Challenge: Your Favorite Book
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
FIONA is 16.
FIONA
Oh my god this book is so bad!
MARCIA
What are they having you read?
FIONA
Jane Eyre - it’s like poorly written fan fiction.
MARCIA
Fan Fiction?
FIONA
Um, so it’s when fans take characters from stories they like and write stories around them.
MARCIA
Interesting. Well, in a way, Jane Eyre was fan fiction. Ms. Bronte was inspired by one of Austin’s minor characters in Pride and Prejudice and decided to take the character and make a new story out of it.
FIONA
Well, not a very good story. I mean, she goes on for pages describing the moon and when something exciting happens she does it in two sentences. I mean, did no one teach her how to write.
MARCIA
You know, when I was a little older than you, I read a book that was fan fiction of Jane Eyre. I thought it was quite good. Maybe if you can make it through Ms. Eyre’s story, I’ll lend it to you.