Should some classics be re-written?

[Ashna Tibrewal]

No, I think rewriting classics won't have the original vibe. It will lose its lustre and charm.

[Katherine Powell-Polkey]

I think it's equally important to get young people interested in classics but also to preserve the original as much as possible. A good balance would be those books that have both the original along with a modern "translation" side by side, so readers can enjoy the best of both worlds.

I agree. I love the No Fear Shakespeare series. They got me through English Lit. class!

[Philosopher2022]

If a classic is rewritten then it is no longer classic the initial originality may be lost. I am not okay with the idea of re-writing a classic.

[Aditii Mehta]

No, I don't think classics should be re-written as the originality would be lost.

[Carlos Mata Saenz]

I think classics should stay as they are written, as well as any other book. Problem with rewriting them to adapt the language is that, once you have done that, what stops you from rewriting it to update the plot? Or something that isn’t correct any more?

[Tamara Bengesai]

I do not think Classics should be rewritten. They are tied to a specific era or time and everything matches that era. Maybe they should have a refence to explain the things that have since changed.

[Temo Mpodi]

It would be nice to have them re-written to fully understand all parts, because in all their linguistic part, sometimes it’s hard to understand some parts of the book. But, a classic will always remain a classic.

[jareauluv]

in my opinion, they don't need to be re-written because they are classics that still are in our time, and we can learn from them even if most of the words are unfamiliar, we can still learn new words for our vocabulary and expand our mind.

[Abraham Ozo]

I think a book like Chinua Achebe's Things fall apart should be re-written. Not because it was bad but because it contains so many rich heritage that youths of this age can benefit from.

[Cheshta Sharma]

I don't necessarily think classic books should be rewritten. Only because as the words classic suggest it's true to its time period. However, I do enjoy reading adaptations and retellings as long as it states that it is a retelling or adaptation so credit is given to the classic.

[roddma]

Rewriting the classics makes no sense to me. I think the ones who call for this aren't considering the era. For example, Mark Twain's works have caused controversy, but omitting the language doesn't help. A lot of noteworthy people then would be controversial by today's standards. You can't hold them to today's standards.

[G Duda]

I'm saying this both as someone whose first language growing up wasn't English, and as someone with a cognitive disability: we shouldn't be re-writing classics, period. What we should do, instead, is have more extensive Commentary sections in books with more difficult language. By simplifying certain works, you are taking away from the actual message the book is trying to communicate. Most good authors, especially those whose works have become classics, use words in a very particular way, and 'dumbing' their works down, so to speak, goes against their original intentions. I am all for aids and accommodations to be more available for people who want to read difficult books but might struggle with the language. I am absolutely against re-writing any work, of any author, aside from translations. Really, if I ever died and my work ended up being re-written with 'simpler' language, I'd come back from the dead to haunt whoever did that. It doesn't help anyone, it goes against the author's wishes, and really? I just think it's downright disrespectful, both to the author who spent months and years of their life on their work, and to the people who want to read difficult books, that they inherently need 'simple' language to understand what the book is about.

[Onyinyechi Obi]

No, I don't believe that. However, may I suggest that rather than rewriting classics, it may serve as the basis for a novel about it?

[Onyinyechi Obi]

Because they defined an era and, like a select few books, captured the historical context of their writing, "classic" novels came to be defined in this way.

[ndndndn]

I believe so. Classics paved the way for modern writers, so there's no reason why modern writers shouldn't put their own twists on them. I personally love (and am searching for more of) lovely classics that have been turned into a gory mess. The creativity of authors that do this is amazing to me. I also believe that simplifying the language of classics is very important. Younger people who have not yet discovered the joys of older works could be swayed if they were easier to digest!

I'll always prefer the originals, though. Macbeth and what we have of Beowulf are favorites of mine.