What Miss Bennet did next: today´s writers put a fresh twist on Austen
(The Guardian Books News)

Two centuries after the original novels, authors are still coming up with new scenarios for Jane´s characters - and for the writer herselfJane Austen´s books are constantly adapted for television and film; her world has spun off into an entire cottage industry where people dress up as her characters and attend Regency-style balls. Now that obsession is set to reach new heights with a host of novels that draw inspiration from the author´s life and fiction.Coming in the first half of this year are: Gill Hornby´s Miss Austen, reimagining the author through the eyes of her sister Cassandra; Janice Hadlow´s The Other Bennet Sister, asking us to consider Pride and Prejudice´s Mary in a different light; and Helen Moffett´s Charlotte, picking up the story of that same novel´s Charlotte Lucas. All of them are attempts to recreate the Austen universe for different times by means of lesser-known characters, both fictional and real.It´s a testimony to the power of the original novels that readers feel moved to create something of their own. Continue reading...