Retellings: New Perspectives on Established Books and Characters

By: Mandy Rulez

Fanfiction has been taken to a whole new level. These authors were so inspired by existing works of fiction that they expounded upon known stories and characters to share a new perspective.

Julia by Sandra Newman, Inspired by 1984 by George Orwell

Julia is a retelling of 1984 through the eyes of the main character’s love interest, Julia Worthing. Expanding on the original dystopian story published in 1949, we see an all new perspective on this “big brother” tale as told by a female main character this time around.

James by Percival Everett, Inspired by Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

James still tells the tale of Huck and Jim travelling down the Mississippi together, but this time we see James’ (aka Jim’s) perspective. Everett humanizes our Black main character over 100 years after Huckleberry Finn’s publication by writing outside of the harmful stereotypes “Jim” was initially written in.

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow, inspired by Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Other Bennet Sister brings life to the forgotten middle sister in Pride & Prejudice. Mary Bennet is given the chance to tell her story and find as much adventure and joy as her sisters have found.

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi, inspired by Snow White by The Brothers Grimm

Helen Oyeyemi sheds a new perspective on a long beloved character, Snow White. In Boy, Snow, Bird, we meet Snow in 1950’s Massachusetts when our main character, Boy, moves to town. Oyeyemi tackles race relations and the expectations put on the shoulders of white women compared to the expectations for Black women in this era.

These retellings, along with many others, give us the chance to dive back into worlds we know all too well. Now the only question is, what well-known characters would you give a stronger voice to the second time around?