AUSTEN-L "Pre-FAQ" Comments on Jane Austen Sequels, Continuations, and other Para-literature (Collected by Juliet A. Youngren) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments on other Para-Literature on the Jane Austen discussion list (AUSTEN-L) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [See http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/austen-l.html http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/austseql.html and http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/pre-faq.txt ] Following is a list of works of fiction which mention Jane Austen and/or are related thematically to her work. =========================================== JANE AND THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR (1996) JANE AND THE MAN OF THE CLOTH (1997) JANE AND THE WANDERING EYE (forthcoming) by Stephanie Barron "I rate as reasonably successful JANE AND THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR. While the idea of Jane regularly mixing with earls, countesses, and duchesses and spending a couple of months separated from her family is diffi- cult to swallow, Stephanie Barron does draw a character that is a reasonable conjecture about the character of Jane Austen. Moreover, she deals nicely with the inherent limitations of having a semi-young lady of the first decade of the 19th century who is a clergyman's daughter as her detective. The character of Eliza de Feuillide is a romp. I would give this effort a B- which is pretty good, considering that in this school you have to be as good as Jane Austen to get an A." (Ted Adams, 23 May 1996) "Inoffensive and interesting reading." (Edith Lank, 28 January 1997) "I am now reading the very enjoyable JANE AND THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR by Stephanie Barron. It's quite clever writing, done with Jane Austen as the narrator and sleuth, and it sprinkles in a fair amount of personal information on the author (mentions Harris Bigg-Wither, her brother Henry, Cassandra, etc.) For those who enjoy mysteries as well as Austen, this will be a double treat." (Celia Downey, 30 January 1997) "I have read both [SCARGRAVE MANOR and MAN OF THE CLOTH], and I think they're wonderful ... Of the two, I think I preferred JANE AND THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR. I've always been a fan of the 'country house' style mystery, and also MAN OF THE CLOTH had just a bit too much of what Scott called 'the big bow-wow strain' ... I enjoyed the writing style and the characters so much that these books would go on my extremely select list of mysteries I'd reread even after I know whodunit ...." (Juliet Youngren, 7 February 1997) "We have liked many a stupider book ... Stephanie Barron has worked hard; the language and customs are correct; she includes lots of quotes from the books and the letters, but she doesn't *sound* like Austen. I think Barron is about the equivalent of that woman who writes the Regency romances (Heyer?), but I like Barron better, probably because I like mysteries better than romances." (Jennifer Bales, 28 February 1997) [MAN OF THE CLOTH] "I can't judge this one as a mystery but as a 'continuation' it stands up very well indeed. Good writing, no mis-steps or anachronisms, excellent mimicry of JA's style, sprightly, and delightful accurate footnotes that contribute a great deal to the pleasure of the book. The author certainly knows her Austen backwards and forwards, and those just starting out on the subject can actually learn a great deal." (Edith Lank, 15 April 1997) =========================================== ANTIPODES JANE by Barbara Kerr Wilson (Also published as JANE AUSTEN IN AUSTRALIA) "More a sequel to JA's life than to her novels, and one with a totally plausible intriguing surprise; I won't spoil it for you." (Edith Lank, 6 December 1994) "Inoffensive and interesting reading." (Edith Lank, 28 January 1997) =========================================== PICTURES OF PERFECTION by Reginald Hill "In the first page or two there are many, many references to JA! It's a real delight!!" (Jim Reicker, 18 September 1994) =========================================== THE HEIRESS OF ROSINGS: A PLAY IN THREE ACTS by Cedric Wallis (Samuel French Limited, London; French's Acting Edition No.993,1956) "KB Rating: 7 of 10 [Pride and Prejudice is a 10], fun and true to Pride, retains humor, not long enough!" (Kathy Born, 3 February 1997) =========================================== THE VISITOR by Lisa Kirazian "Soon after I graduated, I turned to my home base craft of playwriting and wrote a play entitled The Visitor, about a disillusioned graduate student who's come to a standstill in her Austen dissertation and finds her world disrupted when she gets a "visit" from Austen herself. Don't we all wish we could ask her a few questions we've always wondered about?" (Lisa Kirazian, 3 August 1995) =========================================== TEXTERMINATION by Christine Brooke-Rose (New Directions, 1991) "What is of real interest is that it is Emma through whose eyes much of the action is "filtered" (to use Henry James's term) ... It seems that just next door to this year's MLA a group of characters are holding a conference of their own (complete with little gold chairs, glasses of water, and the rest) ... the author gets a lot of mileage out of parodying the original books; characters who appear include Casaubon, the Princess of Cleves, Heathcliffe, also popular characters in books (Agent 007), and even Columbo. What turns up in the MLA, you see. I thought it of interest because the author uses Emma as the central character in the book for the opening quarter and then returns to her again and again. It is a testimony to the intelligence and flexibility of Austen's conception, but, again at least as far as I have gone, one really feels Brooke-Rose has caught the tone of Emma herself here and there." (Ellen Moody, 7 September 1994) =========================================== LIONS AND LIQUORICE by Kate Fenton (London, Michael Joseph, 1995) "The premise is a filming of P&P in North Yorkshire, and with a gender reversal ... It's not great literature, but it's funny and the parallels to P&P are delightful." (Wendy Jones, 11 September 1995) =========================================== THE SIDMOUTH LETTERS by Jane Gardam "Jane Gardam is a delightful & acute novelist (usually regarded as a children's writer) whose references to other writers are worth pursuing. In her book of short stories, THE SIDMOUTH LETTERS, she writes of Jane Austen's supposed lover and a 20C chase to find some lost letters." (Kate Newey, 21 August 1995) =========================================== CURRENT CONFUSION by Kitty Grey "An interesting Regency novel ... about a modern-day scientist who finds herself transported in time to 1815 England ... There is even a delightful scene in which the main character meets JA and her niece Fanny (although the author wisely keeps the visit short) ... Although I wouldn't have found this novel memorable on its own, the frequent Austen references rendered it highly enjoyable." (Marjorie Shustak, 22 September 1995) =========================================== THE JANEITES (in DEBITS AND CREDITS) by Rudyard Kipling: "Kipling might on the face of it seem an unlikely admirer of Jane Austen, but the story, and the literary game it plays, show that he was an avid and discriminating fan." (Harry Ricketts, 23 August 1995) "An absolutely super story. I recommend it highly for any fan of Jane Austen .... Everyone should read it." (James Heldman, 30 August 1995) =========================================== DARKNESS AT PEMBERLEY by T.H. White "It is a suspense story written in 1932 by T. H. White .... In this book the current owner of the property is Sir Charles Darcy. He lives there alone with his sister Elizabeth ('the Christian name had been in the family since the famous Elizabeth in 1813'). The author does not make a great deal of the connection. He even has his lovesick hero visit the portrait gallery _without_ finding a portrait which has the features of his Elizabeth! It is not a great work, but amusing for a winter evening." (Dorothy Willis, 28 January 1997) =========================================== VIRTUES AND VICES by Grania Beckford "A book I never really read but you've got to admit is a collector's item ... a pornographic retelling of PERSUASION [from Lady Russell's point of view]." (Edith Lank, 6 December 1994) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------