Analyze why certain things are redone over and over again. For example, why is Romeo and Juliet so popular that it is re-released in different formats? These include: movies, books, parodies, revamped novels/movies/games, etc. Why are fairy tales re-written every couple of years? Why are certain movies redone and re-released every few years? It can't just be popularity, is there a trend in the stories?
it would be interesting look at the idea of timelessness in these works. Why are they timeless and why do we still relate to them? Do they display some kind of 'universal' values or ideas about the human being? – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun9 years ago
One of the bigger reasons why things like Romeo & Juliet, A Christmas Carol, and even the story of Jesus are so often retold, is likely because they are out of copyright. They have no lock outs, no licenses, and there are no exclusive holdings to their content. They can be retold by anyone anytime and in any way, forever. I'm not entirely sure on the status of Peter Pan, but I think that's out of copyright as well. Or at least the Children's Hospital that was given the rights to it have almost no selection process and openly allow people to adapt it however they will it seems. Sherlock Holmes still has some legal gray areas and red tape, but only so far as to whether or not aspects of the character and his adventures are only found in the last few books, and whether or not those last few books are still under copyright to the family and firm who hold them. But, in about 30 years, those rights will dissolve as well, and anybody at any time, will be able to adapt Sherlock Holmes. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
I think this could be a really exciting topic to write about. I think we as a culture have a fascination with stories that we really identify with. I think you could even go so far as generalizing all the recent action-hero/super-hero movies as remakes of each other. While they are on the surface all different stories, they all basically have the same underpinnings. I hero from abnormal circumstances or someone who maybe is a bad person at first, development of heroic abilities, super villain comes along, must fight villain for world safety or to save certain people. And this goes not just for action movies but for the other topics you mentioned, such as fairytales and books. I think its important to note that for some reason, there is something about these stories that still identify with our current cultural values where we as a society values these narratives being told over and over. – SamHersh9 years ago
Want to write about Literature or other art forms?