Classics Retold: Intro & Sign-Up Post!

ClassicsRetold

Welcome to the intro for the CLASSICS RETOLD project! Alison from The Cheap Reader had a great idea with Project Fairy Tale where we each selected a fairy tale and read various retellings. Since more and more classics are now being redone as well, she also came up with the idea for CLASSICS RETOLD! All-in-all, there are five different blogs co-hosting this event, each with a different era or focus:

Here’s a breakdown from Alison on how we’d like this project to go — Please pay attention to these rules if you’re interested in participating!

  • Timing: September 2013 will be our month to post everything so you have plenty of time to work on reading & blog posts! Sign ups will run from April 11th – May 25th.
  • How You Participate:
    1. You will choose a classic you’d like to read.
    2. You read your classic and read or watch as many retellings, spin-offs, sequels or adaptations of the classic as you can (please read at least one retelling in book form and then feel free to watch as many movie/TV adaptations!)
    3. You will post reviews or your thoughts on your blog for each one during September.
    4. 1-4 bloggers can work on a specific classic. You can work independently or work together. You’re allowed to all read/watch the same things or split the work up. (I will be listing some suggestions below for people to sign up — If you don’t see one you want to read, please don’t hesitate to ask!!!) 
    5. Post an “intro post” – It doesn’t have to be detailed, but this will help us spread the word to other bloggers and it can help you get your thoughts organized about the direction you want to take for your classic & retellings
    6. To participate in this project, you only need to sign up for one classic (and its adaptions). If you’re interested in reading a different classic, check and see if there are sign-ups open for that genre/era and sign up at that host’s page! If all of the spots are filled, feel free to contact the bloggers in charge of those posts and you may be able to do a “guest post” for their topic.
    7. Optional: Do other posts about your classic: character analysis, where else to find the characters, the book’s influence on culture, memes, etc. It can be literally anything involving your classic.
  • For a classic to be useable for this project, it should have at least 2 adaptations, spin-offs, sequels, or retellings. (If you’re having a hard time finding adaptations or retellings, please ask! We’ve come up with a whole giant list!)
  • YA/MG focus is not mandatory but all of the adaptations I’ve listed below are YA & MG.

The event itself and all the posts will not go live until SEPTEMBER 2013 so if you’re already intimidated, never fear! You’ll have plenty of time to read your original classic and the retellings.

GIVEAWAY: As a special bonus, I will be hosting a giveaway for the mythology participants! Each post (not including the intro post) will get you one entry into the giveaway for a retelling of your choice! This retelling does NOT have to be mythology but you do have to be a mythology participant (since I will be the host for this particular giveaway). There are oodles and oodles of retellings out there so there are plenty of awesome books to choose from. If you need help, you can always check out what other people are reading for CLASSICS RETOLD as well!
The fine print: 1) This giveaway will be international with the catch that The Book Depository ships to your location. 2) TBD must carry your choice so I can ship it! 3) Your choice must be a retelling. 4) Only your entries for the mythology part of Classics Retold will be your entries for the giveaway since I am the blog hosting it. When the time comes to start posting, there will be a linky for you to link up all your goodies! Get it? Got it? Good!

Hope that sounds like fun!! I know I’m excited to read some mythology as well as various retellings of the tales.
If you want to sign up, please take a look at the open slots below — This is just so we don’t have every single person doing the same classic/retelling. We’ll take four people max for one myth and you can work with the other bloggers who have chosen this myth should you wish! Here are the main myths are retellings that are out there that have some notable retellings:

SELECTED (but you can still sign up for these as well!)

PERSEPHONE: Adaptations include the Everneath series by Brodi Ashton, the Abandon series by Meg Cabot, the Goddess Test trilogy by Aimee Carter, Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman

VARIOUS GODS/TITANS: Adaptations include the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan, The Oh. My. Gods. series by Tera Lynn Childs, Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

THE ILIAD: Adaptations include Troy High by Shana Norris, Starcrossed by Josephine Angellini

SIRENS: Adaptations include Siren by Trisha Rayburn, Undercurrent by Trisha Rayburn, Sirenz by Charlotte Bernardo

THE AENEID: Adaptations TBD!

EGYPTIAN MYTHS: Adaptations include The Chaos of the Stars by Kiersten White, The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan — Also, Tara from Fiction Folio recently had a great post about her favorite books about Egypt!

NORSE MYTHS: Adaptations include Loki’s Wolves by KL Armstrong & MA Marr, Starling by Lesley Livingston, Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

MEDUSA: Adaptations include Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton, Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs, Dread Locks by Neil Shusterman

THE ODYSSEY: Adaptations include The Odyssey (Hinds), Ithaka (Geras), King of Ithaka (Barrett), Stickman Odyssey (Ford), Ulysses (Joyce), Summer of the Mariposas (Mccall), The Odyssey (Cross)

NOT YET CHOSEN

THE FURIES: Adaptations include Furious by Jill Wolfson, The Fury Trilogy by Elizabeth Miles, Vengeance Bound by Justine Ireland

POSEIDON: Adaptations include Of Poseidon and Of Triton by Anna Banks

CUPID & PSYCHE: Adaptations include Cupid: A Tale of Love and Desire (Lester), Till We Have Faces (Lewis), Destined (Harrell)

JASON & THE GOLDEN FLEECE: Adaptations include Nobody’s Prize (Friesner)

ORPHEUS & EURIDICE: Adaptations include Everneath/Everbound by Brodi Ashton, All Our Pretty Songs (McCarry)

PANDORA: Adaptations include Doomed (Deebs)

THE MINOTAUR: Adaptations include Lost in the Labyrinth (Kindl), Dark of the Moon (Barrett), Everbound (Ashton)

OTHER???

These are just a few to get us started! Alison from The Cheap Reader also recently had a post about mythological fiction for YA/MG. Remember, you only have to read the original myth you sign up for (the full book if there is one — If not, the part of the anthology or some other credible source of the actual myth) and the retellings (preferably at least two. At least one book and you can watch movies for retellings too, but pretty please read the book).

Please sign up in the Google doc below to let me know which myth you would like to choose for the CLASSICS RETOLD project! As people sign up, I will update this blog post so you can see what has already been selected. Remember, up for four people can work on the same myth so if you see a person’s name there, it’s not too late until it’s followed by three others 🙂

Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

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7 thoughts on “Classics Retold: Intro & Sign-Up Post!

  1. Amanda @ Late Nights with Good Books

    Hi, I realized that The Aeneid is actually classified under Books Take You Places’ Ancient to Renaissance Lit Classics page. I contacted her as well, as I’m not sure where to classify myself now. If you could let me know, that would be great! Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Brittany Post author

      Thanks so much for signing up! I’ll talk to Alyssa @ Books Take You Places and see how she wants to work it out. Let’s keep you with me for now and I’ll let you know if anything changes. Thanks!!!

      Reply

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