I'm fascinated by sequels to any famous novel.  There's a plethora of
sequels to Austen's work, and plenty others.  It would be an interesting
topic to investigate.  My favorite sequel is the one to *Don Quixote*, the
spurious one written by the mysterious Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda, of
Tordesillas.  While I'd like to blame modern society for sequels... with
little other than Don Quixote as evidence, it seems like the desire to
continue work has been around for a while.

Michael