You couldn't make it up dept. no.72: an interesting view of literature

[fpb]

From a recent "Looking for" thread in one of the HP fanfic sites:
I'm looking for any stories that are reminiscent of a Jane Austen novel in plot and characterization.

I don't mind slash, in this case I'd prefer it...

"Austenesque" slash. Right.

Comments

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I still think cjmr has it right. For a start, what the expression Austenesque conveys to me - whatever the original questioner may have wanted - is cheap knock-offs. Second, I can imagine little more likely to be sentimental and cheap than a slash genre imitation. Can you?

(In most "You couldn't make it up dept." posts, you are not supposed to take the matter very seriously. This is definitely one of those posts.)

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Ah--I see. my impression of Austenesque slash was just to substitute guys instead of heroines for the heroes to court.

I expect you're right.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

ON the other hand, you've got a point too. I don't suppose there really is any right or wrong in this kind of issue. It just depends on the way you think the author will get it wrong. The thing is, I was having so much trouble envisaging slash for one of the most severely moralistic writers in the English canon, that cjmr just enlightened me.