There is a common trend popping up among modern fiction writers; fan fiction. Now, I'm not talking necessarily about the massive amount of fan fiction that hangs about on Harry Potter. I am talking of the fan fiction that surrounds Jane Austen's tales. I did not realize how much Jane Austen was inspiring authors until I took a turn around my local chain bookstore and realized how much there was. Fan fiction written about a classic author, perish the thought!
Fan fiction abounds; there are tales of Elizabeth Bennet kicking zombie butt, multiple continuations of the Elizabeth and Darcy tales, murder mysteries that feature her characters, novels about characters reading and obsessing over her books, characters switching places with Jane Austen characters and going back in time to relive the lives of the Jane Austen world. That isn't even the full sum of it.
I am an admitted fan of classic literature. I have, in actuality, read all of Ms. Austen's works and have them on the shelf. For the most part, however, I am disappointed in the fiction based off her books, and I read everything. If there is any fabulous fan fiction that I have not read, I would love to stand corrected.
2 comments:
Even though I have to catch up on my Jane Austen reading (I never had the luxury in school, and haven't taken the opportunity yet), I could imagine that the fan-fiction wouldn't be so great. I've read some horrible fan-fiction based off of other series I enjoyed (e.g. The Lord of the Rings).
Try Alexa Goodman's newest book "The Cookbook Collector". I balk at the idea that Austen was the inspiration behind this overly-hyped, cliché of a book. I bought it on the spot (full hard cover price!) and was disgusted after every insipid chapter.
Post a Comment