualified opinions as a fan. As Emma tells her anxious father, who is always eager to assume that everyone must think and feel as he does, "One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other" (Emma Ch. 9). Does anyone have the right to pass judgement on these works? How do we sift through them? Is there a "right" or "wrong" -- a "good" or "bad" type of what amounts to variations of Austen fan fiction? Is there any accounting for taste?

One of the broader questions that haunts all fandoms is that of ownership. Can anyone really own a story? Doesn't a story leave the author the moment it leaves the press, even the moment it hits the page? At the very least, a work of fiction leaves the author's control once its readers consume it. Why shouldn't others have the right to create new fictions that are variations of old fictions? Aren't all fictions some variation of something that came before? 

"Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?"

There can be no pure answer to these questions; just as there can be no pure primary texts. No text exists without some hint (taint?) of influence by texts that have gone before it. Doesn't this grant fan fiction permission to do whatever it likes with so-called "originals" that aren't really original at all?

These are all wonderful, legitimate questions. But--

But zombies? 

Austen *facepalm*

Talk about polluting the shades of Pemberley. Call me a snob. Call me a purist. Call me a Lady Catherine de Bourgh. We have to draw the line somewhere. Admitting Elizabeth Bennet onto the grounds was one exception; however, when Mr. Darcy and zombies show up in the same sentence, it's time to pick up the proverbial pen/stick/machete and carve out some boundaries. 

So, here's what I have to say to anyone who wants to add anything else to the Austen canon: MOVE ON. We're all filled up. Find another author -- ANY other author. And move your pen/typewriter/Macbook along to pick at their textual bones. 

Want to write a novel about a zombie apocalypse set in the Regency era? That sounds FASCINATING! It does! Do it! Have the writerly guts to do it! But do it on your own merit - without the crutch of a story and characters you borrowed wholesale from a great author; do it without riding her shirttails or exploiting her fandom.

And for the love of all things sacred, leave the moldering bones of Jane Austen and the well-appointed grounds of Pemberley out of it.

ZOMBIE FREE ZONE

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(1) In case you need a full explanation of what a "Janeite" is: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21036818 
(2) Go HERE (part of pemberley.com) for a full list of Austen's published works, along with links to full text copies of most of them. 
(3) To get a sense of the breadth of work inspired by Jane Austen, take a look at pemberley.com and austen.com Also, there are national societies for Janeites in several countries, including the US (Jane Austen Society of North America), the UK, Australia, and even Brazil.