Sanditon: Jane Austen's unfinished novel

CAIRO - 18 July: Critically acclaimed English author Jane Austen had been working on one last novel, yet sadly illness had prevented her from ever finishing it. The book was left incomplete by her death on July 18, 1817.

Titled 'Sanditon', the novel was a comedy about seaside resorts in England, detailing the efforts of a man named Mr Parker and his goal to transform his town into a seaside resort.

He requests the help of the wealthy money-loving Lady Denham, who was twice widowed. The unfinished draft had reached over 22,000 words, yet abruptly stops at chapter 12, a tragic sign that Austen had simply grown too sick to continue.

Born on December 16, 1775, Austen had received most of her wild fame in the century following her death, with numerous adaptations of her works across all media formats, helping to cement and create a loyal worldwide following. Her most famous work was Pride and Prejudice, which she published in 1813.

Sanditon's tragically unfinished fate has inspired the imaginations of many authors to finish the story themselves, with varying results. One particularly interesting example is Welcome to Sanditon, a multimedia web series relocating the story to modern day California, where the citizens of Sanditon try out a new social media app.

Had it reached completion, it's likely that the story would be as much a household name as her other works, though the world can never know for certain.