Austen Sequels

Alright, I read Billington's Perfect Happiness, the most recent and supposed best of the Emma sequels to date. I believe I could have liked it less only if it were the sacreligious Emma Tennant sequel. Okay, I hated the treatment of Frank (the peanut gallery yawns and says, "Right, Kali, sure...")...she made him out to be some ineffectual, psyco-lunatic rather than the capable (the man sure can fix a pair of spectacles!), if flaky and selfish, character of Austen's creation. Billington makes John into a greedy, uninsightful apparition, and confines Mr. Knightley, for the most part, to functional muteness, simple insipidity, and intellectual ignorance. Sick-and-wrong! I disliked her new characters and their influence on Emma (which, thank God, doesn't last), and thought some of her metaphors ridiculous (one involving Mr. Elton and a cough drop pops into my mind). While I did like her general development of Emma's character, esp. re: views on children, learning, etc., it seemed that most other characters and general plot continuity (esp. re: Frank) suffered. Mr. Knightley and Emma spend much of the story as ships passing in the night, which bugs generally, not to mention the fact that it reminds me of the dodge-and-thrust moves Alexandra Ripley puts Rhett and Scarlett through in her Scarlett sequel to GWTW. In general, I thought that Billington's and Ripley's sequels had parallel faults (are these common traits, perhaps, the ingredients of all unsuccessful sequels?) - Everything goes down hill when Scarlett puts off for Ireland, and when Emma rots off to London. Change of scene and society, while it may make for explosive new possiblities in plot development, really screws with the authenticity of the mood.

Just a reminder, I have a WWW page at: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~churchh/austseql.html

I think it should be a general rule: AVOID AT ALL COST, LIKE THE PLAGUE!

Does anyone know anything about the new P&P sequel advertised in the spring 97 edition of JASNA news? It's called 'Duty and Desire'.

The best P&P "sequel" (actually, it's a modern update) I've read is: Kate Fenton's LIONS & LIQUORICE. An absolute scream, and darned if I don't have a topic posted on this very board about it!

I recently read two Emma sequels or "classic progression" as they were called. What a joke! Emma in Love by Tennant was horrible! Perfect Happiness was not much better. What is this business in both of Emma being happy, but not really "happy". I choose to think that Emma would be perfectly happy with Mr. Knightly. I cannot believe that he would not be a passionate lover from the very beginning. I am trying to read Pemberly now, but I might not make it through.

The Tennant sequels to P&P are quite horrible. The last one was so bad I literally couldn't get past page 10. There's a play by Jane Murfin based on P&P that isn't half-bad; ditto, the play by E.B. White. But these are dramatizations as opposed to sequels. I've also read SHADES OF PEMBERLEY. Yech. Have yet to find a decent sequel beyond our own Writer's Guild here.

Has any one read Joan Austen-Leigh's Latter Days at Highbury? I just saw it in two bookstores yesterday, and I was wondering if it was any good.

Hi Ann , are you visiting that cybercaf� again. Hope your computor will be back and dine with you...ooups at your service before long, I meant to say. That autorname does seem to imply some definite value...though I have never heard of the book. Dare I say that if you must read something after P&P, Presumption was not all that bad. Though it concentrates on Georgiana and has very little to tell about Darcy and Lizzy (from what I remember). Has anyone read Jane Fairfax ?

No, Ann2, but I might like to. Everyone knows I have a special interest in the affairs of that lady.

]I am trying to read Pemberly now please, I beg you; Don't do it! it's truly horrible!

I think we can rule out Emma Tennant per se. "An equal marriage" left a foul taste. Kali, apart from passion, can you imagine how it must feel like to be married to someone who is 'always right'. It must be so humiliating and I know I would be very frustrated. Perhaps, she'll mature into what he wants to mould her into. But this is just for the sake of conversation, I do love the novel and the Knightley / Emma characters.

Kim, listen to Anna. Don't waste your time on that dribble. I'd rather have a root canal than read that book again!

Isn't it a pity that Emma Tennant doesn't visit this site to get some real, honest opinions of her books!! Doubt it would have much effect, though!

Kali, apart from passion, can you imagine how it must feel like to be married to someone who is 'always right'. It must be so humiliating and I know I would be very frustrated. Perhaps, she'll mature into what he wants to mould her into. The rub here is that Mr. Knightley actually is always right...well, except for maybe his first impressions of Harriet, and he was a bit hard on my dear Frank...but where it really matters (re: Harriet, for ex.), he is quick to point out his mistakes and apologize for them. Also, Mr. Knightley has not, for all of his blusterings, treated Emma in a humiliating fashion...he makes it very clear that he respects her intelligence and fully expects her to snap out of any foolishness she's mired in ("Upon my word, Emma, to hear you abusing the reason you have...better be without sense than misapply it as you do."). This isn't Pygmalion at Galatea...Mr. Knighltey isn't fashioning a dream for himself, he's trying to help Emma reach the height of her adult potential (even if it is only to be wasted on Frank) - this is a guy with quite a bit on the ball and a very young, silly girl who needs a bit of prodding to save her from herself. She does eventually come around, with his help - and when she does, he's there waiting for her. :::)

...can you imagine how it must feel like to be married to someone who is 'always right'. It must be so humiliating and I know I would be very frustrated. Such men do exist in the real world. I am married to one, but I find it neither humiliating nor frustrating. I cherish the fact that he is more intelligent than I in some areas for his guidance is invaluable. In matters where he is not as experienced, he does not hesitate to ask questions in order to further his own understanding. He is 'never wrong' because he never places himself in a position where he is dependent on the whims and inconsistencies of his character. In most ways, he is a better pers n than I am and the changes I've made for the better in the years since our marriage have come from observing his model of behavior. He has never tried to mold me in to his character---he is mostly oblivious to his own virtues. Just because one is never wrong does not necessarily mean that a snobbish attitude is necessary, but Tennant does not sound perceptive enough to realize that......

I read "Jane Fairfax" by Aiken, and it was Ok (serviceable, but not really enthralling); for me it was much better than Presumption and not quite as good as the 1975 Sanditon -- the two other sequels I've read (well OK, I actually returned Presumption to the library one third of the way through...)

Kali, Mr. Knightley shall never want for a defense with you around (what a lawyer you will make!) -- thanks for saying it for the rest of us! Serena, you bring up lots of good points -- we're just SOOOOO loyal! Meggin, it sounds like you have a husband in a million!

And I do love Mr Knightley so passionately too.. darling Willoughby takes a close second place. I think it's Meggin who should take the credit - her willingness to appreciate and uphold the man she loves. Are there any sequels to S&S? Or have I overlooked it from above.

Meggin is indeed lucky! Sorry if I become strident in my defenses of my dearest Mr. Knightley...I guess that only the true believers understand! ;) So H...should I bother with JF or not?

What's all this talk about "Pride & Prejudice - The Musical." I understand there's one lurking out there that's FOR REAL. I mean, there _is_ a "Titanic - the Musical" ready to go on Broadway now, so anything's possible. . .

Although I am not certain about a "real" musical, the Friends of Firth have a tongue-in-cheek musical version of P&P at: http://www.grin.net/~meluchie/firthlist/ppmusical.html It's quite funny.

Anything is possible, Amy. Last January, I saw Jane Eyre, the musical in Toronto. It a big extravaganza-heading for Broadway. I admit I was skeptical, but the songs(I'm still swooning over Secret Soul) and the performances(Anthony Crivello from Kiss Of the Spider Woman played Rochester) won me over. The best Bertha I ever saw too-just the way I had always imagined her: untamed hair, wild eyes, foaming at the mouth. It was incredible.

There is a musical. I am a little foggy on it. It may have been run a short time -- or never produced, not sure. At any rate there is a CD and a web site, which is linked from the links page here.

Re P&P musical: there have been two. The more recent one which Amy refers to, and an older one, circa 1959 or thereabouts, called First Impressions. I stumbled across it years ago while researching another Broadway production that opened in the same season, and I distinctly remember reading at least one favorable review, but it's obviously vanished from view. I wonder if the book and score survive.

Serena:Are there any sequels to S&S? Or have I overlooked it from above. There is a sequel called "The Third Sister" by Julia Barrett. It's about Margaret when she's in her late teens and her sisters are both married. I got it in England in paperback last summer - says published 1996. I think it's also available here - saw it in hardback at Borders before Christmas. It's not bad - certainly much better than Tennant, but I think it makes Margaret rather tame - I've always thought of her as the adventurous type!

Thanks Inko,I'll now place my order with one of the internet bookstores for this and Darcy's Story. Margaret probably learned from her older sisters' heartbreaks and conforms to what society expects of a lady??

It seems we're all in agreement that we dislike the Tennant sequels. If this woman so offends the faithful, then why does she keep publishing? Does ANYONE like her work?

Amy2: It seems we're all in agreement that we dislike the Tennant sequels. If this woman so offends the faithful, then why does she keep publishing? Does ANYONE like her work? About Emma Tennant: there was a story in the N.Y. Times a while back about her. She had been hired to write another sequel to GWTW (because, incredibly, the guy making the decision had actually liked Pemberley). She produced a long MS pretty quickly, but it was rejected by the American publisher, who wrote an unusually harsh memo criticizing her characterizations, plot, style, and everything else that goes into making a novel. Tennant was reportedly very upset, and the matter caused a minor fur r in Britain. As to how she ever got published in the first place, I understand that she has a lot of influential family and friends--her father was an aristocrat and Antonia Fraser is a pal.

Is she related to Stella Tennant, the model? She's BB, too...

So her book must be selling to us-unsuspecting folks and her family and father's friends.. that could be a lot of people.

Just another thougt, may be they didn't realise her books were sequels. On it own, would her books have fared any better? I'm too bias to answer that.

BB?

BB?? Big bucks? Big Business? British Bore/Boor? Beavis & Butthead? endless sarcastic permutations... ;-)

How about Blue Bloods?

Kathleen got it.

Kali, come to Pemberley. There is a party going on.

wish i could go (darn ole aol!) :-(

Ok, I missed that party sob! sob! signed in as eveyone was signing off. But.. here's what Publisher's Weekly thought of Emma Tennant's continuation of P&P "Austen's cast of minor familiars gets a delicious comic workout while (Tennant's) descriptions surpass Asuten's in visual effects of art, decor and gardens. Austenites and Tennantites should love the whole package." Am I dense or does that really not say much about the book? I know this is not Tennant-bashing, but the book's lying here right in front of the keyboard.

You're right, Serena. It doesn't say anything. Sounds like it was written by somebody who does not love Austen. Certainly none of us care that she does not describe nature.

Oh, bother! I missed the party! :(

Hi Kali, still awake??

Hiya! Yeah...as you already know! How are you?

This is ridiculous, I'm 'chatting' with you in 3 topics - I'll stay at Emma2 with the lovely pics.

CIndy and I were doing the same thing this morning...I mean, YESTERDAY morning! ;)

Sooo. that would be my nighttime?? Anyway, I'm off to sunny skies in Aussie land for a short break.. If I find internet access, I'll tune in here with my 2 cents worth. See ya all! Maybe I'll get to see Mimic afterall

So Tennant surpasses Austen in setting descriptions,eh? That's like saying that Jackie Collins uses funnier character names than Dickens. . .

]BB?? Big bucks? Big Business? British Bore/Boor? Beavis & Butthead? endless sarcastic permutations... ;-) Nobody mentionned Brigitte Bardot :)

Johanne: Nobody mentionned Brigitte Bardot :) Or the Big Bopper! ;-)

I like most of the sequels in the Derbyshire Writers Guild, I've written a couple but don't know what to do with them. I'm looking foreward to Oscar night in the hope that all the cas of TEP will be there. Lucie Oftedahl

I have heard (on E!'s Gossip Show) that Feinnes will not be at the Oscars. KST and Binoche will be there though.

Fiennes will definitely be at the Oscars. He is currently appearing in a play in London but there will be no performance on Oscar night so he can be in L.A. Miramax is picking up the tab for the lost box office.

Cool, he must have worked things out with the play's producers. Glad to hear that I'm wrong. Now let's hope he has shaved off that hideous mustache he has been sporting lately.

I think he grew the moustache for the play! (Chekhov's Ivanov.)

Difficult to shave the moustache and grow it back for the next night's performances! I guess he'll be there, moustache and all. Saw a picture of him and KST on the cover of Entertainment weekly--he had the moustache and she had her present short, blond hair.

"Why don't you just DIE, already! DIE!!!" - Elaine, to TEP, 3/13/97, Seinfeld

Amy2 Concerning Dickens and JCollins, SG (Short giggle)

Re #50 Lucie I've written a couple but don't know what to do with them. Post them, Lucie! Just like you did here, in either Fan Fiction thread, depending on whether they're PG- or R-rated. I look forward to them!

- Elaine, to TEP, 3/13/97, Seinfeld Ah! Elaine was just jealous because she wasn't in that tub.

Elaine was right! The movie was way too long and I didn't find it all that romantic either. Maybe if she hadn't cheated on her husband I would have felt some sorrow that she died alone in that cave.

To get back to the topic theme: Has anyone read Joan Austen-Leigh's "A visit to Highbury"? I found it in the public library today so took it out and hopefully get to it by the time it's due back!!

"and hopefully get to it by the time it's due back!!" I am very familiar with that problem!

If Pemberley Shades is supposed to be such a good sequel, why doesn't somebody bring it out again. Hmm.

Just bought "Jane Fairfax" and the "Third Sister" cannot decide which one to start on first.. So who is Pemberly Shades by??

Kali: also Patsy on AB FAB about her mother: "Oh for God's sake, just die!" I think I mentioned above that I've read Pemberley Shades and it's not good. Not good. That must be the reason for no reissue. . .

:)

Anybody ever heard of this book or tape set? Author: Weldon Fay Title: Darcy's Utopia (7 Cassettes) Publ. year: 01.94 Availability: 001 Order Now! Binding: AA Price: $ 61.95 D ISBN: 1850896739 Textbook: W Publisher: ISIS PRESS Subjects: CAS-AUDIO-FICTION-UNABRIDGED Could it be a blueprint for my mythical nation?

Here'a what I was able to turn up on a web-search: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0140145419/2156-3110129-842000 Darcy's Utopia by Fay Weldon Reprint Edition Paperback Published by Penguin USA (Paper) Publication date: July 1992 http://www.lib.hel.fi/yleis/nfff/nfff952.html Author: WELDON, Fay Title: Hyv� paha onnela Orig. title: Darcy's Utopia Publisher: Otava, 1995 ISBN 951-1-12331-9 Two journalists, a man and a woman, interview a woman who prophesies of a new utopia and have a short-lived but intensive love affair. A satirical description of conflict between utopia and reality. Translated from English. ISBN: 0140145419

Fay Weldon is a familiar name to me. She has written some other P&P-related book/play in the past. . .

Fay Weldon wrote the book, Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen. And didn't she write the screenplay for P&P2?

Duhh -- I meant P&P1, the adaptation w/ Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul.

Yes she wrote the P&P1 screenplay. She's written a number of other novels also.

I found "Jane Fairfax" to be a fairly decent accompaniment to Emma. Amy2, I must have missed your earlier thumbs-down posting for Pemberly Shades. Is there any sequel to Mansfield Park.. or have that been covered too?