Book Review: Kerygma in Waltz Time, by Sherwood Smith
A Jane Austen fan fiction novelette.
Twelve Tower Books, 2024, 44 pages
This novelette presents a flat broke, hungry English major whose chief joy in life is story. But the world is not interested in yet one more Jane Austen wannabe. Desperate for a job, she enters a mansion whose ballroom is filled with books.
And then, beyond the virtual veil, she finds an even greater surprise...
This novelette by Sherwood Smith, who writes Georgian romances, Austen fan fiction, and science fiction and fantasy, is basically a literary version of Lost in Austen. The protagonist is a starving English major who wanted to live a Life Of the Mind with Great Works (you poor, stupid woman) and goes to a unique job interview which consists of cataloging a huge number of works that all seem to be derivations and fan fiction of her favorite classics.
She winds up literally in Austen-land, from the POV of Charlotte Lucas (you know, the chick who ends up marrying Mr. Collins).
Smith is basically showing off her literary chops here, with copious references to Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and Baroness Orczy. There is an assumption that the reader is familiar with the world of fan fiction and terms like "The Suck Fairy." Even the title is a little pretentious. I had to look up "Kerygma"; it's Greek for "proclamation" and usually is used in a Christian context to refer to the core of the Church's teachings about Jesus. In the context of this story, it seems to be a reference to "canon" works, contrasted with the universe of derived or "fan" works.
I enjoyed the story because I am familiar with the works Smith references. You'll get a lot more out of this if you've read Pride and Prejudice and The Scarlet Pimpernel. If you haven't, I guess it's just a story about an English major getting to go on her dream fantasy faction to Pemberly.
Also by Sherwood Smith: My review of The Phoenix in Flight.
My complete list of book reviews.
Twelve Tower Books, 2024, 44 pages
This novelette presents a flat broke, hungry English major whose chief joy in life is story. But the world is not interested in yet one more Jane Austen wannabe. Desperate for a job, she enters a mansion whose ballroom is filled with books.
And then, beyond the virtual veil, she finds an even greater surprise...
This novelette by Sherwood Smith, who writes Georgian romances, Austen fan fiction, and science fiction and fantasy, is basically a literary version of Lost in Austen. The protagonist is a starving English major who wanted to live a Life Of the Mind with Great Works (you poor, stupid woman) and goes to a unique job interview which consists of cataloging a huge number of works that all seem to be derivations and fan fiction of her favorite classics.
She winds up literally in Austen-land, from the POV of Charlotte Lucas (you know, the chick who ends up marrying Mr. Collins).
Smith is basically showing off her literary chops here, with copious references to Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and Baroness Orczy. There is an assumption that the reader is familiar with the world of fan fiction and terms like "The Suck Fairy." Even the title is a little pretentious. I had to look up "Kerygma"; it's Greek for "proclamation" and usually is used in a Christian context to refer to the core of the Church's teachings about Jesus. In the context of this story, it seems to be a reference to "canon" works, contrasted with the universe of derived or "fan" works.
I enjoyed the story because I am familiar with the works Smith references. You'll get a lot more out of this if you've read Pride and Prejudice and The Scarlet Pimpernel. If you haven't, I guess it's just a story about an English major getting to go on her dream fantasy faction to Pemberly.
Also by Sherwood Smith: My review of The Phoenix in Flight.
My complete list of book reviews.