AnnieEM

A writer interested mostly in video games and fantasy novels.

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    Modernizing Old Stories

    In the new Death on the Nile (adapted from Agatha Christie’s book), they made a number of changes to ensure the work was better appreciated by a modern audience. This included changing certain motives and secrets for characters (having a former kleptomaniac instead have a secret lover, for example) and adding a romantic subplot for the main character.
    Regardless of whether one thinks these changes work or not, I wanted to open up a discussion on why we feel the need to modernize old stories (even bringing some into the modern day rather than keeping them set in the past), and if these efforts help our understanding of these stories.
    After all, movies tend to be made for a wide audience. There is a risk that many viewers won’t understand what certain decisions or plot elements imply, because they don’t have a knowledge of the time period it was originally created in. Changes are made to ‘translate’ the work for modern audiences. But on the other hand, it can easily go too far and attempts to modernize can remove beloved parts of the original work.

    • This could be an interesting larger discussion, for instance the modernisation of Shakespeare's works. – Sarai Mannolini-Winwood 2 months ago
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    • I think that one reason why certain stories lend themselves to modernization is that at the time they were written they would have seemed "modern" to begin with. A lot of the technologies and cultural references used by Agatha Christie would have been considered modern, even cutting-edge, at the time her books were written, and it's only nowadays that they seem old-fashioned or "period." This was also the reason why the BBC decided to set its "Sherlock" series in modern times. Sherlock Holmes would have been considered a "modern" detective at the time the novels were originally written, and so, paradoxically, the best way to honor its original vision is to tell a version of the story set in modern times. – Debs 2 months ago
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    • Updating language is always a good reason to 'modernize' a story. Without the ability to actually understand Shakespeare, for example, people might be mislead into thinking it's high-brow classical storytelling instead of a collection of dick jokes stuffed into a thriller jacket. – kgy121 2 months ago
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    • Nice topic, but it feels a little broad. Try narrowing it down. For instance, you could do a whole article on the language issue alone. – Stephanie M. 1 month ago
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    • It may be of great importance to end the article by drawing a line between the elements that are essential to protect an art piece's identity and the elements that can be changed in response to time, place, and culture without altering its identity. – Samer Darwich 1 month ago
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    Latest Comments

    Jun 4
    AnnieEM

    I watched the ’93 Addams family movie as a kid, and I quite enjoyed her in that – I found her over-the-top dark humor appealing. I hadn’t realized that she’d started out so young in her original appearance, and in some ways I think I prefer the slightly older version.
    As a teen, however, I’m not so sure.

    		 The Appeal of Wednesday Addams
    May 9
    AnnieEM

    Many of the films, studies, and art pieces you mention in this article sounds fascinating. The Clock in particular sounds like good fun; I half feel surprised that every second on a clock is represented in film, even though it makes sense given how many movies have been made.

    		 A Cinematic Journey Through Time
    May 9
    AnnieEM

    I really enjoyed this article. As you said, I don’t personally find many of the games on this list unforgettable classics. I’ve never played many of them, and there are plenty of indie games that I would term ‘unforgettable’.
    Another thing that can make games unforgettable, I find, is community. There are games that I have a lot of fond memories of because I played them with my closest friends and family. Obviously this fits into your point about nostalgia though.

    		 Why Do Some Games Create an Unforgettable Impression?
    May 9
    AnnieEM

    It was interesting reading this article. I tend to be skeptical of authors becoming social media influencers, and this new way of marketing books, because not every author is able to be a charismatic social media force. I also know that many social media personalities are rather inauthentic, so when I see a booktokker talking about their favorite books it’s hard for me not to wonder…is that really their favorite book? Or what’s trendy currently? Have they been sponsored by a publisher to shower this book with praises?

    Perhaps I’m just cynical. There are definitely loads of people who have had great positive experiences with social media, and plenty of great books that owe their (well-deserved) success to TikTok and other social media platforms.. It was nice to hear about the good side of Booktok.

    		 BookTok Influencers and Their Impact on the Publishing Industry