Should some classics be re-written?

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any classic books or any very old fiction books or series.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
nfdoughe
Posts: 182
Joined: 16 Nov 2019, 11:34
Favorite Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Favorite Book: Till We Have Faces
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 142
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nfdoughe.html
Latest Review: Willow James and the Queen of U’i’s Crown by Jett Blackk
fav_author_id: 2591

Re: Should some classics be re-written?

Post by nfdoughe »

I don't think that the classics should be re-written exactly, but there are some stories that are so good they can survive being reworked. Personally I love a good old classic fairy tale with a unique twist thrown in. I also think it can be fun to re-write a story in another time or place. I think that's why we have stories like Pride and Prejudice with zombies.
User avatar
MustaHarleen
Posts: 174
Joined: 12 Dec 2019, 03:10
Currently Reading: Warrior of Shadows: The Final Battle
Bookshelf Size: 51
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mustaharleen.html
Latest Review: The Altitude Journals by David J Mauro

Post by MustaHarleen »

I wish 'Little Women' could be re-written. That it one of the greatest classics I have ever read and I would love to see the story from a modern perspective.
User avatar
Rudybarrientos5180
Posts: 1
Joined: 02 Jan 2020, 10:24
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Rudybarrientos5180 »

I agree I dint think we should be re-writing old classics I mean yea there interesting in all but I dont know it’s just something about it doesn’t do the trick.
User avatar
Abbyfitzgerald1
Posts: 1
Joined: 06 Jan 2020, 21:06
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Abbyfitzgerald1 »

Classics re-written

Although some classic books will forever hold the book world upright, some changes could be made. As generations age and the future withholds an updated lifestyle, there’s only room for diversity. For kids, young-adults and everyday people there needs to be a common level of understanding for each and everyone while concerning popular books. This way, they can be recognized to their fullest beauty and remain iconic.
User avatar
sevencrows
Posts: 142
Joined: 20 Dec 2019, 12:26
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sevencrows.html
Latest Review: Daisy's Run by Scott Baron

Post by sevencrows »

I think retellings of classics do provide an interesting new point of view, as do retellings of fairytales or myths, but while re-writing classics without adding to them in any way and rather just phrasing it differently may help younger readers, they lose some degree of their beauty.
HarryPotterLibrary22
Posts: 90
Joined: 07 Dec 2019, 14:14
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 49
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-harrypotterlibrary22.html
Latest Review: Watchwords (black and white) by Philip Neal Gatter

Post by HarryPotterLibrary22 »

nfdoughe wrote: 22 Nov 2019, 15:10 I don't think that the classics should be re-written exactly, but there are some stories that are so good they can survive being reworked. Personally I love a good old classic fairy tale with a unique twist thrown in. I also think it can be fun to re-write a story in another time or place. I think that's why we have stories like Pride and Prejudice with zombies.
I think the classics should still exist. But I do like ones with a twist or set in modern times. They are really insightful abouts what's changed
User avatar
Leyla Ann
Posts: 384
Joined: 21 Oct 2019, 13:40
Favorite Author: Jane Austen
Favorite Book: Call Me by Your Name
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 69
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-leyla-ann.html
Latest Review: How To Be Successful by M. Curtis McCoy
fav_author_id: 2379

Post by Leyla Ann »

Although I have struggled the first time I tried reading vintage classics like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens' books, I still think that classics shouldn't be rewritten, because having them rewritten is like having them translated and somehow that doesn't feel like reading the same book anymore.

Personally I'd rather read the original version until I get used to their writing style as it feels like I'm not only reading the book but also taking a peek at the writer's personality.
People who read are hiders. They hide who they are. People who hide don't always like who they are.
User avatar
mpsmaster
Posts: 87
Joined: 05 Aug 2020, 19:50
Favorite Book: Think and grow rich
Currently Reading: As a Man Thinketh
Bookshelf Size: 19
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mpsmaster.html
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz

Post by mpsmaster »

Different from movies, a book hardly need to be re-written. Why? Because in this case is the mind of the reader that should change, see new things, understand with more deept, as he grow and mature.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
User avatar
Bigwig1973
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1007
Joined: 16 Apr 2020, 19:57
Favorite Book: Notes from Underground
Currently Reading: The Elements of Style
Bookshelf Size: 503
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bigwig1973.html
Latest Review: You, This Is Me...OVER?! by Clinton Beaudel Dooley

Post by Bigwig1973 »

I read a couple different translations of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky while in college. One was an older translation, the other fairly new. I also read at least two different translations of The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. In the first translation of the latter novel, I was not very impressed with the section referred to as "The Grand Inquisitor" but when I read another translation, I liked it quite a bit more. In these cases, I would say "yes". And, if you think about it, rewriting a novel in a language that was already written in that language is sort of like a translation or an adaptation. I hate to answer "yes" because I think of writing as art - if I wouldn't change or update a Rembrandt or the Sistine Chapel, why would I feel that I have a right to change a piece of written artwork? Having the original and the rewritten text in the same book might be interesting, however
"...I'd discuss the holy books with the learned man...and that would be the sweetest thing of all...would it foil some vast, eternal plan..." Hamick Fiddler on the Roof

La Belle Dame Sans Mercy, Merci, Maria - Chartier, Keats, Hamik?
User avatar
Kaitlin Licato
Posts: 140
Joined: 01 Oct 2020, 16:03
Currently Reading: Shakespeare's Guide to Parenting
Bookshelf Size: 53
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kaitlin-licato.html
Latest Review: The Sylvan Horn by Robert Redinger

Post by Kaitlin Licato »

As a teacher, I can see the value of having classics be put into a format that is easier for the students of today to consume. Many of my students have enjoyed the graphic novel versions of classic books like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Romeo and Juliet." I also have used adapted copies of "Frankenstein" and "War of the Worlds" with English Language Learners. My students have loved them and due to that, might be inspired to read the original in the future.

My own experience reading the original text of "Don Quixote" was... less than thrilling. When I say original, I mean ORIGINAL. Even the native speakers were having difficulties in reading it. I still managed it though... barely! I often had to look things up in the Spanish spark notes, full English translation or (if time was really short), the English spark notes. I would not recommend the original unless you REALLY love Spanish.
User avatar
chaysecooper20
Posts: 3
Joined: 24 Sep 2020, 07:22
Currently Reading: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
Bookshelf Size: 2
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chaysecooper20.html
Latest Review: Spirit of the Season by Brian Lamont
Reading Device: B07FKR6KXF

Post by chaysecooper20 »

That is an excellent question! My first instinct is no because then it wouldn't really be the same book, but that might be the literature snob within me talking. On further reflection, rewriting classics in simpler language might not be such a bad idea (for some people) and it actually happens all the time. However, these simpler versions are often targeted toward children with the intent to introduce them to the story without the hindrance of old fashioned language. I think there would be a market for the same type of book but also targeted at adults. I know people who are interested in the stories but are intimidated by the language and so never read them. But even if classics are rewritten and targeted toward adults too, the original should still always be the default in my opinion. Classics are works of art and to completely replace them with a simpler version would be like repainting the Mona Lisa or The Starry Night with half as many colors.
User avatar
Amanda Dobson
Posts: 201
Joined: 03 May 2021, 15:26
Currently Reading: The King's Trial
Bookshelf Size: 20
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-amanda-dobson.html
Latest Review: The Quest For The Phoenix Crown by Xander T. Petersen
Reading Device: Apple

Post by Amanda Dobson »

I don’t think that they should be rewritten. I feel that if they were they would be losing the soul of how they were written. They were written during a different time yes and there are language changes to now but I think if we start changing books to suit the time we will lose a big part of history and what makes the book a classic.
I have read a couple of children’s books that were rewritten to be more ‘correct’ with the times and it lost the whole concept of the book.
Keeping the books how they were written can, will and does spark a conversation with people and that is when you can learn more about the past and learn where we have come from to where we are now.
User avatar
Black Jewel
Posts: 307
Joined: 29 May 2021, 14:11
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 65
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-black-jewel.html
Latest Review: The Game by Molly Perry

Post by Black Jewel »

I don't think the classics should be rewritten. They are classics for a reason.
User avatar
EternalD
Posts: 214
Joined: 04 Nov 2020, 12:17
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 19
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-eternald.html
Latest Review: Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker

Post by EternalD »

Certainly not. Classics are part of history and reflect the values and ideas of a particular era. Rewriting the classics would be like burning books.
User avatar
mohamed benziane
Posts: 75
Joined: 03 Jun 2021, 15:12
Favorite Author: John Green
Favorite Book: Pride and Prejudice
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 39
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mohamed-benziane.html
Latest Review: Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Having a Bad Life by Lewis Kempfer
fav_author_id: 2072

Post by mohamed benziane »

I believ there are some classics like jane austins' and Shakespeare that are re written in modern English, am not sure about other though, but it does help people who can't understand the old style of the english language it is definitely hard to comprehend
Post Reply

Return to “Classic Books”