diff --git a/core/textdocumentgenerator.h b/core/textdocumentgenerator.h
--- a/core/textdocumentgenerator.h
+++ b/core/textdocumentgenerator.h
@@ -213,6 +213,12 @@
         bool doCloseDocument() override;
         Okular::TextPage* textPage( Okular::TextRequest *request ) override;
 
+        /* @since 1.8 */
+        TextDocumentConverter* converter();
+
+        /* @since 1.8 */
+        void setTextDocument( QTextDocument *textDocument );
+
     private:
         Q_DECLARE_PRIVATE( TextDocumentGenerator )
         Q_DISABLE_COPY( TextDocumentGenerator )
diff --git a/core/textdocumentgenerator.cpp b/core/textdocumentgenerator.cpp
--- a/core/textdocumentgenerator.cpp
+++ b/core/textdocumentgenerator.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 #include "action.h"
 #include "annotations.h"
+#include "document_p.h"
 #include "page.h"
 #include "textpage.h"
 
@@ -563,5 +564,24 @@
     return d->mGeneralSettings;
 }
 
+TextDocumentConverter* TextDocumentGenerator::converter()
+{
+    Q_D( TextDocumentGenerator );
+
+    return d->mConverter;
+}
+
+void TextDocumentGenerator::setTextDocument( QTextDocument *textDocument )
+{
+    Q_D( TextDocumentGenerator );
+
+    d->mDocument = textDocument;
+
+    Q_FOREACH (Page *p, d->m_document->m_pagesVector )
+    {
+        p->setTextPage( nullptr );
+    }
+}
+
 #include "moc_textdocumentgenerator.cpp"
 
diff --git a/generators/markdown/converter.h b/generators/markdown/converter.h
--- a/generators/markdown/converter.h
+++ b/generators/markdown/converter.h
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@
 
 #include <core/textdocumentgenerator.h>
 
-class QDir;
+#include <QDir>
+
 class QTextBlock;
 class QTextFrame;
 
@@ -28,11 +29,18 @@
 
         QTextDocument *convert( const QString &fileName ) override;
 
+        void convertAgain();
+
+        QTextDocument *convertOpenFile();
+
     private:
-        void convertLinks(QTextFrame *parent);
-        void convertLinks(const QTextBlock& parent);
+        void extractLinks(QTextFrame *parent);
+        void extractLinks(const QTextBlock& parent);
         void convertImages(QTextFrame *parent, const QDir &dir, QTextDocument *textDocument);
         void convertImages(const QTextBlock& parent, const QDir &dir, QTextDocument *textDocument);
+
+        FILE *m_markdownFile;
+        QDir m_fileDir;
 };
 
 }
diff --git a/generators/markdown/converter.cpp b/generators/markdown/converter.cpp
--- a/generators/markdown/converter.cpp
+++ b/generators/markdown/converter.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 
 #include "converter.h"
 
+#include "generator_md.h"
+
 #include <KLocalizedString>
 
 #include <QDir>
@@ -38,37 +40,59 @@
 #ifndef MKD_AUTOLINK 
 #define MKD_AUTOLINK 0
 #endif
-    
+
 using namespace Markdown;
 
 Converter::Converter()
+ : m_markdownFile( nullptr )
 {
 }
 
 Converter::~Converter()
 {
+    if ( m_markdownFile )
+    {
+        fclose( m_markdownFile );
+    }
 }
 
 QTextDocument* Converter::convert( const QString &fileName )
 {
-    FILE *markdownFile = fopen( fileName.toLocal8Bit(), "rb" );
-    if ( !markdownFile ) {
+    m_markdownFile = fopen( fileName.toLocal8Bit(), "rb" );
+    if ( !m_markdownFile ) {
         emit error( i18n( "Failed to open the document" ), -1 );
         return nullptr;
     }
 
-    const QDir dir = QDir( fileName.left( fileName.lastIndexOf( '/' ) ) );
-    
-    MMIOT *markdownHandle = mkd_in( markdownFile, 0 );
+    m_fileDir = QDir( fileName.left( fileName.lastIndexOf( '/' ) ) );
+
+    QTextDocument *doc = convertOpenFile();
+    extractLinks( doc->rootFrame() );
+    return doc;
+}
+
+void Converter::convertAgain()
+{
+    setDocument( convertOpenFile() );
+}
+
+QTextDocument *Converter::convertOpenFile()
+{
+    rewind( m_markdownFile );
+
+    MMIOT *markdownHandle = mkd_in( m_markdownFile, 0 );
     
-    if ( !mkd_compile( markdownHandle, MKD_FENCEDCODE | MKD_GITHUBTAGS | MKD_AUTOLINK ) ) {
+    int flags = MKD_FENCEDCODE | MKD_GITHUBTAGS | MKD_AUTOLINK;
+    if (!MarkdownGenerator::isFancyPantsEnabled())
+        flags |= MKD_NOPANTS;
+    if ( !mkd_compile( markdownHandle, flags ) ) {
         emit error( i18n( "Failed to compile the Markdown document." ), -1 );
         return 0;
     }
     
     char *htmlDocument;
     const int size = mkd_document( markdownHandle, &htmlDocument );
-    
+
     const QString html = QString::fromUtf8( htmlDocument, size );
     
     QTextDocument *textDocument = new QTextDocument;
@@ -84,27 +108,26 @@
     QTextFrame *rootFrame = textDocument->rootFrame();
     rootFrame->setFrameFormat( frameFormat );
     
-    convertLinks( rootFrame );
-    convertImages( rootFrame, dir, textDocument );
+    convertImages( rootFrame, m_fileDir, textDocument );
 
     return textDocument;
 }
 
-void Converter::convertLinks(QTextFrame * parent)
+void Converter::extractLinks(QTextFrame * parent)
 {
     for ( QTextFrame::iterator it = parent->begin(); !it.atEnd(); ++it ) {
         QTextFrame *textFrame = it.currentFrame();
         const QTextBlock textBlock = it.currentBlock();
 
         if ( textFrame ) {
-            convertLinks(textFrame);
+            extractLinks(textFrame);
         } else if ( textBlock.isValid() ) {
-            convertLinks(textBlock);
+            extractLinks(textBlock);
         }
     }
 }
 
-void Converter::convertLinks(const QTextBlock & parent)
+void Converter::extractLinks(const QTextBlock & parent)
 {
     for ( QTextBlock::iterator it = parent.begin(); !it.atEnd(); ++it ) {
         const QTextFragment textFragment = it.fragment();
diff --git a/generators/markdown/generator_md.h b/generators/markdown/generator_md.h
--- a/generators/markdown/generator_md.h
+++ b/generators/markdown/generator_md.h
@@ -21,7 +21,14 @@
         MarkdownGenerator( QObject *parent, const QVariantList &args );
 
         // [INHERITED] reparse configuration
+        bool reparseConfig() override;
         void addPages( KConfigDialog* dlg ) override;
+
+        static bool isFancyPantsEnabled() { return s_isFancyPantsEnabled; }
+
+    private:
+        static bool s_isFancyPantsEnabled;
+        static bool s_wasFancyPantsEnabled;
 };
 
 #endif
diff --git a/generators/markdown/generator_md.cpp b/generators/markdown/generator_md.cpp
--- a/generators/markdown/generator_md.cpp
+++ b/generators/markdown/generator_md.cpp
@@ -11,22 +11,54 @@
 
 #include "converter.h"
 #include "debug_md.h"
+#include "mdsettings.h"
 
 #include <KAboutData>
 #include <KLocalizedString>
 #include <kconfigdialog.h>
 
+#include <QCheckBox>
+
 OKULAR_EXPORT_PLUGIN(MarkdownGenerator, "libokularGenerator_md.json")
 
+bool MarkdownGenerator::s_isFancyPantsEnabled = true;
+bool MarkdownGenerator::s_wasFancyPantsEnabled = true;
+
 MarkdownGenerator::MarkdownGenerator( QObject *parent, const QVariantList &args )
     : Okular::TextDocumentGenerator( new Markdown::Converter, QStringLiteral("okular_markdown_generator_settings"), parent, args )
 {
+    Okular::TextDocumentSettings *mdSettings = generalSettings();
+
+    mdSettings->addItemBool( "SmartyPants", s_isFancyPantsEnabled, true );
+    mdSettings->load();
+    s_wasFancyPantsEnabled = s_isFancyPantsEnabled;
+}
+
+bool MarkdownGenerator::reparseConfig()
+{
+    const bool textDocumentGeneratorChangedConfig = Okular::TextDocumentGenerator::reparseConfig();
+
+    if (s_wasFancyPantsEnabled != s_isFancyPantsEnabled) {
+        s_wasFancyPantsEnabled = s_isFancyPantsEnabled;
+
+        Markdown::Converter *c = static_cast<Markdown::Converter*>( converter() );
+        c->convertAgain();
+        setTextDocument( c->document() );
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    return textDocumentGeneratorChangedConfig;
 }
 
 void MarkdownGenerator::addPages( KConfigDialog* dlg )
 {
     Okular::TextDocumentSettingsWidget *widget = new Okular::TextDocumentSettingsWidget();
 
+    QCheckBox *enableSmartyPants = new QCheckBox( dlg );
+    enableSmartyPants->setObjectName( QString::fromUtf8( "kcfg_SmartyPants" ) );
+    widget->addRow( i18n("Enable SmartyPants formatting"), enableSmartyPants );
+
     dlg->addPage( widget, generalSettings(), i18n("Markdown"), QStringLiteral("text-markdown"), i18n("Markdown Backend Configuration") );
 }