Jane Austen continuations

DMB · 06-28-2011, 05:06 AM

Since we recently had a thread on Jane Austen and clearly have many fans, I wonder whether anyone has read any of the multiplicity of purported continuations of Austen's novels. Most of them seem to focus on Pride and Prejudice (just try searching on the word "Pemberley" at Amazon). Does anyone recommend any of them?

Namekuseijin · 06-28-2011, 05:41 AM

I think the rise in popularity of Austen again is due to the Zombie books. You know, that old mania of our poor culture of recycling/parodying/desconstructing old ideas since we can't come up with anything new ourselves...

issybird · 06-28-2011, 08:15 AM

In a word, no. They're unreadable. Which logically means I haven't read them and I haven't, but I dipped into a few when a bunch of them were free for Austen's birthday last year. Generally speaking, the authors have no feel for Austen's language, no real knowledge of Regency England, no sense of the larger themes, no feel for the characters and even no memory for what happened in the books themselves.

Back before Austen became an industry, I did read a P&P sequel by Emma Tennant, Pemberley (1993). Among the howlers, she had Darcy's mother named Susan and his father named Fitzwilliam. Almost 20 years later and I haven't forgotten, lol!

What amazes me is that people who presumably are fans of Austen can read this dreck. If there's a gem out there among the dross, I haven't seen it.

purple_fishy · 06-28-2011, 12:06 PM

I agree with Issybird. All of the books I have attempted to read either in DTB or ebook format have not been even close to Austen. I can't get into the story when the language is completely off or the terminology is not accurate for the time period. I prefer just to re-read the Austen books and leave the sequels alone. If a really good one is out there, hopefully I'll find it eventually.

Xanthe · 06-28-2011, 12:15 PM

I've tried to read them, but I just can't get into them. They are either too precious or else the attitudes/behavior are all wrong for the time period.

I think the only person who might have successfully written a continuation of Austen would have been Georgette Heyer, and she wisely never tried.

DMB · 06-28-2011, 12:39 PM

Georgette Heyer certainly was deeply into the period, but her secret was that her heroines were not. They were usually subtly modern in their thinking, even though they usually followed the social conventions.

purple_fishy · 06-28-2011, 01:35 PM

Hmm. Georgette Heyer sounds interesting. What books has she written?

fantasyfan · 06-28-2011, 06:04 PM

I don't know if this is what you precisely had in mind, but there are continuations of Sanditon {Jane Austen's final, but incomplete novel} and The Watsons, an earlier work which seems promising but in which she apparently lost interest.

Sanditon cuts off mid-chapter. Enough is there to show that another masterpiece was in the making. I have the continuations of both--they are available in paperback.I have just finished reading the 1977 completion of The Watsons—an early fragment of a novel by Jane Austen. This work was begun around 1805 and Jane Austen wrote the first five chapters {as they are reproduced in the 1977 completion} in a burst of creativity. She then abandoned the work and never resumed it.

As to The Watsons It is early Austen. She had already written Elinor and Marianne {now lost} which was the first version of Sense and Sensibility. Between 1796-97 First Impressions, {also lost} a novel in letter format, was complete and read to the family. It was later developed into Pride and Prejudice. Northanger Abbey was composed in 1797-98. The Watsons, then is part of this early context of composition. Why she abandoned the promising narrative is unknown, but Cassandra, her beloved sister, said that the next major event in the book was to be the death of the heroine’s Father. Then Jane’s father actually did die. In additon. a close friend tragically died in an accident. Perhaps these events simply made it emotionally impossible for her to continue the book. Then, as time passed, her style became more sophisticated,, her characters became more complex and her treatment of subject matter and theme deepened and became ever more assured. In the event, she simply outgrew the story of The Watsons.

Still, the story has held a fascination. After Jane’s death her brother married one of her closest friends and Cassandra spent long visits with them. Austen’s works, including The Watsons were read aloud and discussed and Cassandra elaborated the further developments which were to occur in the unfinished novel. One of the nieces, Catherine Anne Austen Hubback actually wrote a novel in 1850 called The Younger Sister which seems to be an extension of The Watsons and is possibly based on the knowledge Cassandra had of it. Catherine’s grand-daughter, Edith Hubback Brown, then took this novel and used it as the basis of a completion of the book under its original title. But this version simply didn’t satisfy the writer of the 1977 attempt because he stated that it “so greatly compressed the plot’s development that it did less than justice to Jane’s own work.” The author of the completion, {David Hopkinson} is married to a descendent of Catherine Hubback and acknowledges her help as well as that of another great great great niece of Jane Austen.

So, if you decide to try this literary curiosity, the first five chapters are all by Jane Austen herself. Then Hopkinson takes over and spins an entertaining tale written in an 18th century style. He doesn’t succeed completely. There are stylistic anachronisms and he simply cannot match Austen’s brilliant narrative technique. Further, there are certain plot pointers in the fragment which he fails to develop properly. All that said, it is still an enjoyable read and it’s nice to have the story completed more or less as Austen had in mind.

carpetmojo · 06-29-2011, 04:48 AM

I feel guilty lowering the tone here, but I have dipped into the "fanpublication" world of Harry Potter - taht is James Potter - and found broadly similar results.

Not worth the time, really.

It's rather like most "continuation" attempts, they can't possibly approach the original authors .. well. anything really - language, knowledge, creativity, originality, .... endless reasons.
It's obvious when you think about it - but sometimes you just can't stop yourself having a look !

DMB · 06-29-2011, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by purple_fishy

Hmm. Georgette Heyer sounds interesting. What books has she written?

Heyer wrote in two different genres: detective stories and historical novels. I don't find the first as interesting as the second. Her first few historical novels, The Black Moth, Powder and Patch, These Old Shades and The Masqueraders are set in the 18th century. The first three in particular are full of rather stilted "18th-century" language. Later on she homed in to the Regency period, acquiring an encyclopaedic knowledge of the politics, mores and slang of the period. Most people prefer her Regency books.

She was a very popular writer and is well thought of by many more "literary" writers. I enjoy her books because they are usually very funny as well as being good page-turners.

poohbear_nc · 06-29-2011, 08:43 AM

On a completely different tangent, Reginald Hill based a recent Pascoe & Dalziel mystery novel on Sanditon - "The Price of Butcher's Meat" - if I remember arightly, the title is taken from Sanditon - some unwanted sage advice given by a mother to her rebellious daughter as to what will be important to her once she is married.

jenieliser · 06-29-2011, 06:04 PM

It isn't really a continuation, but it is fanfic-Pamela Aidan's Fitzwilliam Darcy series is really good (except book 2 that is). It's the story from Darcy's pov. I loved the first and third books, the second is totally unnecessary and just weird (by weird I mean I remember thinking it had absolutely nothing to do with the focus of the story) but hey, that's just me. I'd totally recommend it to any P&P fan.

purple_fishy · 06-29-2011, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMB

Heyer wrote in two different genres: detective stories and historical novels. I don't find the first as interesting as the second. Her first few historical novels, The Black Moth, Powder and Patch, These Old Shades and The Masqueraders are set in the 18th century. The first three in particular are full of rather stilted "18th-century" language. Later on she homed in to the Regency period, acquiring an encyclopaedic knowledge of the politics, mores and slang of the period. Most people prefer her Regency books.

She was a very popular writer and is well thought of by many more "literary" writers. I enjoy her books because they are usually very funny as well as being good page-turners.

Thanks! I will definitely look her up, I love historical fiction.

susan_cassidy · 06-30-2011, 07:08 PM

Not really a continuation, but if you like the Jane Austen and the Regency period, you may be amused by the Jane Austen as detective mysteries, by Stephanie Barron. See the first one, Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor: Being the First Jane Austen Mystery (http://www.amazon.com/Jane-Unpleasan...9475184&sr=1-3).

Edited to add: Barron does a good job with speech patterns, etc. of the Regency period.

basschick · 07-01-2011, 01:25 AM

unfortunately i also have to agree with issybird. i tried to start a few of the austin continuations, but she's expressed perfectly what i thought about them.

frederica is a great georgette heyer to start with. it certainly was for me years ago - it got me hooked. i love many of her regencies/historicals, two of which - Cotillion and A Civil Contract break some of the regency traditions. and her first book, the black moth, can be downloaded right here on mobile read. it's actually another of my faves.

mobi
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ighlight=Heyer

epub
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ighlight=Heyer

06-28-2011, 05:06 AM	#1
DMB Old Git Posts: 958 Karma: 1840790 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Switzerland (mostly) Device: Two kindle PWs wifi, kindle fire, iPad3 wifi	Jane Austen continuations Since we recently had a thread on Jane Austen and clearly have many fans, I wonder whether anyone has read any of the multiplicity of purported continuations of Austen's novels. Most of them seem to focus on Pride and Prejudice (just try searching on the word "Pemberley" at Amazon). Does anyone recommend any of them?

06-28-2011, 06:04 PM	#8
fantasyfan Wizard Posts: 1,369 Karma: 26915798 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Device: Kindle Oasis 3, 4G, iPad Air 2, iPhone IE	The Watsons and Sanditon I don't know if this is what you precisely had in mind, but there are continuations of Sanditon {Jane Austen's final, but incomplete novel} and The Watsons, an earlier work which seems promising but in which she apparently lost interest. Sanditon cuts off mid-chapter. Enough is there to show that another masterpiece was in the making. I have the continuations of both--they are available in paperback.I have just finished reading the 1977 completion of The Watsons—an early fragment of a novel by Jane Austen. This work was begun around 1805 and Jane Austen wrote the first five chapters {as they are reproduced in the 1977 completion} in a burst of creativity. She then abandoned the work and never resumed it. As to The Watsons It is early Austen. She had already written Elinor and Marianne {now lost} which was the first version of Sense and Sensibility. Between 1796-97 First Impressions, {also lost} a novel in letter format, was complete and read to the family. It was later developed into Pride and Prejudice. Northanger Abbey was composed in 1797-98. The Watsons, then is part of this early context of composition. Why she abandoned the promising narrative is unknown, but Cassandra, her beloved sister, said that the next major event in the book was to be the death of the heroine’s Father. Then Jane’s father actually did die. In additon. a close friend tragically died in an accident. Perhaps these events simply made it emotionally impossible for her to continue the book. Then, as time passed, her style became more sophisticated,, her characters became more complex and her treatment of subject matter and theme deepened and became ever more assured. In the event, she simply outgrew the story of The Watsons. Still, the story has held a fascination. After Jane’s death her brother married one of her closest friends and Cassandra spent long visits with them. Austen’s works, including The Watsons were read aloud and discussed and Cassandra elaborated the further developments which were to occur in the unfinished novel. One of the nieces, Catherine Anne Austen Hubback actually wrote a novel in 1850 called The Younger Sister which seems to be an extension of The Watsons and is possibly based on the knowledge Cassandra had of it. Catherine’s grand-daughter, Edith Hubback Brown, then took this novel and used it as the basis of a completion of the book under its original title. But this version simply didn’t satisfy the writer of the 1977 attempt because he stated that it “so greatly compressed the plot’s development that it did less than justice to Jane’s own work.” The author of the completion, {David Hopkinson} is married to a descendent of Catherine Hubback and acknowledges her help as well as that of another great great great niece of Jane Austen. So, if you decide to try this literary curiosity, the first five chapters are all by Jane Austen herself. Then Hopkinson takes over and spins an entertaining tale written in an 18th century style. He doesn’t succeed completely. There are stylistic anachronisms and he simply cannot match Austen’s brilliant narrative technique. Further, there are certain plot pointers in the fragment which he fails to develop properly. All that said, it is still an enjoyable read and it’s nice to have the story completed more or less as Austen had in mind. Last edited by fantasyfan; 06-29-2011 at 03:46 AM.

06-30-2011, 07:08 PM	#14
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	Not really a continuation, but if you like the Jane Austen and the Regency period, you may be amused by the Jane Austen as detective mysteries, by Stephanie Barron. See the first one, Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor: Being the First Jane Austen Mystery (http://www.amazon.com/Jane-Unpleasan...9475184&sr=1-3). Edited to add: Barron does a good job with speech patterns, etc. of the Regency period. Last edited by susan_cassidy; 06-30-2011 at 07:17 PM.

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06-28-2011, 05:41 AM	#2
Namekuseijin affordable chipmunk Posts: 1,290 Karma: 9863855 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Brazil Device: Sony XPeria ZL, Kindle Paperwhite	I think the rise in popularity of Austen again is due to the Zombie books. You know, that old mania of our poor culture of recycling/parodying/desconstructing old ideas since we can't come up with anything new ourselves...

06-28-2011, 08:15 AM	#3
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,319 Karma: 223032092 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	In a word, no. They're unreadable. Which logically means I haven't read them and I haven't, but I dipped into a few when a bunch of them were free for Austen's birthday last year. Generally speaking, the authors have no feel for Austen's language, no real knowledge of Regency England, no sense of the larger themes, no feel for the characters and even no memory for what happened in the books themselves. Back before Austen became an industry, I did read a P&P sequel by Emma Tennant, Pemberley (1993). Among the howlers, she had Darcy's mother named Susan and his father named Fitzwilliam. Almost 20 years later and I haven't forgotten, lol! What amazes me is that people who presumably are fans of Austen can read this dreck. If there's a gem out there among the dross, I haven't seen it.

06-28-2011, 12:06 PM	#4
purple_fishy Zealot Posts: 124 Karma: 33812 Join Date: May 2011 Location: The land of sand and sun Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Nook STR, iPad Air 2	I agree with Issybird. All of the books I have attempted to read either in DTB or ebook format have not been even close to Austen. I can't get into the story when the language is completely off or the terminology is not accurate for the time period. I prefer just to re-read the Austen books and leave the sequels alone. If a really good one is out there, hopefully I'll find it eventually.

06-28-2011, 12:15 PM	#5
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	I've tried to read them, but I just can't get into them. They are either too precious or else the attitudes/behavior are all wrong for the time period. I think the only person who might have successfully written a continuation of Austen would have been Georgette Heyer, and she wisely never tried.

06-28-2011, 12:39 PM	#6
DMB Old Git Posts: 958 Karma: 1840790 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Switzerland (mostly) Device: Two kindle PWs wifi, kindle fire, iPad3 wifi	Georgette Heyer certainly was deeply into the period, but her secret was that her heroines were not. They were usually subtly modern in their thinking, even though they usually followed the social conventions.

06-28-2011, 01:35 PM	#7
purple_fishy Zealot Posts: 124 Karma: 33812 Join Date: May 2011 Location: The land of sand and sun Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Nook STR, iPad Air 2	Hmm. Georgette Heyer sounds interesting. What books has she written?

06-29-2011, 04:48 AM	#9
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	I feel guilty lowering the tone here, but I have dipped into the "fanpublication" world of Harry Potter - taht is James Potter - and found broadly similar results. Not worth the time, really. It's rather like most "continuation" attempts, they can't possibly approach the original authors .. well. anything really - language, knowledge, creativity, originality, .... endless reasons. It's obvious when you think about it - but sometimes you just can't stop yourself having a look !

06-29-2011, 08:43 AM	#11
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 59,169 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	On a completely different tangent, Reginald Hill based a recent Pascoe & Dalziel mystery novel on Sanditon - "The Price of Butcher's Meat" - if I remember arightly, the title is taken from Sanditon - some unwanted sage advice given by a mother to her rebellious daughter as to what will be important to her once she is married.

06-29-2011, 06:04 PM	#12
jenieliser Groupie Posts: 165 Karma: 2136526 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Device: Kindle Oasis 2019, Kobo Libra H2O	It isn't really a continuation, but it is fanfic-Pamela Aidan's Fitzwilliam Darcy series is really good (except book 2 that is). It's the story from Darcy's pov. I loved the first and third books, the second is totally unnecessary and just weird (by weird I mean I remember thinking it had absolutely nothing to do with the focus of the story) but hey, that's just me. I'd totally recommend it to any P&P fan.

07-01-2011, 01:25 AM	#15
basschick Wizard Posts: 1,096 Karma: 4695691 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	unfortunately i also have to agree with issybird. i tried to start a few of the austin continuations, but she's expressed perfectly what i thought about them. frederica is a great georgette heyer to start with. it certainly was for me years ago - it got me hooked. i love many of her regencies/historicals, two of which - Cotillion and A Civil Contract break some of the regency traditions. and her first book, the black moth, can be downloaded right here on mobile read. it's actually another of my faves. mobi https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ighlight=Heyer epub https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ighlight=Heyer

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