ZOMBIES. Annalisa confirms for me that zombies are popular now. I asked her because of this article from the Economist and because I knew that she had been reading in the book described in the article: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES. She speculates that that the book is popular in part because the zombies strike a discordant note in Jane Austen’s prim society. The article begins with a sentence from the book: “From a corner of the room, Mr Darcy watched Elizabeth and her sisters work their way outward, beheading zombie after zombie as they went.” I was pleased by the article’s comments on the economic advantage of zombie films. Special effects are inexpensive because all you need is a lot of extras spattered with blood. I was reminded of how directors of old cowboy movies in black and white found that the most convincing fake blood was chocolate syrup.
This is officially the first time I have been consulted concerning what is currently popular. I feel uncertain of my ability to handle the position.