I’m thrilled to have Rebecca Ann Collins as a guest on Diary of an Eccentric today. She is the author of The Pemberley Chronicles Series, which follows the characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Her latest novel, Expectations of Happiness, is a sequel to Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, and I will be reviewing it here tomorrow. I’ve always been curious about what inspires writers to devote their time to continuing or re-imagining the works of other authors, and Ms. Collins has been kind enough to tell us her story. Please give a warm welcome to Rebecca Ann Collins:
Thank you for inviting me to contribute to your blog; it is a pleasure to speak directly to you and your readers. You ask “What prompted these authors to devote much of their writing to Jane Austen’s novels and characters?”
I’m afraid I cannot speak for other writers, but I can tell you why this author decided, after many years of reading and studying Jane Austen’s work at school and at University, to write a companion volume to Pride and Prejudice. I have told this story before – but I daresay it can be re-told here, in answer to your question.
In 1996 – following the BBC’s superb production of Pride and Prejudice – a well meaning niece sent me two books by a well known writer – which claimed to be “continuations of Pride and Prejudice.” I read them with some interest and was deeply disappointed to discover that Jane Austen’s beloved characters had been distorted and presented as some figures in a Regency- style soap opera. They behaved not as mature, intelligent characters, as one would have expected of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, but like spoilt, ill tempered, often silly types, with very little to redeem them apart from their looks and their so- called “passion” for each other – which they proclaimed in highly contrived language. Nothing remained of the original Austen characters, whose development from a state of inordinate Pride and Prejudice to a more mature understanding and love of each other was the theme of that classic romance – still one of the most popular books in English literature.
It was such a letdown; I wrote to the publisher and asked why they permitted such poor quality work to be sold as sequels to one of the classic novels of English Literature. The answer was a polite challenge – “if you feel you can do better, why not write your own sequel to Pride and Prejudice?” It was a challenge I could not resist.
Which is how I came to spend the next eighteen months in researching and writing the first volume of The Pemberley Chronicles Series – which was published in Australia at the end of 1997 and then reprinted several times in the next two years. The popularity of the book and the many encouraging reviews and readers comments it received led to the next volume – The Women of Pemberley – and so on, until we had a series of ten books, on the lives of the Pemberley families, covering about fifty years of English political and social history from the Regency to the Victorian age.
I have researched the historical, social and literary background of the time very thoroughly; it is a period of which I made a particular study at University and I found it a very dynamic and interesting era in English history.
I also share a number of Miss Austen’s own values and have great empathy for the characters and themes that dominate her novels. While I admire her literary style, I make no attempt to imitate it; I feel that would be presumptuous indeed. Instead I have devised a fairly generic 19th century narrative style, with which my readers seem to be quite comfortable.
The Pemberley Series was subsequently picked up by Sourcebooks, for reprinting in the USA and my reward has been the response of my publishers and readers and the many times that I have been told that Miss Austen herself would have enjoyed the books. My excuse for continuing with the genre – into the new book – Expectations of Happiness which is a companion volume to Jane Austen’s first novel – Sense and Sensibility – is that I love telling a story and I felt there was one about the Dashwood sisters which had been left untold.
I hope that my readers will agree and look forward to hearing from them.
Thank you again,
Thanks to Rebecca Ann Collins for sharing her story and for writing a variation of a different Austen novel. I love the Pride and Prejudice variations, but I think Austen’s other novels deserve some attention, too.
If you’re interested in reading Expectations of Happiness, you’re in luck! Sourcebooks would like to offer a copy to one lucky reader. To enter, simply leave a comment with your e-mail address and tell me what you think makes a good Austen variation. Because the publisher is shipping the book, this giveaway is open to readers with addresses in the U.S. and Canada only. This giveaway will close at 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, October 30, 2011.
**Please note that this giveaway is now closed**
Disclosure: I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
No need to enter me. I just wanted to say thanks for the interesting guest post. I’ve never read someone’s answer concerning all these new adaptations of Jane Austen’s work. How intriguing!
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Thanks! I always love reading about their inspiration and how they manage to find a new way to tell my favorite stories or continue the characters’ stories in a way that seems true to the original.
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This sounds like another fascinating series based on P&P and Austen’s other works. I will post this giveaway in my sidebar for you and would like to be entered.
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What makes a good Austen variation is when the characters are essentially like the originals but tackle some new obstacles and meet some new characters along the way. I’m a dope and forgot to include that in my earlier comment.
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I think keeping the characters true to the originals is important, too!
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Thank you Serena; that was exactly how I felt. I hope you enjoy Expectations of Happiness- if you do, please keep in touch and send me your comments to my website- http://www.rebeccaanncollins.com.
Bets regards and happy reading, Rebecca Ann Collins
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It’s all about character! Anyone can get the dress, architecture, and politics right by doing a little research, but Austen’s characters are the key. Get their sense and sensibility right, or close (can’t expect Austen’s genius…) and you have a good sequel,
Lovely giveaway!
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I have to agree with you. I also love when authors spotlight characters that sat on the sidelines in Austen’s novels. And when they create their own characters, they have to fit in with the feel of the original.
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I agree with the other commenters. The characters have already been sketched in Miss Austen’s books. The author of sequels can now explore what happens next. I am happy to see that S&S has a sequel. Those characters have a special place in my heart.
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Me, too. S&S wasn’t my favorite of Austen’s novels, but I did enjoy it and like the characters. I’m glad to see a variation that isn’t all about P&P/
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Lol,” if you feel you can do better”, well there they got. I am happy you took on the challenge
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Yes, well that’s how I felt ( some two years later! ) – but at first I had to take a risk- and thanks to a very perceptive publisher in Sydney, Australia- ( also a great Austen fan! ) who was prepared to take a chance with me- it worked!
It has confirmed my belief in one thing- if something means a lot to you- seize the day and take a chance when it appears- else you will never know .
Rebecca Ann Collins
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What great advice to follow! Thanks for stopping by!
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That certainly would have made me think about writing my own variation, too!
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I’m glad that there are so many authors out there that love writing these variations because I love them!
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Me, too! I just can’t get enough of them!
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exploring into the secondary Austen characters would make any variations very interesting to me!!!!
thank you for the giveaway!!
cyn209(AT)juno(DOT)com
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I really enjoy when authors breathe life into characters we wish Austen would have highlighted more.
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Like other commenters, I feel the characters must be believable, their interactions must be credible. Thanks for the giveaway.
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I agree that the characters are central. I also think variations must have some of the humor and wit that we love in the originals. Thanks for stopping by!
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This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered or just stopped by to read the guest post. The winner will be chosen via Randomizer.org, e-mailed, and announced shortly.
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