Comments on: Classic Remarks: March 3, 2017

By: Lee

Lee — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 03:27:38 +0000

In reply to Krysta.

They exist in a liminal space, it would seem.

By: Krysta

Krysta — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 03:26:28 +0000

In reply to Lee.

Mr. Darcy Swipes Left is a treasure. If very confusing. Why do they have tech but also carriages? What time period are they in, exactly?

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By: Lee

Lee — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 21:45:54 +0000

In reply to Briana.

I don’t even try to fathom what they could be thinking because all I’m thinking is “this is awful did you even try?” and then tossing the book aside.

Speaking of the crazy slang, have you seen those ones that are like Emoji versions of classics??? They kill me!

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By: Briana

Briana — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 20:55:57 +0000

I always wondering what goes through the minds of people who adapt. I think the best-case scenario is that they start with a vision of how it could be made more “accessible” or “relatable” to younger readers, but so often it seems as if they’re going for a word count and just hacking things out because making it shorter is the main goal. But once you start omitting scenes, you get in a tricky spot where you have to cut out more and more so readers aren’t confused by references to scenes that are no longer in the book. It’s perhaps easiest if there’s a side plot or sub plot and the editor cuts that, but I think that sends the wrong message that the sub plot isn’t “really” the point, when usually the author means it to intersect and comment on the “main” plot. I’m just not a huge fan of children’s adaptations overall for these reasons.

And, yes, some of the teen ones get crazy with all the insertions of slang and modern references!

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By: Lee

Lee — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 20:55:16 +0000

In reply to Krysta.

I can’t imagine a Shakespeare without lewd jokes and complexity. That’s like the FUN of Shakespeare.

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By: Krysta

Krysta — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 20:49:16 +0000

In reply to Lee.

I do have a friend who argues that the Lambs’ Shakespeare stories for children made her want to read Shakespeare later. But I kind of wonder if a sanitized Shakespeare would make most people like him. Half the fun of Shakespeare is his complexity and his messiness and his juxtaposition of high and low culture, obscenity and crudeness included.

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By: Lee

Lee — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 20:44:00 +0000

In reply to Krysta.

Dude you’re so right about that last bit. And about the not marking it as an adaptation. I’ve also had problems where I won’t read a classic because the adapted version was so bad I just figure the whole thing probably sucks too…

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By: Krysta

Krysta — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 20:42:28 +0000

When I was younger, I hated adaptations of classics for kids. I wanted the original, full story, not a story with missing parts. And I was always very upset when I realized that some of the books I was reading were abridged–but they were not marked as such! I spent time going through the front matter of each book and the covers trying to make sure I was not getting an abridged book and yet I was!

I see that adaptations can introduce children to classics and maybe make them want to read the originals when they are older. But I also wonder if some don’t read the originals later because they feel they’ve been there, done that.

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