Classics Getting 'Fifty Shades' Makeover

LOS ANGELES—Move over Christian Grey … Mr. Darcy’s back with a vengeance. And he’s got a lot of horny friends. The male star of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice set the bar when it comes to fictional characters for teenage girls to swoon over, but he’s getting a modern update, and so are many of his contemporaries, as English Lit is getting a sexy update. Total-E-Bound—which publishes erotic romance novels—is churning out updated versions of classic novels in an effort to cash in on the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. The three Fifty Shades books chronicle the BDSM-fueled relationship between businessman Christian Grey and virgin Anastasia Steele and originally started as fan fiction based on the Twilight books. Now, ghost writers at the publishing house are creating their own fan fiction with classics from Austen, the Bronte sisters (Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre), Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes stories) and more. “We recognize it’s a bold move that may have a polarizing effect on readers but we’re keeping the works as close to the original classics as possible,” Total-E-Bound founder Claire Siemaszkiewicz told the Daily Mail. “It’s not our intention to rewrite or distort them but to create a whole new experience, enhancing the novels by adding deeper relationships, character development, and the ‘missing’ scenes for readers to enjoy.” And before anyone gets up in arms: Yes they can do it. According to Time.com, since the copyright on the original titles has expired and the novels are in the public domain, meaning publishers can have their way with them. (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, anyone?) For more information, visit Total-E-Bound.com.