Ep. 163: Classics & Retellings 101 with Sara Hildreth (@FictionMatters) + Book Recommendations

Sarah's Bookshelves Live

In Episode 163, Sara Hildreth, from @FictionMatters and co-host of the podcast Novel Pairings, returns for her third appearance on our show as our expert for Classics & Retellings 101. Sara guides us through the sometimes intimidating world of timeless reads in an accessible way. She busted some myths about classics and changed my mind about some elements of the classics. And, she has a great approach to find the perfect retelling of your favorite classics for your next read.

This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Highlights

• Sara explores the definitions of a classic and a modern classic book.
• We talk about separating the American literature canon from the idea of a classic.
• Sara talks about being free to define classics on personal terms.
• The idea of a book being labeled a “future classic.”
• Now-famous books that went unnoticed initially when they were released.
• Sara’s personal reading motivations.
• Common issues people have when trying to tackle classic books.
• Notable quirks of many classics that were first published as serials.
• Tips and advice for approaching older books.
• Addressing the pressure surrounding reading or revisiting classics.
• Examples of nonfiction classics.
• Legal considerations for all those retellings.
• The rise of retellings as a trend with today’s audience.
• The difference between retellings and fan fiction.
• Sara’s recommendations for accessible classic literature.
• A different approach to finding the right retelling for your reading.

Please note: Sara mistakenly mentions during the discussion that The Great Gatsbydid not come into popularity until its distribution to soldiers during World War I, when this actually occurred during World War II.

Sara’s Book Recommendations [49:02]

Two OLD Books She Loves — Classics

• The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:43]
• Passing by Nella Larson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [53:12]
• Other Books Mentioned
  • The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton [50:58]
  • The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton [50:59]
  • Roman Fever and Other Stories by Edith Wharton [51:03]
  • The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett [55:44]

Two NEW Books She Loves — Retellings

• Anna K by Jenny Lee | Amazon | Bookshop.org [57:35]
• The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vho | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:00:28]
• Other Books Mentioned
  • Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy [59:01]
  • Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar [59:53]
  • Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan [59:58]

One Book She DIDN’T Love — Classic

• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain | Amazon | Bookshop.org[1:03:25]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About — Retelling and Classic Pairing

• The Garden by Claire Beams (April 9, 2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:05:12]
• Other Books Mentioned
  • The Illness Lesson by Claire Beams [1:05:37]
  • Little Women by Louisa May Alcott [1:05:41]
  • The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett [1:06:21]

Last 5-Star Book Sara Read

• James by Percival Everett (March 19, 2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:07:47]

Books Mentioned During the Classics Discussion

• The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe [3:44]
• Beloved by Toni Morrison [10:46]
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver [12:05]
• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens [12:19]
• James by Percival Everett (March 19, 2024) [13:29]
• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain [13:34]
• Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys [13:51]
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë [14:02]
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald [14:45]
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley [15:09]
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn [15:20]
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë [24:27]
• A Model of Christian Charity: A City on a Hill by John Winthrop [26:35]
• A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft [26:47]
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass [26:54]
• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank [26:59]
• A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf [27:02]
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote [27:14]
• The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith [29:13]
• The Time Machine by H. G. Wells [29:20]
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson [29:23]
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier [29:30]
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood [29:36]
• The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor [29:45]
• The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell [30:17]
• The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman [30:20]
• The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson [30:23]
• The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories by Philip K. Dick [30:26]
• Going to Meet the Man: Stories (with Sonny’s Blues) by James Baldwin [30:37]
• Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance (with The Gilded Six-Bits) by Zora Neale Hurston [30:42]
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston [30:54]
• Kindred by Octavia E. Butler [31:00]
• Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler [31:08]

Books Mentioned During the Retellings Discussion

• Julia by Sandra Newman [33:38]
• 1984 by George Orwell [33:40]
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare [34:10]
• Emma by Jane Austen [34:24]
• The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare [34:28]
• The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson [34:45]
• Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith [34:51]
• Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson [35:04]
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie [35:08]
• The Winters by Lisa Gabriele [35:35]
• The Odyssey by Homer [36:38]
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller [37:00]
• Circe by Madeline Miller [37:01]
• Hogarth Shakespeare series by various authors [37:53]
• Canongate Myth Series by various authors [37:57]
• The Austen Project series by various authors [38:00]
• Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld [38:03]
• Naamah by Sarah Blake [38:56]
• Anna K by Jenny Li [40:10]
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy [40:20]
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett [40:41]
• Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor [42:36]
• Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes [44:14]
• Marmee by Sarah Miller [44:17]
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott [44:22]
• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell [44:38]
• Ruth’s Journey: A Novel of Mammy from Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind by Donald McCaig [44:40]
• Pride by Ibi Zoboi [45:19]

Other Links

• The Atlantic | Italo Calvino’s 14 Definitions of What Makes a Classic by Maria Popova (July 7, 2012)
• Novel Pairings | The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton (February 27, 2024)

About Sara Hildreth

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Sara Hildreth is the creator behind FictionMatters, a literary Instagram account, newsletter, and book club focused on putting thought-provoking books into the hands of adventurous readers. She also co-hosts Novel Pairings, a podcast dedicated to making the classics readable, relevant, and fun.