They say every story is already told, we just have to learn to tell it in a new way with a new voice. Even so, there are a lot of versions of certain stories. Sometimes a story goes from book to movie, then back to book. Sometimes people tell different fairy tales. (Robin McKinley got away with writing two completely separate Beauty and the Beast stories). Or maybe people add onto stories that have been told and are now public domain.
No two authors can tell the same story, but at what point do we start getting tired of reading different versions of the same stories? Do we give them all equal credit and an equal try? Or are certain authors given precedence?
Personally I'm a sucker for a good Beauty and the Beast retelling. Do you have a favorite story that you'll read any version that comes out?
One of my favorite authors,Grace Livingston Hill, basically wrote the same book over and over. She penned more than 100 books, all in which the Christian protagonist prevailed, despite overwhelming challenges. Hill always threw in a bit of romance and voila! She had another great book.
ReplyDeleteI've read authors like that too. I usually get tired after a couple of them though.
DeleteI happily read books I've read before - sometimes as many as twenty times over the years (Graham Greene's The Quiet American, Pearl S. Buck's Pavilion of Women for instance). There do seem to be some authors who tell the same story again and again like Pam points out but not only do I not enjoy that - I wonder at how the writer can keep her own boredom at check! Different strokes I guess - my best pal would never read a novel twice!
ReplyDeleteJan Morrison
I adore Pavilion of Women. It's one I've reread several times.
DeleteI once heard it said that all romances are based on Cinderella or Romeo and Julliet. In my mind it's true.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I've read the same story told a different way (if I have, they've disguised it well) but I do like re-reading books.
ReplyDeleteI love to see Boy Meets Girl *really* well done. That never gets old.
ReplyDeleteNo it never does.
DeleteNot sure I'd want to keep reading versions of the same story, though I'm sure I have read different retellings of fairy tales.
ReplyDeleteThe best Beauty and Best I've read lately is Kristen Callihan's FIRELIGHT and it has some major twists to the story. ; )
ReplyDeleteI think any modern version of Greek myths are pretty cool :D
ReplyDeleteBTW, Your title picture is staying up! I've changed to IE10. Maybe that's way. The ferns are lovely and not so short-lived any more. ; )
ReplyDeleteI admire someone who can put a different spin on an old tale and make it fresh (I'm sure the list of films directly or indirectly inspired by Shakespeare is endless), but I prefer original material. As original as it's possible to be, anyway!
ReplyDeleteI like stories about underdogs having their day in the sun, when told well.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of varying story interpretations, have you seen Wicked?
If the story is worth telling, it's probably worth telling again. :)
ReplyDeletegreat words building!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading somewhere that there are only two stories in the world, a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town. Every story is a version of one of them.
ReplyDeleteI am always amazed at how many ways there is to tell a story. It shows the different ways people think.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles and the retelling of Cinderella (Cinder) and Little Red Riding Hood (Scarlet).
Ahem. I'm supposed to be editing my beauty and the beast retelling... wannna read a rough draft?
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