Whatever happened to the classics?

One of my favorite childhood memories is going to a dozen or so yard sales with my grandparents and my grandpa always buying me copies of the classics.

Yes I know most people are thinking why give a 15-year-old copies of Wuthering Heights and The Odyssey. But because of my grandfather's insistence on buying me the books and encouraging me to read them, I have a large amount of respect for the authors. I would sit in a chair for hours, following the stories and enjoying the beauty of the language. I learned to love literature and it has stayed with me to this day.

There are of course some stories that I could live without reading again, War and Peace, A Tale of Two Cities and The Canterbury Tales. They were just to dry for me, but I respect the writing that was done and I know that they have helped inspire many other wonderful writers throughout the years.

So you can imagine my amazement when browsing the shelves at an area-shopping outlet, I stumbled across a rewrite of the most beloved book of my grandfather and myself. At first I believed there was something wrong with the cover, however, my eyes were not playing tricks on me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there is now a book titled Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

You can imagine the horror I experienced. I immediately began a tirade about rewriting (in my opinion) one of the greatest pieces of fiction to date. Not to mention if my grandfather were alive he would've fallen over from a heart attack. My boyfriend was unfortunately at the receiving end of my tirade, especially when he said it looked cool.

I understand trying to write books that will make a profit and open to wider array of people. I know with the economic hard times that publishers are out looking for the next big hit. I know money makes the world go round. However, I do not see the necessity in this.

My boyfriend actually suggested buying the book, I was even more outraged and told him that if he did, he would be sleeping with the cats! Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for new books, and inspiring a younger generation. But isn't that the job of the classics to inspire.

When did this happen? How can publishers let this happen? Whatever happened to the beauty of the written language? Whatever happened to the classics?