Posted by Anne LeVeque on 01/13/00 from peter.nccbuscc.org:
In Reply to: Sequels posted by Prue Eckett on January 13, 2000 at 02:06:50:
Hmmm... first you have the legal obstacles. Most of Ransome's works were
published between 1923 and 1963, so the term of the copyright, if it has
been diligently renewed, totals 67 years. Some of the earliest works
should be passing into the public domain soon if they haven't already.
Later works will still be protected by copyright.
There are some minor differences between UK copyright law and US copyright
law, but the Berne Convention applies internationally, and I believe there
is a fair amount of uniformity as to the term of copyright.
Others may be better informed than me about the actual copyright status
of Ransome's works.
Sequels are considered an infringement of copyright if they are not
authorized by the copyright holder. I have consulted experts on this
matter, and I am pretty confident about it.
Then you have the artistic/literary considerations. The Oz books did very
well with a variety of authors after L. Frank Baum, but those stories
were more fantastical and not so specific as to time and place. Many
people have wanted to write sequels to the Narnia books, especially
where Susan Pevensie is concerned (the only surviving child), and all
requests for permission have been flatly turned down by the Lewis estate.
I suspect the Ransome estate would also turn such requests down. Just
look at what has been done to Winnie-the-Pooh. Even when a fair amount
of control is exerted, you often have great disappointment. Gone With
The Wind stood alone for decades, and when permission was given to a
hand-picked author to pen a sequel, the result was, from many reports (I
haven't read it) inferior.
One counter-example might be Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, which is a
'prequel' to Jane Eyre. It was fantastic! I think it worked 1) because of Rhys' talent, and
2) because the story picked up just a slender thread from Jane Eyre and
spun it into a completely different narrative (the madwoman in the attic).
How would you write a sequel to the S&A series? Would you write about
them all grown up? About their grandchildren? Even great-grandchildren (my
grandmother, long dead, would have been about the age of the Swallows)?
Would you just add more adventures to the original cast of characters
in the vein of Missee Lee and Peter Duck? Maybe even a prequel, with
Molly, Jim, and their friends?
Other opinions?
Anne LeVeque
aleveque@nccbuscc.org