There's plenty of talk about gender and sexuality play out in Fifty Shades of Grey. What could be even more interesting is looking at how class plays out. Could one argue that Anastasia Steele fulfills a class fantasy by getting involved with the much richer Christian Grey? Does the so-called American Dream revolve around the obtainment of wealth? How does the exposure to such enormous wealth influence the wealthy characters? How are individuals with lower incomes portrayed – in a way that ignores the humanity of these individuals, or in a way that recognizes the privilege of being white and upper class? Could be an interesting topic to explore.
While this topic is listed under literature, the film version could certainly also be explored.
Could be interesting to look at Anastasia's socioeconomic place in the world; a presumably upwardly mobile recent college grad, albeit in a less economically lucrative degree. What does the story imply about someone of her class in this situation? – Mariana10 years ago
Classist fantasies are power fantasies.Given the dom-sub relationship in the book/film which manifests and is fairly evident throughout, I really don't think it is a topic which needs contextualising or elaborating on. Sorry! – Yama14410 years ago
When our kids were small, we owned lots of books and were regulars at the library, so a lot of picture books went by. Some were so wonderful the kids kept them, or bought copies for themselves as adults. Among those were several which were all about the art rather than the story. Would love to read a piece about the greatest picture books.
Since printing has become accessible to the general public, so many people are making children's books... – LaurenCarr10 years ago
It could be interesting to see how the art contributes to the story, rather than being all about the art rather than the story. Especially with kids, pictures make scenes much easier to visualize. It could also be interesting to see how picture books now include more inclusive stories, such as the inclusion of LGBTQ families in children's picture books - could these picture books be considered great by breaking ground in LGBTQ representation? – aileenmaeryan10 years ago
A helpful resource for this topic would be "Words About Pictures" by Perry Nodelman. He discusses the significance of the artwork in classic picture books such as "Where The While Things Are." – Kewalder10 years ago
It is actually a good topic, I love picture books. True that some books are more great pictures and art than the story itself, and they can be as good a reading for adults as it is for children. – suepri9 years ago
Discuss the idea that Scott Westerfield's novel, "Afterworlds", condones dyadic withdrawal to an extreme extent. Dyadic withdrawal is a situation in which a person gets into a romantic relationship and then drifts away from many of his or her friends. In the novel, the main character spends a lot of time with her S.O. They write together, eat almost every meal together, and often sleep at each other's apartment. However, the main character seems reluctant to spend time with any of her friends or anyone other than her S.O. In the end, they break up and get back together, but they seem to think that there is no problem with the isolated nature of the relationship.
Now that "Sons of Anarchy" is over, it would be interesting to explore any books out there about the MC world. I know there is plenty of non-fiction. Let's focus on fiction. So far all I've come across is a ton of romance.
I'm not sure if this fits exactly, but there is a light novel series called Durarara!! by Ryohgo Narita that has to do with Japanese gangs, and there is a headless motorcycle rider involved. While it may not be exactly what you're looking for, it may open up a new pathway to look toward. – BethanyS10 years ago
It is so fictional it's silly. My husband is in a motorcycle club. When I see these far from realistic displays of MC's I can't sit through it. – LaurenCarr10 years ago
Like movie remakes… but in books? From my understanding, in a way, there is–Stephen King's publisher has issued long-form versions of books originally released with substantial edits. I was still reading King when some of these came out, and the two unedited versions I read, both of books I knew well in their original published form, were badly bloated, having benefited greatly from the edits which shortened length and deleted scenes and subplots which did not contribute to the whole.
It's unlikely to happen often, though. Most authors' edited work is pretty close to the original they turned in. The author (or his/her heirs) own the rights to their books for 70 years after death, so it's not like another author can write a brilliant update without violating copyright.
I know of one instance that may be worth researching. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. While the series was not remade per say, Brandon Sanderson was (possibly still is in a way) responsible for completing the series. The series is large, spanning fourteen books, but Sanderson comes into the writing scene about halfway through book twelve, and the different writing style shows, which may be something to look into when considering a piece like this. Again, the Wheel of Time series was not necessarily remade, though in my opinion, the difference in writing style could make a book or a book series remade in some way.
– BethanyS10 years ago
Does Shakespeare fall under this category? Before Shakespeare's version, Hamlet had been retold by several people. Along with Hamlet, his plays Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and The Winter's Tale (to name a few) were borrowed from several sources. One could compare the earliest version of Romeo and Juliet with the one Shakespeare wrote and comment of the changes made and how that affects the story as whole. – Amanda Dominguez-Chio10 years ago
I think examining Shakespeare would be a good place to start. Many people might think he came up with completely original content, but many elements of the plays, if not most of the plots, were taken from other stories. Also, Tolkien's Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion might be worth thinking about. It contains idea and content that gives alternate details about Middle Earth and its major figures. Tolkien never finished The Silmarillion, and both books were published by his son Christopher Tolkien after his passing. While these books might not be considered remakes, readers can speculate what Middle Earth would have looked like if Tolkien had reconciled the materials found in these books. – S.A. Takacs10 years ago
There are cases where something like a "directors-cut" version, or other versions of a book is released, would those count? – DancingHelix10 years ago
Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex" has only recently received an unabridged English translation, and Sylvia Plath's journals have recently been published, unabridged, for the first time. – Kristian Wilson10 years ago
Book adaptation has been going on since the Medieval period. Any author who writes a book about King Arthur participates in such an act. Anyone who adapts literature from the Ancient and Medieval period does this, whether it be book, film, or any other media. The question really is can one write a book adaptation of a book written in the last century? Most books based on older classic books usually go unheard of from what I see. – Travis Kane10 years ago
