Rest for the Wicked: The Framing of Elizabeth Elliot’s, Lydia Bennet’s, and Henry Crawford’s Happy Endings in Jane Austen Fan Fiction

Abstract

Over two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen is kept alive by a heritage industry that preserves and explores her life and works. Fan fiction is part of this industry. Sheenagh Pugh explains that people write fan fiction because they “want ‘more of’ their source material or ‘more from’ it” (Pugh n.p.). Wanting ‘more of’ Austen is connected to the idea that Austen fans write fan fiction because of their nostalgia “for a time they have only experienced through fiction” (Foster), while wanting ‘more from’ Austen suggests a disagreement with the author’s literary choices (Pugh n.p.). Even though scholars have attempted to explain the fan fiction phenomenon, not much analysis of individual fan fiction stories has seemingly been attempted. An analysis of Austen fan fiction reveals a desire for giving characters who do not receive a happy ending from Austen a second chance at happiness in fan fiction. This MA thesis examines how fanfics frame the happily ever afters of characters that are unlucky in their respective source material, analysing four fan fiction stories in depth to answer the following question: how do Mercy’s Embrace, The Most Troubled, The Crawfords’ Redemption and Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy frame Lydia’s, Elizabeth’s, and Henry’s happy endings? To be able to examine these fan fiction heroes and heroines accurately, this thesis also examined the characters in their respective source material, analysing Elizabeth Elliot in Persuasion, Henry Crawford in Mansfield Park and Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. While the stories differ in the way in which they depict their heroes’ and heroines’ happy endings, certain interesting similarities in framing could be discovered. All fanfics include feminist elements, emphasise the hero’s perspective, depict more emotionally vulnerable heroes, and revolve around finding love. While all the changes made to either the characters or plot illustrate that these four authors wanted more from the Austen, their Austenian setting suggests that all desire to continue the Austen’s stories.