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beautifulbookishdisaster · 2 months

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Why was the damned man always complaining? He was as well off as one could be without being Inner Party. And all his talk of abolishing the Party was the purest vanity. "If there is any hope, it must lie in the proles" - all that meant was that Winston wanted the proles to do his fighting for him.

Sandra Newman, Julia: A Retelling of George Orwell's 1984

#book quotes #bookish quotes #book quotations #page 128 #sandra newman #julia #julia: a retelling of george orwell's 1984 #george orwell #orwell 1984 #orwellian #Winston Smith #proles #revolution #rebellion #dystopia #dystopian #classic retellings

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inkishkingdoms · 9 months

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I have never liked retellings because I find them a bit unoriginal or they fail monumentally to have any proper resemblance and I even think they are marketed like that to sell more 🤷🏻

So when people complain about Disney, Warner y other medias doing live actions o revamps of old movies or shows…because they want new stories: I feel validated 😂😂

I knew I wasn’t on the wrong path 😂 I want adaptations, properly done, but not an adaptation of an adaptation give that a rest 🙄🙄

Also, just for basing your novel on Jane Eyre won’t make it good. Just for basing your story on Dorian Gray won’t make it good, and I am about to drop names here 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

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thebestbookrecommendations · 1 year

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What Moves the Dead - T. Kingfisher

What Moves the Dead is Kingfisher's retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher.” When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania. What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves. Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

Read if You Like:

Horror

Fantasy

Gothic Fiction

Creepy Manor Vibes

Classic Retellings

Edgar Allan Poe

Mysteries

Novellas

Strong Female Characters

Historical Fiction

Recommended if You Enjoy:

Edgar Allan Poe (The Complete Collection)

Dawn Kurtagich (And the Trees Crept In)

What I Liked:

It was a decent retelling of “The Fall of the House of Usher” with super creepy vibes. It also had both a badass female soldier AND a badass female scientist. We love strong female characters.

What I Could Have Lived Without:

I think a more modern retelling could have been more unique and interesting.

Rating: 4/5

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cupofteajones · 2 years

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Follow Your Heart: 10 "Persuasion" Charming Retellings That Won't Disappoint

Follow Your Heart: 10 “Persuasion” Charming Retellings That Won’t Disappoint

Yes, I watched the recent Persuasion adaptation, and sorry, it was not a 10 for me. I am all for remixing classics for modern audiences. For classics to remain timeless, they must evolve and be relatable to modern society. However, that is what this adaptation failed to do. It worked too hard on making Persuasion relatable to a 2022 audience that the film forgot to capture the theme and essence…

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septemberkisses · 11 months

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— The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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greekmythcomix · 9 months

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You Are Odysseus

So

I’m a teacher of Classical Civilisation that has taught the Odyssey for over a decade and studied pretty much every myth and story with Odysseus in it.. I think

and I’m writing an Interactive Fiction (choose your own path) version of the Odyssey, inspired by the Homeric phrase “he turned his great heart this way and that”, where you are Odysseus, allowing you to follow his decisions or make your own

and it already has 400 sections to it - written to emulate modern translations of the Odyssey, including the literary features of simile, formula, epithet, and the rest - and 21 different ways to die, and quite a lot of period and theme-appropriate alternatives

(and if I get time, the option to be Telemachus or Penelope, although that might have to wait because it’s already a monster)

and I’ve tested what I’ve made so far on my pupils, other Classics teachers, and some of the leading (and best-read) Greek Mythology podcasters and YouTubers, all of whom have universally loved it (yay!)

(EDIT: Oops and I presented on it at the Classical Association conference last year)

I’m trying to finish it this summer, but need a bit of encouragement to do so

EDIT: and I forgot to say that ideally I’m planning on it being a beautiful BOOK with an old-fashioned cover and lots of ribbons to mark your place ❤️ (ex-bookseller ofc)

so, please let me know if you’d like to know more!

(EDIT: or sign up here go get notified directly when it’s ready: https://ljenkinsonbrown.wordpress.com/you-are-odysseus-signup/ )

#odyssey #greek mythology #greek myth #tagamemnon #greek myth retellings #homer #interactive story #interactive fiction #classics #classical literature #classical civilisation #odysseus #writing #gamebook

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fictionadventurer · 3 months

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Listening to a podcast interview with the directors of Treasure Planet, and one of the most fascinating things is when they talk about how the '90s Disney animation climate was all about making these prestige animated films with stories that could have been done in live action (Hunchback, Pocahontas), and these guys fought to make films that could only be done (or at least be best done) with animation. Because it's kind of the inverse of their current philosophy of making everything live action even if it's a story that's better in animation. So anyway if the live-action Treasure Planet thing is really happening, it's like spitting in the face of this movie's intent.

#treasure planet #disney #also i may just have to keep this one in my back pocket for writing inspiration #because the way they talk about blending a classic story with their new take #and about how they try to distill the story down to its essence #like a caricature that keeps it simple and reveals the true heart of the story #is a lot like how i like to approach retellings #70-30 rule is a good term (that's what they used to describe their blend of past vs future aesthetic)#and thinking about that blend is esp helpful for the story i'm currently mulling over

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belle-keys · 2 years

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— On Cassandra of Troy

"Cassandra" by Florence and the Machine // "Cassandra" by Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys // "A Thousand Ships" by Natalie Haynes // "The Cassandra Scene in Aeschylus' Agamemnon" by Seth L. Shein // "Ajax and Cassandra" by Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein // "Elektra" by Jennifer Saint // "Cassandra of Troy" by Jan Drenovec // "mad, mad, mad" by @diradea // "mad woman" by Taylor Swift // "Helen and Cassandra" by Al Stewart // "Cassandra of Troy" by Evelyn de Morgan // "The Daughters of Troy" by Euripides

#cassandra of troy #tagamemnon #web weave #web weaving #mental illness #the iliad #trojan war #classics #ancient greece #mad woman #art history #apollo #euripides #elektra #greek retelling #greek women #light academia #psychic #dark academia

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s-aint-elmo · 1 year

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no thoughts head empty the oppressive stagnancy of legacy in ever after high dragging me round the block yet again

it's such a shame that we get so little explanation about the actual mechanics of destiny, which is the entire premise of the show, bc it's so juicy. like what power does destiny hold when you rip away milton's lies and centuries of assumptions and traditions. esp bc despite raven signing herself as the evil queen in the real storybook of legends, when the snow white fairytale actually happens in dragon games she's playing one of the seven dwarves and her mother has reprised her role. like how much of that was because of the characters' actions and how much was destiny pulling on old, familiar threads. keeps me up at night.

a lot of this is probably just like, plot holes and writer hot potato but i like making it that deep, that's half of the fun. my personal interpretation is that fate is a wild thing that desires repetition and they developed the system of fairytale legacy bloodlines to keep those repetitions predictable and contained, instead of wreaking havoc whenever and wherever they please.

which lends itself to some really juicy exploration of how legacy is a duty as much as it is a privilege, and how to be a princess or a witch or a hero or a dragon is to be the same thing in the end: the lamb destiny slaughters on the altar to sate the ever-ravenous narrative. to keep the flock safe. keep the unknown that prowls beyond the beaten path at bay. because if a there is always a mother who will be cruel, or a maiden who will fall into a sleep like death, or a child who will become a bird, isn’t it better to know who, and how, and when? isn’t better if it’s you, who has known your whole life that you must be eaten, be poisoned, be stripped of your humanity, rather than anybody else, who wasn’t raised to see it as an honour instead of a great and terrible injustice?

#ever after high #mine #remember when apple asked snow white for advice on yester day and she had nothing useful to say? bc all the problems in her life were #solved by a smile a friend and true love's kiss?#and apple got to experience being disappointed by the parent she placed on a pedestal for the first time ever? that was really fun #don't even get me started by how the class of classics are all called by the names of their roles that is sooooo fun and fucked up #the mantle of your legacy is so large and so heavy that it swallows you up entirely #ik it's for convenience's sake but simply imagine with me. surrendering your true name once your tale begins to bind to the retelling #more strongly. invite the eye of the narrative to fix on you. set destiny on its well-worn tracks and drive it smoothly #to happily ever after #i love the idea of the retellings being ritualistic to an extent. there is so much you could do w destiny #how destiny is a crutch too that prevents u fr growing as a person bc there is nothing life can start that u haven't already seen finished

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shasivyy · 20 days

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Some of the main characters from my Frankenstein retelling.

{When darkness shines}

Adam. (Victor Frankenstein’s creature)

Dew. (An original character created by me for a big role in the retelling, which includes being the love interest of Adam.)

Victor will be the next to introduce 👀

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nerdyqueerr · 2 months

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The Ulysses Dies At Dawn research project thesis is COMPLETE. Lets fucking do this

#this is how i announce to tumblr dot com that im writing a paper on UDAD for my classics and their reception course #its very ambitious and the course itself isnt great but like #i went to office hours and im making it work #its about the synergy and the cobbled-together retelling narratives. or smth.#synergy is a good word.... anyways #will keep yall updated #also huge shoutout to makers of the mechs brainrot docs i will be using your transcripts #the mechanisms

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beautifulbookishdisaster · 2 months

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One had no choice. One was carried forward, and tried to be kind whenever one could. One survived, and then was sorry.

Sandra Newman, Julia: A Retelling of George Orwell's 1984

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satanghostface · 5 months

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I was reading discourse on achilles yesterday and I'm still thinking about some people calling him a r*pist and others saying that other books they've read that are from a woman's perspective completely shifted the perception they have of TSOA's Achilles. And to me that makes little to no sense.

Here's what I come from: Achilles is a character from the Illiad, and the poem itself is pretty much fanfiction. I mean, the person and warrior that Achilles is based on probably existed, and it might have been called Achilles even, but i think we all agree that the rest is dubious.

Since the illiad is like the OG story, people tend to look at it as if it's canon and we'll go with that logic. You have the canon work and poets go off on their own versions of these characters writing tragedies, more epics, thesis, all sorts of stuff, and it goes on for centuries until we reach The song of Achilles and Percy Jackson and all the other 100s retellings coming out which are fanfiction of fanfiction.

And you're letting one fanfiction distort another fanfiction? It's bonkers to me because as someone who has to read the classics and grew up on fanfiction, I don't see that happening elsewhere. Between academics, if we're discussing a myth, we mention the different versions, and we can choose one to go on from, sure. But even so, I never saw someone sound so affected by different perspectives on the same character in class.

And if we're talking on the world of street fanfiction, I most definitely don't find people going "Oh this fanfiction of hermione betraying the order and marrying voldmort changed my perspective of Harry Potter's hermione" you know? -- if that sounds like a stupid example, it's because it is. It's just to show that my whole point is that it's insane to me to let a book ruin another book when the authors are creating different versions of the same characters, which basically turns them into different characters with the same names. Especially since you know, it's all made up. And this isn't real criticism to the people forming their opinions or the authors, respect to all of them.

But it’s a little maddening watching people roll into arguments to discuss what piece of fiction is more real and relevant when they're all in the same level of glorified AO3 works.

I hope this makes sense to someone else

#greek myth retellings #classics #greek mythology #tsoa #tsoa achilles #ancient greek literature #fanfiction #achilles discourse #patrochilles #mention of abuse #literature #mine #percy jackson #the trojans #trojan war #the illiad #odysseus #patroclus #history

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onwingsofwords · 9 months

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sometimes I think about watching it but I don't hate myself enough to actually do it

#classical mythology #the iliad #greek mythology memes #song of achilles #helen of troy #greek mythlogy retelling #greek myth memes #greek mythology #iliad meme #iliad adaptations

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cupofteajones · 2 years

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2022 Bronx Anti-Prom Author Talks All Online

The Bronx Anti-Prom 2022 season is over, but you can relive the memories and excitement through the fantastic series of author talks we had leading up to the big dance party! We had tremendous and compelling conversations with these authors, and we hope you enjoy as much fun we had presenting them! (more…)

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cosmic-metanoia · 3 months

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Hades as the "Villain"

~not my typical content but.....~

Hear me out.

WHAT IF....the reason why some Greek mythology retellings *incorrectly* write Hades as villainous is because he minimizes engagement with his toxic Olympian family and ACTUALLY sets boundaries with them?!

(tags are for exposure - some of them did a great job of Hades's portrayal!)

#percy jackson #lore olympus #a touch of darkness #greek mythology #punderworld #hadestown #hades game #hades #greek myth retellings #greek gods #ancient greek mythology #greek myths #classical mythology #disney hercules

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