[Morwen]

In Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys, writes about Mr. Rochester's mad wife, a character from Jane Eyre. The story is about who this woman was before she became an insane, attic dwelling pyromaniac.Now if the novel had been written by Charlotte Bronte it would have been a prequel to Jane Eyre. You could have used info found there to discuss, say, the development of the character of Mr. Rochester. But Wide Sargasso Sea is the work of Jean Rhys. It's an independent work with merit of its own but it does not contribute to or expand the world of Jane Eyre. Only Charlotte Bronte could do this and indeed I don't know that it was ever Jean Rhys' intention to try. And I don't know that Bronte scholars use Ms. Rhys' work as a tool for analysing either Rochester or his mad wife. At least I have not heard of this. I would welcome corrections on the point.

Now I have understood some to say that other persons should pick up where Tolkien left off and compose new stories set in Middle Earth and I suppose using the frame work that Tolkien has provided. However, I don't see stories by other authors as adding to or expanding what Tolkien created. They would be creating something distinct. Now these works may have a value of their own but I agree with Davem that they would not be used by Tolkien scholars to discuss his work. And I also think that a lot of fans would distinguish between Tolkien's Middle Earth and the stories told by John Smith and Jane Doe.