Wold Newton family

The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the science fiction writer Philip Jose Farmer. Farmer suggested in two fictional "biographies" of fictional characters, (Tarzan Alive and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life), that a radioactive meteorite fell in Wold Newton, England, in the late 18th century, resulting in genetic mutations affecting the occupants of a passing coach. The progeny of these travellers were purported to have been the real-life originals of the semi-fictionalised characters, both heroic and villainous, in fiction over the last few hundred years, for example: Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Doc Savage, Lord Peter Wimsey, etc.

An earlier proponent of this sort of fiction was William S. Baring-Gould who wrote a fictional biography of Sherlock Holmes. In 1971 C. W. Scott-Giles compiled a history of Lord Peter Wimsey's family, going back to 1066 (but describing the loss of the family tree going back to Adam), from information provided by Dorothy L. Sayers.

The premise has subsequently been adopted by the graphic novelist Alan Moore in his series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The comic book series Planetary has a similar premise of fitting many different superhero, science fiction, and fantasy elements into the same universe.

The Wold Newton concept relies on judicious Krypto-Revisionism; the characters of the books and comics are treated as fictionalized, exaggerated versions of "real" people/characters, and accounts that strain suspension of disbelief too much are dismissed as fiction.

External Links

Sites which explore the Wold Newton universe in more depth may be found at:

• An Expansion of Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton Universe
• The Secret History of the Wold Newton Universe
• The Wold Newton Chronicles
• Jess Nevins' Wold Newton Articles
• French Wold Newton Universe
• Schroeder's Speculations - Wold Newton Articles