Today I thought we'd sit down and take a look at some of the reasons I love Jane Austen fanfiction; next week, we'll be looking at some of the reasons I don't, so keep an eye out for that!
Let me know in the comments why YOU love Jane Austen fanfiction, and any books that you think exemplify that!
I just can’t get enough of all the books and characters . There was not enough of them written unfortunately by the time Jane died , so along with the yearly readings of her books I try and get in as many retellings etc as I can find … sigh ……… I love them .
ReplyDeleteSame! I don't ever get sick of them.
DeleteOhh yes, a puzzle is the *perfect* way to describe it. I like JAFF but there's so very much out there, I'm wary of picking ones that are less alt-universe-good-understanding-of-the-characters and more P&P-author-wish-fulfillment, and that turning me off to the genre.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I think we have similar taste in things that we enjoy in stories, so I really just need your list of your top 10 JAFF, as a place for me to start. :D
I'm not gonna lie, I don't mind a bit of wish-fulfillment. I think fanfiction appeals to the part of me that seeks comfort and familiarity, so I probably let a lot of things slide that I wouldn't in other books.
DeleteMy JAFF faves video is linked in the post! It's been a few years, so I could probably update it with more faves, but that's a good starting place.
Fun exploration in what you enjoy about JAFF and how you came to it. Good on you to keep trying. I slipped into the genre with Mary Simonsen's A Search for Pemberley and then Amanda Grange's diary series. Those are all great reasons to love it. I also love exploring the side characters as leads or crossovers between books for characters.
ReplyDeleteOoh, yes, side characters as leads! I definitely should have mentioned that.
DeleteI loved this. I too came to JAFF through the Sanditon completion. It remains a favorite. I’m a bit nervous to hear what doesn’t work for you, but I know it will be educational. Thank you for so beautifully advocating for our genre.
ReplyDeleteI am so so so glad you did this again this year! The year that can't be named was horrible so it is nice to see some comfort things coming back and getting back on track. Thanks for sharing your entry into JAFF, it reminds me of my "anti-JAFF" mentality and snobbery. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh man, I look back at my anti-JAFF AND anti-romance snobbery and just laugh and laugh... if I only knew! 😂
DeleteI am lucky that my first jaff was Recovery of Fitzwilliam Darcy which is still one of my favorite stories so I got pulled in right away, if only I had known sooner that variations even existed. I have never read a Sanditon continuation and would be interested in reading the one you read if you remember. My favorite thing about jaff is the what-if aspect you described and I like when authors give nods to the fandom.
ReplyDeleteOh, I've never heard of that one, I'll have to look into it. The completion I read was just called Sanditon, and it was by Marie Dobbs, but sometimes you'll find it without her name listed, and she's just credited as "a lady" in a nod to Jane Austen and the way she published anonymously.
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