This week, we are moving to a later time and to Zoom for a change! We will be discussing ‘retellings’ or ‘revisions’: those films and TV shows that have been recently remade (Mr. and Mrs. Smith; One Day), as well as novels that rewrite old works, picking out ‘forgotten’ characters (Sandra Newman’s Julia – a retelling of Orwell’s 1984 from Julia’s perspective; creative revisions of Shakespeare’s work such as J.R. Thorpe’s Learwife constructing the unknown story of King Lear’s wife; new spins on Greek myths like Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles; the innumerable Pride & Prejudice iterations), etc.
Discussion will revolve around artistic changes (i.e. how 2024 One Day TV series chose to adapt David Nicholls’s book differently to the 2011 film version), the themes that literary retellings share (often focusing on female perspectives and queer stories), and why there are so many retellings now – what does this say about cultural consumption today?
When and Where
3pm, Monday 13th May, Zoom (link)
What to bring
Come along with your favourite/least liked examples of retellings or revisions in literature, film, tv, or anything else!
We are looking forward to seeing you there!