The world of classic literature has been turned on its ear lately with the influx of books like "Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies," and "Sense, Sensibility, and Sea Monsters." That was the start. Soon after that we saw "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" surface (which I believe is being made into a movie). I will admit... I started out pretty skeptical about these titles, and in most cases remain so. If it's just a gimmick to sell yet another zombie novel without even having to write most of it yourself because you can steal from the public domain... for instance... I have better things to spend my time on. That's me. There is an apparently high level if disregard for my opinion, even in my own home.

On my son Zach's birthday list this year were all of the above, and more. He is very happy to own and read them, and I guess now I can wait and see what he thinks. Of course, my tastes and those of teenage boys rarely cross. The thing is—he will probably come through the experience with some idea what the original Jane Austen novels are all about, and that got me thinking.

Yes, this is me taking my column to tell you what I'm up to again—it's a thing I do. I've decided to throw my hat into this ring, but in a slightly different manner. I grew up in a world where literature class meant the same drab novels by long dead authors, read too quickly, and dissected for theme, symbolism and plot structure until all enjoyment they might have caused was wrung out of them like water from a damp towel. I have struggled through my life to reach a point where I could read the classics for enjoyment, and I've always been a bit pissed off at the educational process that made it necessary for me to do so.

That got me thinking. What were the classics I most hated as a kid, and which ones others have told me the same thing about. There is a clear winner in that little question and answer session, I can tell you. The worst of the lot was Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter." This is a hated, boring book, over-written and filled with long diatribes on the puritan ethic. It is, in short, possibly the most hated book in literature—at least by students.

I started thinking about that story—what I remembered of it—and being a masochistic reader at times, I downloaded a copy for my Kindle. I read it in a couple of days, making notes as I went, and this is the conclusion that I came to. It is a decent story. It is horribly over-written (just as I remembered). Most of what is cool about this story is glossed over or hinted at and then trampled in puritan jabber. It is one of the best examples I've ever seen of something that tells and doesn't show—a great example for a creative writing course in what not to do in fiction.

And now I'm stuck with it. I have decided to write a novel this year during Nanowrimo. It is (tentatively) titled "The Scarlet Rose." It begins before Hester Prynne leaves London. All of the magic, the steamy eroticism and steampunk undertones Hawthorne provided in very skeletal form will come to life. Did I mention it would be steampunk?

The stated goal: (stated here for the first time): To tell the story behind The Scarlett Letter in such a manner that the same groups of kids and adults who loathe the original will want to secretly carry around copies of my book to read because they have to know what happens next. The original story will live within the pages of mine. I'd guess that it would be at least as good as Cliff Notes for getting the gist of the story... if I handle it correctly. I can't promise that, though, because what I want is to bring Hester Prynne and her daughter to life. I want to explain Dimmsedale. I want to take a shot at the Dark Man of the forest, and why Mistress Hibbins, openly a witch in the original novel, is left alone while an adulterer is punished by death. Why a man who claims to be a doctor can waltz into town, do strange things and gather herbs and other things from the forest... work with strange apparatus... and be accepted by the entire community.

I want, in other words, to make a book of it. We'll see. If I catch the eye of Hawthorne scholars and they hate it, or love it, or can't figure out what to do with it—that's great. If fantasy, steampunk, romance and genre fans find it irresistible... who am I to naysay them?

If you are interested to see how this experiment comes along, I'll be setting up my usual read-along blog during National Novel Month. Until then I'll be outlining, planning, and plugging all the holes in my oddball scheme. Who knows, if it all works out maybe I'll set my sites on the Red Badge of Courage...

From the Shadeaux,

David Niall Wilson