Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Dear Good Manners Devotee':

Today I came across wonderful news about an absolutely side-splitting retelling of my beloved Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Natalie Portman has signed on to produce and star in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies from the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith. Portman will play Elizabeth Bennet in the movie.

If you love Jane Austen -- in fact, if you hated Jane Austen, even better -- you should check out P & P & Zombies. If you like how it spices up Austen's well-mannered world, there are more hilarious monster remakes of classics that also include Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters at your local bookstore or online.

Sometimes manners just need a little shaking up to make them more accessible for us to use in a world that's not just a different world than Austen's, it's a completely different world from when we were growing up,too.

So ... keeping that in mind, along came the Cotillion Invitation for the Younger Good Manners Daughter. (The Older Good Manners Daughter did it several years ago.)

The Cotillion is run by a women's group in our town. The children are "cordially invited to participate in a program of dance and social etiquette education."

The Younger Good Manners Daughter was not a happy camper when she found out that she was attending.

Why did she have to go? It's not fair! It'll be boring! Why did she have to wear a dress? What if she doesn't learn the dances? No one else has to go!

But a funny thing happened on the way to Cotillion. (Or, a couple of funny things.) She didn't have to wear gloves. When she was dropped off, she found out 7 other girls from her class were there, along with some boys. The dances weren't so bad. The snacks were okay. She liked her dress. The instructors were nice. And in addition to ballroom steps, they worked on the Macarena, Cani Joe (I actually don't know how to spell that), Electric Slide, the Hoe Down (that Miley Cyrus song). And they had a square dance.

We haven't heard a complaint since we dropped her off at the first class.

I congratulate the Cotillion organizers for successfully incorporating many of the niceties of good manners and dance from a more gentle time with elements that will appeal to today's child.

Sort of like adding Zombies to Pride and Prejudice!

Happy Holidays until I blog again,

Leslie

P.S. If you haven't finished your holiday shopping, take a peek at our Good Manners Kids Stuff and Good Manners Kids Stuff Press sites. You might see something you like, and there's still time for delivery before Christmas.