This is not a traditional story: as the title suggests, it is a survival guide, and as such it cannot be analyzed as other works of fiction. The book is highly successful, it was featured on the New York Times bestseller list 44 times as of the 4th of March (see Bestsellers, Paperback Nonfiction). A film version is scheduled to be released in 2014 (The Zombie
Survival Guide).
The book is written in the traditional style of guides, it includes tips and instructions about what to do in case of different scenarios. It is never acknowledged within the book that it is a work of fiction - in fact, the reader is instructed in the introduction to “not discount any section of this book as hypothetical drama.” (xiv) According to the author, Max Brooks, “its longevity is due largely to its realistic tone” (qtd. in Richards).
This realistic tone is achieved through the straightforward presentation of facts, including examples about what could go wrong and deducing the safest option for each scenario. For instance, in the section Weapons and Combat Techniques the reader learns about the possibility of setting the zombies on fire: “In actual combat, fire can be as deadly a threat as it is a protector. […] In the minutes or hours before a blazing zombie succumbs, it will become a walking - or to be perfectly accurate, a shambling - torch” (52). The reader is bound to think about this for a second and agree. Knowing the general characteristics of zombies, this truly would prove to be a dangerous move. Thus, the reader is forced into a position where contemplating actual zombie attack scenarios becomes normal. After agreeing with the author’s logic, the next sentence completes the sense of reality with introducing specific examples: “Several cases have been recorded in which burning ghouls have done more damages, even caused more deaths, than they would have with only their fingernails and teeth” (52). The statements are often supported by statistics: “When compared to other motorists attempting to escape a zombie outbreak, dirt-bike riders have a 23-to-1 survival rate. Sadly, 31 percent of motorcycle fatalities come from ordinary accidents” (107). The sense of non-fiction is further heightened by the illustrations. They
are black and white, minimalistic and without any gore. There is no blood depicted even on figures which illustrate for instance the spearfishing of a zombie (149, Fig. 11).
The book has seven main chapters, the first of which is The Undead: Myths and Realities. The characteristics of the zombies are described in detail, and a clear distinction is made between the Voodoo and
Hollywood versions, most of which corresponds with the research presented in this thesis. In this book, a third kind of zombie is clearly distinguished: the type which is labeled as “real” and is discussed throughout the guide as such.
Further chapters provide information about weapons, what to do on the defense, on the run and on the attack, how to live in an undead world and finally the list of recorded attacks. The structure is helpful and reader friendly, the subchapters make it easy to quickly access whatever information is needed. In the appendix an outbreak journal is provided for readers to record “suspicious events that could indicate a possible outbreak”.
This book is generally categorized under humor (for instance, on the homepage amazon.com). While reading this book, the realistic tone coupled with the fictional characters of zombies results in a humorous experience for the readers; however, the guide itself contains no comical elements, which might accounts for the book’s categorization as “non-fiction” in the New York Times bestseller list. The overall reactions on forums generally maintain the illusion of reality regarding the topic: numerous discussion forums and Q&A-s include practical debates and inquiries about zombies, keeping the matter-of- fact tone of the novel.
Why does the Washington Post insist on burying all zombie attack reports on page A17 (if mentioned at all), when clearly the need to be prepared is so obvious? In whose interest is it to keep us in the dark about Zombies?
Max Brooks: I've always said, the first duty of any government is the preservation of Law and Order. Imagine what our government would have to deal with if they admitted there were zombies out there. I certainly don't want to have to tie up our government with that political football, and I certainly don't want to pay a
Fig. 11: The Spearfishing of a Zombie in
"Zombie" tax to keep me safe when we, as private citizens can do it on our own. (qtd. in VanderMolen)
Thus, with the cooperation of the readers, the Zombie Survival Guide was allowed to transcend its own limits within the pages and become more than just a funny book. In fact, it can be argued that the appeal of this work lies largely in the conspiracy-sense it provides the readers with outside the realm of the book (see the excerpt from the Washington Post above). The fans of the novel maintain the realistic sense even though the ridiculousness of the topic is what makes the guide a comic work in the first place. Interestingly, the reader collaboration in such a way seems to increase the popularity and invite more fans rather than destroy the humorous aspect. The phenomenon of consistently pretending that zombies are real can be frequently observed.
In Brooks’ guide, the character of the zombie is not subject to cutefication. The description provided in the section Zombie Attributes resembles an account about an animal - every detail presented with precision, some myths introduced and discounted along with an explanation.
Imagine the human body as a tool kit. The somnambulist brain has those tools, and only those tools, at its disposal. It cannot create new ones out of thin air. But it can, as you will see, use these tools in unconventional combinations, or push their durability beyond normal human limits. (6)
A detailed physical description follows complete with illustrations, discussing the zombies’ abilities; portraying them as decomposing (10), limping (13), referring to their brain as “[a]n instinct-driven, unitask machine that is impervious to tampering and can only be destroyed” (15).
However, the lack of cutefication within the book does not mean it is completely absent. As discussed earlier, the label “humor” associated with the novel only applies from an outside perspective: within the book, there are no comical elements. Yet the very fact that zombies were chosen points to the popularity of the character - a theory, which is further supported by the success of the book: a way of cutefication discussed in connection with Rigamortis (chapter 7.4.4) and Zombies Ate My Neighbors (chapter 8.1.4). Furthermore, the author stating “Take out the zombies and it is still a general disaster survival guide” (qtd. in Richards) suggests that zombies are merely an ingredient in the recipe of success.
The same can be said about the highly successful novel Pride and Prejudice and
Zombies, which is the original Austen work with additional zombies by Seth Grahame-
Smith. I will not offer a detailed analysis here, as it would have to include the analysis of the original book as well as a comparison with the mash-up version and spatial limitations do not allow for such a comprehensive approach. However, the very existence of a classic being “enhanced” by zombies supports the point of cutefication through popularity.
As demonstrated in chapters 7.4.4 and 8.1.4, there are examples of films and video games utilizing zombies as a tool to increase popularity and thus the process can be viewed as a method of cutefication. Consequently, it can be stated that the evolution which took place in those fields has started in literature as well.