Old Plots

Some authors wittingly or unwittingly repeat versions of the same plots in different novels. This is definitely the case in Jane Austen novels, it seems to me. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ seems to have clear parallels with ‘Sense and Sensibility’ for example: two sisters seek husbands; one is led astray temporarily by a rake (Wickam and Willoughby, respectively), but eventually end up marrying an aloof but sound type (Colonel Brandon and Mr Darcy). Even in ‘Emma’, which has a very different plotline, there is once again an untrustworthy young man (Frank Churchill) contrasted with a more mature and sensible one (Mr. Knightly).
Another author who seems to show plot repetition is Henry James whose novels I have been reading recently. For example, in both ‘Portrait of a Lady’ and ‘The Bostonians’ there are Svengali-figures (Gilbert Osmond and Selah Tarrant respectively), both fathers to rather dreamy young girls (Pansy Osmond and Verena Tarrant). Key characters also include uptight young ladies with varying degrees of fondness for the dreamy girls (Isobel Archer – the ‘lady’ whose portrait is being depicted, and the Bostonian Olive Chancellor).
Though I’m not unhappy about anticipating genre, I do feel a little cheated when I detect a repeated plot - it is almost as if the author didn’t work hard enough to find something new for their readers to get their teeth into. I appreciate that authors such as Austen were constrained by the period and circumstances in which they lived, but there’s far less excuse for contemporary authors. Hence I was a little disappointed to discover that the plot of Sebastian Barry’s recent novel , ‘On Canaan’s Side’ (which admittedly I haven’t yet read) sounds as if it has a great deal in common with ‘Secret Scriptures’. I suppose there is justification, however, if an author is exploring further into a particular theme, or continuing a story, particularly if the end result is of high quality.