Victorians! discussion

The intended start date for reading this novel is set for January 5, 2025.

In the meantime, feel free to post any resources or background information on either the novel or the contributing authors. It’s my understanding that it was something of an experiment with a different author writing each chapter. I’m not sure how much actual collaboration went into the writing process, but I think it sounds like an interesting premise. I can only hope that the end product matches my expectation. :D

From Librivox:

“One book, twenty-four authors ...

Fenella is the beautiful, girlish and headstrong heroine of a sensational Victorian novel which continually passes from one writer's cliffhanger to another's resolution. Fenella, with her young son Ronny, is recuperating in a Harrogate hotel, where her flirtatious behaviour has already broken the heart of a fellow guest, a rising barrister. Her feelings at her estrangement from her young husband, who appears to be flaunting his manipulative French mistress to the world, are still running high. Impulsively, she strikes back with an invitation to the French count whose flirtation had fired her husband's jealousy. The stage is set for a crime in mysterious circumstances, bringing Fenella into a sorrowful womanhood, and changing the lives of those around her forever. Violence, misunderstanding, love, intrigue, kidnapping, disaster ... mystery, sensation, social commentary, wit and romance combine across continents as each writer takes up the story.

"The publishers claim with no little satisfaction that in this book they offer the reading public a genuine novelty. The idea of a novel written by twenty-four popular writers is certainly an original one. The ladies and gentlemen who have written The Fate of Fenella have done their work quite independently of each other. There has been collaboration but not consultation. As each one wrote a chapter it was passed on to the next, and so on until it reached the hands of Mr. F. Anstey, whose peculiar and delightful humor made him a fitting choice for bringing the story to a satisfactory close."

(Summary by Loveday and the Publishers' note)”

Link: https://librivox.org/the-fate-of-fene...

Wikipedia has provided links to some information on each of the contributing authors, of whom only Bram Stoker and Arthur Conan Doyle have maintained a level of fame:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fat...


While some of the others may be known to this group, a little exploration may expose us to some hidden gems whose work, while harder to acquire, may prove worth the effort.

Online Versions:

Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/fatefenel...

Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74782

Librivox: https://librivox.org/search?title=The...

The Fate of Fenella Reading Schedule:

Week 1: Ch. 1-4 (Jan. 5-11)
Week 2: Ch. 5-8 (Jan. 12-18)
Week 3: Ch. 9-11 (Jan. 19-25)
Week 4: Ch. 12-15 (Jan. 26-31)
Week 5: Ch. 16-18 (Feb. 2-8)
Week 6: Ch. 19-21 (Feb. 9-15)
Week 7: Ch. 22-24 (Feb. 16-22)

I got an ebook from apple books for a very reasonable price.

Good to know! I didn’t even think to check Apple Books or Kindle.

A free pdf copy of the whole novel and/or the Bram Stoker chapter can be downloaded from the Bram Stoker website.

http://bramstoker.org/stories/04other...

Amazingly, Chapter X, the actual chapter that Bram Stoker wrote, is also available to download as it appeared in ‘The Gentlewoman’ magazine, (including illustrations.) I have had a quick glance but have refused myself the pleasure of reading it from the magazine until we have reached that chapter.

(spoiler until you have read chapters 1 to 9 ( at least I think so))

http://bramstoker.org/pdf/stories/04o...

It seems that all copies of ‘The Gentlewoman’ are available at the ‘British Newspaper Archive’ but that site requires registration and a monthly fee to access.

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.c...

Very cool. Thanks for sharing the link.

I can’t believe I never heard of this book. I’m in.

On an unrelated topic, over a decade ago a group of Irish writers produced a novel much like this one. Frank McCourt was one of them. It’s excellent. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

I love this! I wonder how many times other groups of authors have tried the same thing.

I started reading this today and discovered within the first few paragraphs that there will be language and attitudes which are no longer acceptable. Please be aware!

I intend to continue with the Read as scheduled, and hope that we can have honest, respectful discourse on whatever we find in the text.

However, I completely understand if others choose to apply their previous reading hours elsewhere.

I’m sure those who are reading along have a Table of Contents but here’s a list of chapters and authors, just in case…

For more information on each author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fat...

Ch. 1- Helen Mathers, "Fenella"
Ch. 2- Justin McCarthy, “Kismet”
Ch. 3- Frances Eleanor Trollope, “How it Strikes a Contemporary”
Ch. 4- Arthur Conan Doyle, "Between Two Fires"
Ch. 5- May Crommelin, “Complications”
Ch. 6- F. C. Phillips, A woman's view of the matter
Ch. 7- Rita (Elizabeth Margaret Jane Humphreys, née Gollan)
“So near — so far away”
Ch. 8- Joseph Hatton, “The Tragedy”
Ch. 9- Mrs. Lovett Cameron, “Free once again”
Ch. 10- Bram Stoker, “Lord Castleton explains”
Ch. 11- Florence Marryat, “Madame de Vigny's Revenge”
Ch. 12- Frank Danby (Julia Frankau (née Davis), “To live or die?”
Ch. 13- Mrs. Edward Kennard, "The scars remained"
Ch. 14- Richard Dowling, “Derelict”
Ch. 15- Mrs. Hungerford, “Another Rift”
Ch. 16- Arthur A'Beckett, “In New York”
Ch. 17- Jean Middlemass, “Confined in a Madhouse”
Ch. 18- Clement Scott, "Within sight of home"
Ch. 19- Clo. Graves, “A vision from the sea”
Ch. 20- H. W. Lucy, “Through Fire and Water”
Ch. 21- Adeline Sergeant, "Alive or dead?"
Ch. 22- George Manville Fenn, “Retribution”
Ch. 23- Tasma (Jessie Catherine Couvreur), “Sick Unto Death”
Ch. 24- F. Anstey. (Thomas Anstey Guthrie), "Whom the gods hate die hard"

Gregg wrote: "I can’t believe I never heard of this book. I’m in.

On an unrelated topic, over a decade ago a group of Irish writers produced a novel much like this one. Frank McCourt was one of them. It’s exce..."

The Detection Club, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, completed a similar project in the 1930s, by collaborating on a mystery novel, titled The Sinking Admiral. Each club member wrote a chapter sprinkled with clues and red herrings, and the next member was tasked with continuing the mystery. Quite a challenge!

Yes! I’d forgotten about that. I’ll have to check it out.

It's The Floating Admiral, but The Sinking Admiral sounds like it would be a fun book.

Rosemarie wrote: "It's The Floating Admiral, but The Sinking Admiral sounds like it would be a fun book."

Oops! Yes, perhaps it would make a good sequel, but not a prequel.