Thanks for the help, everyone. :) It turns out I am taking next semester off-- I'll drive myself through French, since it's an all-or-nothing tuition matter at my university.
Also, I am determined to write frequently in here, as I think it does me good. Consquently, I shall bore you all stupid with my pretensious attempts at book reviewing. (Seriously, I've always wanted to muse about books-- Ms. Chels, we must get our book club on the road)
At any rate, I recently picked up Silver Birch, Blood Moon, a collection of fairy tales. To put it mildly, I feel about fairy tales the way other people feel about Manolo stilettos (I imagine I might adore the shoes if I shared Cinderella's shoe size, but I do not). I read the book eagerly, and consumed a few stories more than once, but all in all, it's a B grade edition of the retold tale genre. There are a few stories in there that I really enjoyed-- but all in all, I'd recommed a different anthology if you're looking to buy.
"Kiss Kiss" by Tanith Lee has been criticized for weighing down the story with domestic violence issues that leaned towards the melodrama. Quite frankly, the reviewers are right, although there is a resonating tone within the story that makes me curious about how it was written. A retelling of "The Frog Prince," "Kiss Kiss" portrays the princess as a typically subjected daughter of a poorer estate and her friendship with the strangely empathetic frog that she later marries following his transformation. The story explored the loss of romantic innocence within adolescence, and that part of the story was sad and gently haunting. The rest was about how horrible men are, and that grew tiresome very, very quickly.
I'm getting very tired of the unsympathetic portrait of men in these retellings. If these writers would but notice that the very best (Robin McKinley's Beauty and Rose Garden, A.S. Byatt's Possession, and even Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, just to pull a few of my favorites) retellings have strong, sympathetic male leads. Writing about how Men Are All Abusive and Disgusting does not grant your story anything but shallow characterization.
"Clad in Gossamer," a re-telling of "The Emperor's New Clothes," was wickedly clever. Nancy Cress has a cutting gift of characterization, and she refuses to let any character, even the little page, slip out of the story without being developed. "Arabian Phoenix," which modernizes 1001 Nights is a clever little gem lodged in the back-- it doesn't stay with you, but the story is a worth a smile. The end is a teensy bit trite, but the story does turn convention sideways. "Ivory Bones," was a brutal retelling of "Thumbelina." There has always been something a bit off with that tale, and "Ivory Bones" expounds upon that faint haunting edge that I always read in the original story. "Marsh Magic" by Robin McKinley was fairly decent, but the story seems to be missing something in the core. I could just be critical because I expect so much from McKinley, but the story seemed to meander on without ever
getting to know the main character. There is a poem by Neil Gaiman in here, and it's a great piece about a father reading "Goldilocks" to his daughter. "The Wild Heart" is a great variation on "Sleeping Beauty," and one that manages to have a feminist theme without deeming all men horrible creatures.
Notice any themes?
Also, I am determined to write frequently in here, as I think it does me good. Consquently, I shall bore you all stupid with my pretensious attempts at book reviewing. (Seriously, I've always wanted to muse about books-- Ms. Chels, we must get our book club on the road)
At any rate, I recently picked up Silver Birch, Blood Moon, a collection of fairy tales. To put it mildly, I feel about fairy tales the way other people feel about Manolo stilettos (I imagine I might adore the shoes if I shared Cinderella's shoe size, but I do not). I read the book eagerly, and consumed a few stories more than once, but all in all, it's a B grade edition of the retold tale genre. There are a few stories in there that I really enjoyed-- but all in all, I'd recommed a different anthology if you're looking to buy.
"Kiss Kiss" by Tanith Lee has been criticized for weighing down the story with domestic violence issues that leaned towards the melodrama. Quite frankly, the reviewers are right, although there is a resonating tone within the story that makes me curious about how it was written. A retelling of "The Frog Prince," "Kiss Kiss" portrays the princess as a typically subjected daughter of a poorer estate and her friendship with the strangely empathetic frog that she later marries following his transformation. The story explored the loss of romantic innocence within adolescence, and that part of the story was sad and gently haunting. The rest was about how horrible men are, and that grew tiresome very, very quickly.
I'm getting very tired of the unsympathetic portrait of men in these retellings. If these writers would but notice that the very best (Robin McKinley's Beauty and Rose Garden, A.S. Byatt's Possession, and even Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, just to pull a few of my favorites) retellings have strong, sympathetic male leads. Writing about how Men Are All Abusive and Disgusting does not grant your story anything but shallow characterization.
"Clad in Gossamer," a re-telling of "The Emperor's New Clothes," was wickedly clever. Nancy Cress has a cutting gift of characterization, and she refuses to let any character, even the little page, slip out of the story without being developed. "Arabian Phoenix," which modernizes 1001 Nights is a clever little gem lodged in the back-- it doesn't stay with you, but the story is a worth a smile. The end is a teensy bit trite, but the story does turn convention sideways. "Ivory Bones," was a brutal retelling of "Thumbelina." There has always been something a bit off with that tale, and "Ivory Bones" expounds upon that faint haunting edge that I always read in the original story. "Marsh Magic" by Robin McKinley was fairly decent, but the story seems to be missing something in the core. I could just be critical because I expect so much from McKinley, but the story seemed to meander on without ever
getting to know the main character. There is a poem by Neil Gaiman in here, and it's a great piece about a father reading "Goldilocks" to his daughter. "The Wild Heart" is a great variation on "Sleeping Beauty," and one that manages to have a feminist theme without deeming all men horrible creatures.
Notice any themes?