It's about 9 million degrees in my classroom this afternoon, so forgive my lack of intelligence if it appears in this post. I'm sure that it will because normal, every day tasks are becoming quite difficult. But, I do have something on my mind that I'd like to think about and get some of your opinions on.Do you like to read old stories that are retold in modern adaptations? If so, what do you like? If not, what don't you like?
I ask this because I am currently reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. I'm having some mixed feelings about this story. I liked it at first, but now feel like I'm on a plot-finding mission where I'm just looking for connections to the original.
And then, I started to teach a fairy tales retold recovery unit to a student who needs to earn back his creative writing credit. His passion and interest in comparing the original Hans Christian Andersen "Thunbelina" tale to the short story "Tiny" by Francesca Lia Block has sparked a renewed interest in me.
So, what do you think? Recycle these old stories, or leave them alone?
