| 1 | ->''"The story you're about to see has been told before. A lot. And now we are going to tell it again. But different."'' |
| 2 | -->-- '''Red Goon Gnome''', ''WesternAnimation/GnomeoAndJuliet'' |
| 3 | |
| 4 | Lots of works are based on earlier works. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | Sometimes a story is not only based on it, but really requires you to know the earlier story to fully appreciate it, or even appreciate it at all. A Sleeping Beauty story where the princess turns out to be a vampire, for instance, is missing something if you don't realize that it's "Literature/SleepingBeauty". |
| 7 | |
| 8 | That is a Twice-Told Tale. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | When the recognition of the original story is crucial, writers can work with only the most iconic stories for this. Usually public domain works for obvious reasons. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | The PerspectiveFlip and ExternalRetcon are subtropes. FracturedFairyTale may be, if it is fracturing a specific FairyTale rather than combining [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover many fairy tales' characters, plots, and tropes]]. Many are parodies or satires, but it is not required. A twice told tale may or may not involve {{Grimmification}}, but rarely {{Disneyfication}}, since it requires knowledge of the original tale. {{Demythification}} may involve a twice-told tale if a [[HistoricalInJoke mostly historical]] account is revealed to be the source of the legend. Related to AdaptationalProtagonist. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | This generally includes {{Fanfic}}s. Fanfic writers like to say that those other works on the example are critically acclaimed fanfics, too. Some fanfic authors recommend trying to avert this, actually, and make the story as clear as possible to the uninitiated. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | FusionFic is a type of fanfic that Twice-Told Tale is a critical element of, since recreating an existing story with the characters of another story is intrinsic to the concept. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The trope's name comes from Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/KingJohn'': |
| 19 | ->''Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale\ |
| 20 | Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.'' |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Compare and contrast WholePlotReference. Compare HistoricalFiction which might expect knowledge about real events going into it. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | ---- |
| 25 | !!Examples |
| 26 | |
| 27 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 28 | |
| 29 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 30 | * ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' requires familiarity with dozens of fairy tales (and some classical music knowledge doesn't hurt, either). |
| 31 | * ''Anime/{{Monster}}'' is, among other things, a very elaborate retelling of Literature/{{Revelation}} 13. |
| 32 | ** From the same author, ''Manga/{{Pluto}}'' is a reimagining of an ''Anime/AstroBoy'' arc. |
| 33 | * ''Shin Shirayuki Densetsu Manga/{{Pretear}}'' is Literature/SnowWhite as a MagicalGirlWarrior. |
| 34 | * No prizes for guessing which fairy tale is the basis for ''Anime/ThumbelinaAMagicalStory''. It's about a bratty girl named Maya who gets [[TrappedInAnotherWorld trapped within her mother's dream]] after reading the "Thumbelina" storybook the friendly neighborhood witch had loaned her as part of a gambit to get Maya to become a better person. The friendly swallow and the frogs who try to force her to marry their son are familiar enough. The nightmare-controlling evil sorceress who wants to keep Maya trapped inside the dream world forever [[spoiler: and who turns out to be helping give Maya her SecretTestOfCharacter]] though, not so much. |
| 35 | * The movie ''Anime/JackAndTheBeanstalk1974'' ("Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk") does have the basic plot of the original...and it also throws in Jack's dog as a faithful sidekick, a bunch of mice which happen to be transformed royalty, a hypnotized princess, a cloud kingdom at the top of the beanstalk, and the giant's mother is an evil witch who plans to marry her giant-son to the hypnotized princess, turn them into mice, and rule the cloud kingdom herself. |
| 36 | * ''Anime/SamuraiSeven'' is a retelling of ''Film/SevenSamurai'' (made with permission of the Creator/AkiraKurosawa estate) with mecha. |
| 37 | * ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' makes a LOT more sense when the reader has a pretty good knowledge of ''Literature/AliceInWonderland''. |
| 38 | * Just about all ''Manga/LudwigRevolution'' stories are BloodierAndGorier, DarkerAndEdgier and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking much funnier]] versions of popular fairytales given a twist ending. |
| 39 | * ''Manga/DragonBall'' is based loosely off ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest''. The similarities are [[DerivativeDifferentiation lost]] throughout ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', ''Anime/DragonBallGT'', and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', however. |
| 40 | * ''Anime/Ulysses31'' is a retelling of ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' in space. |
| 41 | [[/folder]] |
| 42 | |
| 43 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 44 | * The graphic novel ''BB Wolf and the Three [=LPs=]'' tells a perspective-flipped version of "The Three Little Pigs" set in a talking-animal version of TheRoaring20s where pigs are the privileged race making a fat living while wolves are downtrodden victims of racism. BB Wolf is a farmer and blues musician who goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against three pig brothers responsible for the loss of his farm and the deaths of his family. |
| 45 | * ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' for many famous fairy tales, folk tales, and myths. |
| 46 | * ''ComicBook/GargoylesClanBuilding'': The first two issues are a retelling of "[[Recap/GargoylesTheGoliathChroniclesTheJourney The Journey]]", the only episode of [[WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}} the show]]'s third season, ''The Goliath Chronicles'', that Creator/GregWeisman wrote. |
| 47 | * ''ComicBook/StarWarsTagAndBink'': The titular duo are basically the Theatre/{{Rosencrantz and Guildenstern|AreDead}} of ''Franchise/StarWars'', bumbling their way from Jedi Academy to the Death Star to the Death Star ''again'' as they accidentally [[BeenThereShapedHistory cause some of the most significant moments in the series]]. Sadly, it's not canonical. |
| 48 | [[/folder]] |
| 49 | |
| 50 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 51 | * ''ComicStrip/{{Mutts}}'': One strip features Earl and Mooch together in the title role of "Literature/{{Goldilocks}}"'s main character. |
| 52 | [[/folder]] |
| 53 | |
| 54 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 55 | * ''Fanfic/ABrightFlash'''s big twist is that [[spoiler:it is a retelling of ''Film/Godzilla1954'' from the titular monster's POV]]. |
| 56 | * ''Fanfic/FarceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' is a retelling of ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' that doesn't change a single concrete event in the book, only the interpretation and the [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation characters' motivations]]. Liu Bei is a cowardly, incompetent, emotionally unstable con man, and Cao Cao is the DesignatedVillain, but he's actually a WellIntentionedExtremist in whose hands the country is (usually) far better off. It's all PlayedForLaughs. |
| 57 | * Many of the details in ''[[https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/My_Perfect_World,_Shattered My Perfect World, Shattered]]'' will not make sense unless you've played [[spoiler:''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'']], for which it serves as a PerspectiveFlip of. |
| 58 | * ''Literature/TheWindDoneGone'': The book portrays Scarlett as a spoiled, self-centered brat by retelling her story through the eyes of a newly invented character: a slave who is her illegitimate half-sister. Though it should be noted that the original book also went to lengths to portray Scarlett as a spoiled, self-centered brat, and part of the point of her character arc is by the time she shapes up no one is willing to listen. |
| 59 | [[/folder]] |
| 60 | |
| 61 | [[folder:Films -- Animated]] |
| 62 | * ''WesternAnimation/GnomeoAndJuliet'' is a retelling of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''. |
| 63 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Hoodwinked}}'' offers a RashomonStyle reinterpretation of the Little Red Riding Hood story, where a number of the jokes would rather bypass anyone who didn't know the original. |
| 64 | * ''WesternAnimation/RolfKaukasOnceUponATime'' is a retelling of "Literature/MotherHolle". |
| 65 | [[/folder]] |
| 66 | |
| 67 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 68 | * ''Film/EverAfter'' is a retelling of "Literature/{{Cinderella}}" minus the magic in [[RecycledInSpace Renaissance France]]. |
| 69 | * ''Film/EllaCinders'' is a looser retelling of "Literature/{{Cinderella}}" set in the modern day, with Ella and her wicked stepmother and mean stepsisters--but Prince Charming is the local ice man, and the fancy ball is in fact a beauty contest to win a Hollywood movie contract. |
| 70 | * ''Film/{{Troy}}'' is a secular version of ''Literature/TheIliad''. |
| 71 | * ''Film/TheThirteenthWarrior'', like [[Literature/EatersOfTheDead the novel it is based upon]], combines Ahmad ibn Fadlan's travelogue amongst the Vikings with a reworking of ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'' in which all the monsters are replaced [[spoiler:by a tribe of Neanderthals]]. |
| 72 | * ''Film/StrangeBrew'' is a retelling of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''. |
| 73 | * ''Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou'' on ''Literature/{{Ulysses}}''/''Literature/TheOdyssey''. Very loosely and, when it was first written, apparently unintentionally. |
| 74 | * ''Film/TheManWhoWasntThere2001'' comes across as a retelling of Creator/AlbertCamus' ''[[Literature/TheStranger L'Étranger]]''. |
| 75 | * ''Film/TheBigGayMusical'' offers a complete reinterpretation of The Bible, in which it was written by Eve out of spite because God replaced her and Adam in Eden with two gay men. |
| 76 | * ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence'' is a futuristic version of Pinocchio, complete with Blue Fairy. |
| 77 | * Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'' is much less coherent if you don't have a passing familiarity with the books. |
| 78 | * ''Film/{{Magical Legend of the Leprechauns}}'' is a retelling of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''. |
| 79 | * ''Film/BlueJasmine'' is inspired by ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'', with Jasmine standing in for Blanche, Ginger for Stella, Chili for Stanley, and Dwight for Mitch. While not exact enough to be a direct setting update, the general course of the plot and themes match. |
| 80 | * ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' is a version of ''Sleeping Beauty'' seen through the eyes of the evil fairy, and purports to be a PerspectiveFlip of [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty the Disney animated movie]], but there are enough differences to declare it an outright AlternateContinuity. |
| 81 | * ''Film/{{Ophelia}}'' is a retelling of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' from [[PerspectiveFlip Ophelia's perspective]], although it also makes a [[AdaptationDeviation number of changes]] to the plot and it generally makes more sense if the viewer is already familiar with the play's story; the [[HowWeGotHere opening scene]] actually features Ophelia's infamous drowning while she narrates that this story has been told many times and she wants to tell it from her own viewpoint. |
| 82 | * ''Film/WarmBodies'' is a loose retelling of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', with half of the characters replaced by zombies and a considerably lower deathcount. |
| 83 | * Creator/RodSerling's ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}'' episode "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?," Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/TheThing1982'', and Creator/QuentinTarantino's ''Film/TheHatefulEight'' all feature a [[MinimalistCast small group of people]] SnowedIn at a [[ClosedCircle single location]] dealing with the fact that [[AWolfInSheepsClothing someone is not what they appear]]. [[spoiler:[[EverybodyDiesEnding Almost everyone dies]] in all three stories, and the first two both feature aliens as the infiltrators.]] |
| 84 | * ''Film/LittleOtik'' is an adaptation of "[[Literature/LittleOtik the eponymous fairy tale]]". |
| 85 | [[/folder]] |
| 86 | |
| 87 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 88 | * Creator/RobinMcKinley has written several retellings of classic fairytales -- most notably two different versions of "Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast", ''Literature/{{Beauty|ARetellingOfBeautyAndTheBeast}}'' and ''Literature/RoseDaughter''. Her retellings also include ''Literature/{{Deerskin}}'' (a version of "Donkeyskin"), ''Literature/TheOutlawsOfSherwood'', ''[[Literature/SleepingBeauty Spindle's End]]'', and ''The Door in the Hedge,'' a collection of short stories including "The Golden Hind", "Literature/TheFrogPrince", and "Literature/TheTwelveDancingPrincesses". |
| 89 | * ''Literature/{{Ulysses}}'' on the ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' |
| 90 | * Creator/TanithLee's "Red As Blood" on "Literature/SnowWhite". |
| 91 | ** And every other chapter as well, on a different story, to include ''Cinderella'' and ''Beauty and the Beast''. (The book is subtitled "Tales from the Sisters Grimmer.") |
| 92 | * Creator/GregoryMaguire loves this trope: |
| 93 | ** ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'' and the rest of ''Literature/TheWickedYears'', on ''Literature/LandOfOz''. |
| 94 | ** ''Literature/ConfessionsOfAnUglyStepsister'' retells "Literature/{{Cinderella}}", shifting the focus to one of the stepsisters. |
| 95 | ** ''Literature/MirrorMirror2003'' recasts "Literature/SnowWhite" in the Renaissance, with Lucrecia Borgia as the Wicked Queen. |
| 96 | * ''Literature/{{Lavinia}}'' on ''Literature/TheAeneid''. |
| 97 | * ''Literature/ACurseDarkAsGold'' by Elizabeth Bunce, based off "Literature/{{Rumpelstiltskin}}". |
| 98 | * ''Literature/{{Ophelia}}'' by Lisa Klein, based on ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''. |
| 99 | * Anne Rice wrote a bondage-themed version of "Literature/SleepingBeauty". |
| 100 | * The TwistEnding of Creator/NeilGaiman's "Literature/AStudyInEmerald" can be difficult to decipher if you're not rather familiar with the ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' canon. |
| 101 | * Neil Gaiman's short story "Literature/SnowGlassApples" is a retelling of "Literature/SnowWhite" from the perspective of the queen; Snow-White herself is some kind of vampiric monstrosity, and the queen is a benevolent ruler who's only doing what's best for the kingdom. It would be an effective horror story without the original, but would still most likely lose a lot of its punch, due to the way it sets up the original story as a piece of propaganda invented by evil usurpers. |
| 102 | * Terri Windling's ''Fairy Tale Series'' challenged modern authors to re-write fairy tales from a new perspective. Jane Yolen's ''Briar Rose'' entwines the Sleeping Beauty story with the Holocaust. Windling's also edited, often with Ellen Datlow, several short story collections of fairy tale rewrites. |
| 103 | * ''Fantastic Alice'' is a collection of short stories based on ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'', most of which would be pointless if you don't know the references. |
| 104 | * ''Literature/WideSargassoSea'', on ''Literature/JaneEyre''. |
| 105 | * Andrzej Sapkowski, a Polish fantasy writer, wrote a short story about ''Literature/AliceInWonderland,'' but from the perspective of... the Cheshire Cat. And Creator/LewisCarroll. The story was called "Golden Afternoon". |
| 106 | * Frank Beddor's ''Literature/TheLookingGlassWars'' series is another one based on ''Alice in Wonderland,'' which not only draws a lot from the books themselves, but also from the real people behind them (Alice Liddell is "revealed" to have actually been Princess Alyss of Wonderland, exiled to the real world after her aunt Redd staged a coup and slaughtered her family.) |
| 107 | * Several works written by Gail Carson Levine, such as ''Literature/EllaEnchanted'' for "Literature/{{Cinderella}}" and ''Literature/{{Fairest}}'' for "Literature/SnowWhite". |
| 108 | * Creator/OrsonScottCard did this to himself. His book ''Literature/EndersShadow'' followed a rather tertiary character in ''Literature/EndersGame'', as he accidentally becomes just as important as Ender all while keeping it hidden from aforementioned protagonist. Also a bit of a PoorlyDisguisedPilot, since it spawned an entire secondary series detailing the geo-political events on Earth while Ender was in FTL transit beginning his exile. |
| 109 | * Nicholas Meyer's ''Literature/TheCanaryTrainer'' on ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera''. |
| 110 | ** Nicholas Meyer also wrote ''Literature/TheSevenPerCentSolution'', a retelling of ''The Final Problem'', Arthur Conan Doyle's [[SeriesFauxnale first attempt at a last]] Literature/SherlockHolmes story. In Meyer's novel, Moriarty was only a criminal mastermind in Holmes' drugged imaginings. Watson conned Holmes into following Moriarty to Vienna, where he met Sigmund Freud, who helped cure him of his cocaine addiction. Instead of dying at Reichenbach Falls, Holmes chose to take a leave of absence, leaving Watson to write out whatever ending he wanted and have it published in the Strand. |
| 111 | * ''Litearture/TheWitchsBoy'' by Michael Gruber plays off many, many, ''many'' fairy tales, some of which are less known and thus make the book slightly confusing. |
| 112 | * ''Many'' Literature/{{Discworld}} novels. The Lancre Witches books are mostly examples of this story type: ''Literature/WyrdSisters'' riffs on ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', except that the witches are the Macbeth CaptainErsatz's enemies; ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'' is about the witches' quest to stop "Ember" Ella from marrying the prince; and ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'' follows Andrew Lloyd Weber's ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' with some added twists and metacommentary on opera. ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'' takes a much looser approach to ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', and ''Literature/CarpeJugulum'' draws on Film/HammerHorror movies and vampire literature in general. Outside of the Witches, ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'' mirrors ''Literature/LesMiserables,'' notably switching the evil/good dynamic of the book, and ''Literature/{{Eric}}'' plays with the tale of Faust. |
| 113 | * ''Literature/ParadiseLost'' is [[Literature/TheBible the fall of mankind]] told as a classical epic. |
| 114 | * ''Literature/SevenAncientWonders'' and its sequels by Creator/MatthewReilly require the exact same suspension of disbelief as ''Franchise/IndianaJones'', being realistic action adventure for most of the story until the supernatural comes in at the end. In addition, most if not all characters and locations can be matched to those in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', including the Great Pyramid standing in for Mount Doom. |
| 115 | * John Gardner's novel ''Literature/{{Grendel}}'' is a deconstruction of ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'' told from the monster's point of view. In this version, Grendel is a sympathetic antihero who explores a number of philosophical topics through his battle against the Danes. |
| 116 | * Creator/MichaelCrichton's ''Literature/EatersOfTheDead'' is a twofer Twice Told Tale, combining Ahmad ibn Fadlan's travelogue amongst the Vikings with a reworking of ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'', replacing all the monsters with [[spoiler: a tribe of Neanderthals]]. |
| 117 | * You can quite easily read Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/TalesOfTheFiveHundredKingdoms'' books without knowing a thing about, respectively, English folklore, the standard Grimm/Anderson fairy tales, and a touch of Russian folklore; Greek and English mythology; Russian folklore and the Arabian Nights; and Russian folklore and those Grimm/Anderson fairy tales. It does, however make a lot more sense if you have that background information, especially when it comes to one-off background mentions of "Stuff the Tradition likes to make happen". |
| 118 | ** ''Literature/TheBlackSwan'' is more interesting if you know the plot of ''Theatre/SwanLake'' (and since ''Swan Lake'' has no fixed ending, you don't know how this adaptation is going to end). |
| 119 | ** Her ''Literature/ElementalMasters'' novels are loosely based on the plots of known fairy tales, but usually with a twist that distinguishes them from the source material. |
| 120 | * The ''Literature/KnownSpace'' story ''Juggler of Worlds'' loses a lot unless you've read a lot of older Known Space short stories, particularly "The Soft Weapon" and the Beowulf Shaeffer stories. Much of the book is retelling ''parts'' of those stories from the perspective of Sigmund Ausfaller or Nessus the Puppeteer, and trying to read it without knowing those stories is rather hard. On the other hand, ''Destroyer of Worlds'' does a pretty good job of introducing the Pak to anyone that didn't read ''Literature/{{Protector}}'' or the later ''Literature/{{Ringworld}}'' books, making it a lot smoother to read. |
| 121 | * There is a German children's book which reverses the [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm Grimm]] folktale "The Frog King" (a.k.a. "Literature/TheFrogPrince" in English). Instead of a princess losing a ball in the well, the handsome and green king of frogs loses his ball on dry land, and a very ugly human girl retrieves it in exchange for a [[InterspeciesRomance marriage promise]]. He immediately swims away as soon as she gives the ball back, but the girl follows him into his underwater kingdom, and the king's father demands that he honour his promise. He pretends to be leading her to his quarters and drowns her, at which point she transforms into a beautiful frog princess, and explains that she was kidnapped as a tadpole and transformed into a human (but such an ugly one that no human man would marry her). The frog king marries her and they live happily. (There seems to be no frog analogue to True Heinrich, though.) |
| 122 | * Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/GoatSong'' retells the tale of Orpheus as science fiction. Indeed, the narrator, hunting through ancient myths, finds his own story -- and we aren't told what it is, because it's obvious. |
| 123 | * ''Literature/ThePenelopiad'' by Creator/MargaretAtwood is a perspective flip and deconstruction of Literature/TheOdyssey. It's told from the point of view of Penelope, Odysseus's wife, and the twelve maids who were hanged at the end of the poem. |
| 124 | * Creator/JosephaSherman's ''Literature/TheShiningFalcon'' retells "Literature/TheFeatherOfFinistTheFalcon". |
| 125 | * Adele Geras's novels ''Literature/{{Troy}}'' (it has nothing to do with the movie) and ''Literature/{{Ithaka}}'' are a subversion in that she retells ''Literature/TheIliad'' and ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' through the eyes of servants, so they have a more domestic feel, but still cover the major events of both stories. Characters still believe in the gods, who still play a role, but no one except for the readers remembers meeting them after they have an encounter with one of them, except for [[FourthWallObserver one servant girl]] in the first novel. |
| 126 | * Helen Fielding's seminal chick-lit novel ''[[Literature/BridgetJones Bridget Jones' Diary]]'' has shades of this, as the backstory of the title character's two suitors recreates the feud between Darcy and Wickham from ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice''. Also applies to TheFilmOfTheBook. |
| 127 | * Arturo Perez-Reverte's ''Literature/TheClubDumas'', a novel in which fanatical Alexandre Dumas enthusiasts play an important part, intertwines elements of numerous Dumas novels, making its intended audience the kind of Dumas geek that is depicted in the book. |
| 128 | * The ''Literature/OnceUponATime'' series is set up for this, having various retellings of fairytales. |
| 129 | * In ''Literature/TheQuestForSaintAquin'', the priest is beaten and left for dead. A couple of characters see him and pass by despite the obvious clues that they are Catholic. A Jew helps him, causing the priest to comment on the parable of the Good Samaritan. (The Jew calmly assures him that he is ''not'' a Samaritan.) |
| 130 | * Dexter Palmer's {{Steampunk}} novel ''Literature/TheDreamOfPerpetualMotion''. Luckily, familiarity with Theatre/TheTempest isn't really necessary to enjoy it. |
| 131 | * ''Literature/TheMistsOfAvalon'' are a retelling of Autherian legend from the point of view of the women, including those are generally portrayed as the villains such as Morgain and Nimue. |
| 132 | * Creator/DavidFosterWallace's ''Tri-Stan: I Sold Sissee Nar to Ecko'' is a re-telling of the myth of Narcissus. And in-universe, ''Another Pioneer''. |
| 133 | * ''Literature/TheRedTent'' by Anita Diamant is a retelling and continuation of the story of Dinah in [[Literature/TheBible The Old Testament]]. While it is possible to enjoy the story without knowing the Biblical version, it makes more sense if you do. |
| 134 | * The works of Alex Flynn - ''Beastly'', ''A Kiss in Time'', and ''Cloaked'' - are respectively retellings of "Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast", "Literature/SleepingBeauty", and a variety of fairytales including "Literature/TheFrogPrince", "Literature/TheValiantLittleTailor", and "Literature/TheCobblerAndTheElves". Some characters in the stories are more GenreSavvy about this than others. |
| 135 | ** ''Bewitching'', told from the point of view of ''Beastly'''s witch, covers "Hansel and Gretel", "The Princess and the Pea", "Literature/TheLittleMermaid", and "Literature/{{Cinderella}}". |
| 136 | * ''The True Story of Literature/TheThreeLittlePigs''. [[PerspectiveFlip The wolf tells us what really happened.]] |
| 137 | * ''Film/MaryReilly'' by Valerie Martin is a retelling of ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' from the point of view of one of Jekyll's servants. |
| 138 | * In Creator/PatriciaAMcKillip's "Out of the Woods", the heroine plays a minor role in ''Literature/SleepingBeauty'' and spots both Merlin and Nimue, and the Lady of Shalott, from Myth/ArthurianLegend. |
| 139 | * Creator/JohnMoore's ''Literature/TheUnhandsomePrince'', in addition to being [[FracturedFairyTale very loosely based]] on ''Literature/TheFrogPrince'', includes encounters with a hair-obsessed woman living in a tower, named ''Literature/{{Rapunzel}}'', and a dwarf with a magic spinning spell named ''Literature/{{Rumpelstiltskin}}''. |
| 140 | * Creator/JohnSteinbeck's ''Literature/EastOfEden'' retells Cain and Abel -- several times. |
| 141 | * In Creator/PatriciaCWrede's "Cruel Sisters", the middle sister recounts the true story of the "Twa Sisters" Literature/{{Child Ballad|s}}; aware of the ballad, she opens it with discussing how often it says there were only two sisters, and then goes on to recount the other distortions. Starting with the observation that the younger one would spitefully lie to get the older one in trouble. |
| 142 | * Creator/PatriciaCWrede's "Stronger Than Time" recounts a ''Literature/SleepingBeauty'' where the spell had gone wrong, and the prince supposed to rescue her had died. |
| 143 | * Eowyn Ivey's ''Literature/TheSnowChild'' retells the fairy tale of the same name. It includes excerpts at the beginning of chapters, owing to its obscurity. |
| 144 | * Creator/CSLewis' ''Literature/TillWeHaveFaces'' retells the myth of Myth/CupidAndPsyche from the viewpoint of Psyche's jealous older sister. |
| 145 | * Two Creator/RoaldDahl poetry collections, ''Revolting Rhymes'' and ''Rhyme Stew'', feature many twice-told versions of fairy tales that steer the stories in naughtier directions. The former has a pistol-packing Little Red Riding Hood and a telling of "Snow White" in which the magic mirror helps Snow and the dwarfs win at the racetrack, and the latter has Ali Baba using the phrase "Open Sesame!" to peep in on what the rich and powerful do behind closed hotel doors. |
| 146 | * ''Literature/ATaleOf'' retold the ''Franchise/DisneyPrincess'' films, giving the stories {{Perspective Flip}}s to villainous/antagonistic characters and positing they take place in a shared universe. |
| 147 | * ''Literature/WarmBodies'' is a loose retelling of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', taking place after a ZombieApocalypse. |
| 148 | * ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' was, for much of the early series, the French Revolutionary Wars in space, with the stand-in for Lord Nelson being a young woman. Around eight or nine books in, the Napoleon analogue is abruptly killed, and things spin off from there. |
| 149 | * ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'': |
| 150 | ** ''Literature/TimeLordFairyTales'' consists mostly of specific European fairy and folktales rejiggered to take place in the Whoniverse: "Cinderella and the Magic Box" has the Eleventh Doctor in the fairy godmother role and the heroine going to the ball is [[spoiler: part of his plan to defeat an evil vampire court]], while the Green Knight faced by Sir Gawain is an Ice Warrior. Several stories double down on this trope by turning out to be retelling both a fairy tale ''and'' a televised ''Doctor Who'' story -- "The Gingerbread Trap" is a combination of "Hansel and Gretel" and [[spoiler: "School Reunion"]], and "Jack and the Wormhole" combines "Jack and the Beanstalk" with [[spoiler: "The Horns of Nimon"]]. |
| 151 | ** The Third Doctor story in the ''Twelve Doctors of Christmas'' anthology, "The Christmas Inversion", is an alternate perspective on the television episode [[Recap/DoctorWho2005CSTheChristmasInvasion "The Christmas Invasion"]], and thus makes much more sense if the reader has already seen it. |
| 152 | * The ''Literature/{{Hagenheim}}'' series by Melanie Dickerson is a retelling of fairy tales in a medieval setting without any magic. |
| 153 | * Creator/UrsulaVernon: |
| 154 | ** "Bluebeard's Wife" is a Bluebeard retelling in which the familiar story goes off the rails after Bluebeard marries a young woman who grew up in a large and inquisitive family and understands the value of private space, so when her husband tells her there's one room in the house she must never enter, she never does. |
| 155 | ** ''Literature/BoarAndApples'' is a Snow White retelling with a family of talking boars instead of dwarfs, and also things don't go the usual way regarding the prince at the end. |
| 156 | ** ''Literature/BryonyAndRoses'' is a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" where the Beauty-equivalent is a keen gardener, the evil-fairy-equivalent is [[spoiler:a rose dryad who's just as trapped by the curse as the Beast is]], and the Beast [[spoiler:chooses not to become human again at the end]]. |
| 157 | ** "The Dryad's Shoes" is a retelling of Cinderella in which the Cinderella-equivalent is quite happy in her garden and not at all interested in marrying the prince, but is unable to persuade the fairy-godmother-equivalent of this. She ends up trading the dryad's gifts to a servant at the palace in exchange for a chance to learn about the palace gardens, and the servant girl marries the prince and lives happily ever after. |
| 158 | ** The ''Literature/HamsterPrincess'' series begins with a version of Sleeping Beauty where the princess's parents keep their daughter and tell her about the curse when she's old enough to understand -- and she decides that, if she's cursed to suffer a terrible fate at the age of twelve, that means nothing will happen to her before then, and goes off adventuring. Along the way she encounters versions of other familiar fairy tales. |
| 159 | ** "Let Pass the Horses Black" is a Tam Lin retelling in which Janet is a domestic abuse survivor, which means she has experience taking pain unflinchingly that stands her in good stead in the Elf Queen's trials. [[spoiler:Specifically, she suffered abuse at the hands of the Tam Lin character--it turns out at the end that she's only rescuing him as a necessary step toward achieving her real desire]]. |
| 160 | ** ''Literature/TheRavenAndTheReindeer'' is a retelling of The Snow Queen where, among other changes, Gerda ends up falling in love with the bandit girl who helps her along the way and realizing that Kay was a bit of a self-centered jerk even before the Snow Queen got to him. (She rescues him anyway, but more to save his parents worrying than anything else.) |
| 161 | ** ''Literature/TheSeventhBride'' is a Bluebeard retelling where each of Bluebeard's wives is given a different test and instead of just killing them when they fail, they forfeit something: one her life, but one her eyesight, another her youth, and so on. Which means that when the seventh bride arrives in the house of her new husband, his former wives are all still around -- although some are more helpful than others... |
| 162 | * ''Literature/SapphosLeap'' is a riff on ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', told from a GenderFlip perspective. |
| 163 | * ''Literature/Mermaid2011'' for "The Little Mermaid." |
| 164 | * ''Literature/TheMermaidsDaughter'' is about a descendant of the Little Mermaid. |
| 165 | * * ''Literature/JustElla'' follows "Cinderella" after her engagement to the prince, with things not as charming as thought to be. |
| 166 | * Patrick Ness' novel ''And The Ocean Was Our Sky'' retells ''Literature/MobyDick'' from the whale's perspective. |
| 167 | [[/folder]] |
| 168 | |
| 169 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 170 | * ''Series/TinMan'', of [[Literature/LandOfOz the Oz series]]. Most everyone in America knows about the first book, but the miniseries makes a ''lot'' more sense if you've read other entries of the Famous Forty and supplemented with ''Literature/{{Wicked}}''. |
| 171 | * ''Series/Alice2009'', of ''Literature/AliceInWonderland''. |
| 172 | * ''Geppetto'' was a MadeForTVMovie retelling of Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'', told from the point of view of the toymaker who became the "father" of the living puppet. It features songs from the animated film and new Creator/StephenSchwartz-penned numbers, and was adapted for the stage as ''My Son Pinocchio''. |
| 173 | * ''Series/OnceUponATime'' posits that ''every'' fairy tale in history was inspired by real events taking place in a parallel universe, sometimes with rather significant differences. |
| 174 | * ''Series/TheOA'' strongly resembles Han's Christian Andersen's "Literature/TheLittleMermaid", which turns out to be justified in the saddest way. |
| 175 | * Creator/JimHenson's ''Series/TheStoryteller'' was a show where the eponymous storyteller told more obscure -and darker- European fairy tales. Russian folktale "Literature/TheSoldierAndDeath" was adapted in the fifth episode, changing some details and expanding some scenes like the card game with the demons. |
| 176 | * ''Series/BlackSails'' is a prequel to ''Literature/TreasureIsland''. It follows Captain Flint of the ''Walrus'', who is a posthumous character in the book, and also features John Silver and Billy Bones as young men. The plot of the show concerns how Flint acquired the treasure trove of Spanish gold that eventually got hidden on the eponymous island. |
| 177 | [[/folder]] |
| 178 | |
| 179 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 180 | * The whole concept of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Answer_song answer song]] revolves around this. One example is Charlie Ryan's "Hot Rod Lincoln", which details the road race from Arkie Shibley's "Hot Rod Race" from the perspective of the [[DarkHorseVictory unlikely victor]]. |
| 181 | * ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' homage: "Home at Last" by Music/SteelyDan. |
| 182 | * Music/TheMechanisms' songs are almost all based on stories from legend or mythology, and occasionally history or classic literature. In addition to a multitude of individual songs and short tales, they have three albums that each tell a different story: |
| 183 | ** ''Once Upon a Time (In Space)'' is a space opera with fairytale (and nursery rhyme) characters that draws a lot of plot elements from ''Star Wars''. |
| 184 | ** ''Ulysses Dies at Dawn'' is a cyberpunk noir story that draws its characters from Greek mythology. |
| 185 | ** ''High Noon Over Camelot'' is a SpaceWestern retelling of the King Arthur legends set on a space station. |
| 186 | ** ''The Bifrost Incident'' is a SpaceOpera [[spoiler: and CosmicHorror]] retelling of [[Myth/NorseMythology Ragnarok]], set on a CoolTrain. |
| 187 | * The music video of ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWSlOCEzRGo Prayer]]'' by Music/{{Disturbed}} is based on the ''Literature/BookOfJob''. |
| 188 | [[/folder]] |
| 189 | |
| 190 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 191 | * ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'' on ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' |
| 192 | * Again, ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' on ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. |
| 193 | ** And really, ''Wicked'' the musical on ''Wicked'' the novel. |
| 194 | * ''Honk!'' on ''Literature/TheUglyDuckling''. |
| 195 | * ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' relies on the fact that the audience knows the fairy tales that compose it: Literature/{{Cinderella}}, Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk, Literature/{{Rapunzel}}, and Literature/LittleRedRidingHood. For anyone who doesn't know these, the show will be massively confusing. |
| 196 | * ''Theatre/JasperInDeadland'' requires the audience be familiar with the story of Orpheus and Eurydice along with ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', as characters from both have vital roles in the story and are treated as if they need little introduction. |
| 197 | * Creator/LinManuelMiranda has stated that John Adam's absence from ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' is due to the fact that he assumed everyone would compare him to his portrayal in ''[[Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix 1776]]'', and so he says to imagine the Adams of that show whenever the president is mentioned. Given that ''Hamilton'' is orders of magnitude more popular than ''1776'' ever was, especially among non-theatre fans, it's unlikely that this was effective. |
| 198 | * Creator/MischiefTheatre makes comedic [[ShowWithinAShow fictional plays]] that [[FinaglesLaw always go horribly wrong]]. Most of their productions use original stories, but Theatre/PeterPanGoesWrong, Theatre/AChristmasCarolGoesWrong, and The Nativity Goes Wrong adapt existing stories. These adaptations are rather light on detail, as much of the runtime is taken up by the comedic mishaps, which is the main focus, and these stories are well known enough that most viewers can just fill in the gaps. There are also some jokes that expect you to know how things are supposed to happen, like [[TheDitz Dennis]] (as the innkeeper) initially telling Mary and Joseph they can stay at his inn. |
| 199 | * ''Theatre/WesterosAnAmericanMusical'': The play is its own blend of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' and ''Series/GameOfThrones'' elements, but also clearly expects the audience to be familiar with at least one of the official versions of the story it's telling. Plot elements can get anything from proper exposition to AdaptationExplanationExtrication, depending on the whims of the narrator and characters. The fact that the plot is being retold with parodies of ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' songs is also best appreciated if the originals were listened to beforehand. |
| 200 | [[/folder]] |
| 201 | |
| 202 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 203 | * ''VideoGame/AmericanMcGeesAlice''. |
| 204 | * Creator/EmilyShort's InteractiveFiction games ''VideoGame/{{Bronze}}'' (for "Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast"), ''VideoGame/{{Glass|2006}}'' (for "Literature/{{Cinderella}}"), ''VideoGame/{{Alabaster}}'' (for "Literature/SnowWhite"), and ''Indigo'' (for ''Literature/{{Rapunzel}}''). The first two games have elements of {{Grimmification}}; the third one goes all-out on it. |
| 205 | * In order to get the Pegasus Boots in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'', Link must interact with a {{Sleepyhead}} shoemaker who gets covert help from several Minish who help him finish his shoes. It's basically a retelling of Literature/TheElvesAndTheCobbler. |
| 206 | * ''VideoGame/Portal2'' is essentially a very creative retelling of the myth of Prometheus. You can read an in-depth explanation of this [[http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/05/27/the-depths-of-aperture-science/ here]], but it contains spoilers, so beware. |
| 207 | * ''VisualNovel/{{Cinders}}'' is, surprise, surprise, a retelling of "Literature/{{Cinderella}}". It makes a point of having an active, strong-willed female protagonist instead of a passive one and presents a more cynical world than the original story. Just how Grimmified the story becomes, though, is up to you. |
| 208 | * Most of Squeaker's parables in ''VisualNovel/FleuretBlanc'' are retellings of classic fairy tales, reframed around a CentralTheme of materialism. {{Perspective Flip}}s are sometimes involved. |
| 209 | * ''VisualNovel/MinotaurHotel'': This is a Visual Novel about the Minotaur from myth, but instead of a monster to be feared, he is a GentleGiant looking for the betterment of humanity. Although the game does its best to explain the necessary mythology to make sense of the story, the game is best told with some prior knowledge of various mythologies, as it's that knowledge of the various myths that give the extra context to the story. |
| 210 | * ''VisualNovel/{{Hikeback}}'': is a retelling-slash-{{Deconstruction}} of the {{Aesop}} 'The Scorpion and The Frog'. |
| 211 | * ''VideoGame/AStudyInSteampunk'' is a Franchise/SherlockHolmes pastiche set in a GaslampFantasy universe (it does have HumongousMecha and steam power, but actual magic is a large plot point), with a Watson {{expy}} as the player character. |
| 212 | [[/folder]] |
| 213 | |
| 214 | [[folder:Web Comics]] |
| 215 | * "[[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/funextras/stories/dovrefjell.php The Cat on the Dovrefjell]]" retells Norwegian tale "Literature/TheCatOnTheDovrefell", changing some details such like the traveller's sex and relation to Halvor. |
| 216 | * ''Webcomic/{{Concerned}}'' on ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'': Loveable ButtMonkey Gordon Frohman bumbles through City 17, inadvertently setting up many of the game's events and setpieces before and after Dr. Freeman's arrival. |
| 217 | * In fact, a lot of video game based webcomics turn out like this, such as ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge''. In addition to the actual retellings of the games, there's offhand mentions of, for example, "That time Bass ransacked the lab" (''VideoGame/MegaMan7''). |
| 218 | * ''Webcomic/{{Erstwhile}}'' retells many lesser-known fairy tales written by Creator/TheBrothersGrimm like "[[Literature/{{Donkeyskin}} All-Kinds-OF-Fur]]", "Literature/BrotherAndSister", "Literature/KingThrushbeard", "Literature/MaidMaleen", "Literature/MotherHolle", "Literature/SnowWhiteAndRoseRed", "[[Literature/TheTwelveDancingPrincesses The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes]]", "Literature/TheWolfAndTheSevenYoungKids" and "Literature/IronHans". |
| 219 | * ''Webcomic/MaryaMorevna'' is an adaptation of Russian tale "Literature/TheDeathOfKoscheiTheDeathless", delving more deeply into Queen Marya's character, background and motivations. |
| 220 | * ''Webcomic/{{Namesake}}'' is a good deal clearer with knowledge of some of the stories it deals with, including the [[Literature/LandOfOz Oz]] books, ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'', and others. |
| 221 | * The whole CampaignComic genre relies on this. |
| 222 | * ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' compilation book ''Snips, Snails, and Dragon Tails'' introduced "[=StickTales=]", a segment retelling a few classic stories recast with the OOTS characters. Those were "[[Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk Elan and the Beanstalk]]", "[[Literature/LittleRedRidingHood Little Red Riding Hoodlum]]", "[[Film/{{Goldfinger}} Goldenleaf]]", and "[[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Greenhilt: Prince of Denmark]]". This continued later with the standalone Kickstarter story "[[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Haleo & Julelan]]". The in-universe FramingDevice for these is that members of the Order of the Stick tell each other stories starring fictional versions of themselves. And then criticize each other's stories, like complaining that Denmark, England and France are unrealistic country names. |
| 223 | * ''Webcomic/DraculaQuerUmNamorado'': A RomCom retelling of Bram Stroker's Dracula. After having a prophetic dream of himself living an idyllic life with a man in the countryside, Dracula decides to seek a boyfriend to add to his wives, finding Jonathan Harker in the process. |
| 224 | [[/folder]] |
| 225 | |
| 226 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 227 | * One blog author adds the tag "Twice Told Tale" whenever [[http://reyezuelowren.blogspot.com/search/label/twice%20told%20tale one of her posts]] contains one of these. Currently we have one on Achilles' choice of going off to battle and dying or of being forgotten, and one incomplete on "Literature/SnowWhite" from the mirror's perspective. |
| 228 | [[/folder]] |
| 229 | |
| 230 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 231 | * ''WebVideo/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorksAbridged'': As the name suggests, it's an AbridgedSeries based on Anime/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorks. The series is riddled with in-jokes and references to all three routes of VisualNovel/FateStayNight, it's direct prequel Literature/FateZero, and the Franchise/FateSeries as a whole, and is clearly written under the assumption that the viewer is already familiar with all of those works. Thus, for anyone unfamiliar with the franchise about half jokes wouldn't make any sense or would be missed altogether. As an example, the first episode alone makes numerous jokes related to Archer's true identity, a major [[TheReveal reveal]] from later in the story, but makes no attempt to explain who he is. |
| 232 | * The plot twist of ''WebVideo/TruthInJournalism'' is horrifyingly obvious if you're even a casual fan of [[spoiler:''ComicBook/SpiderMan''; it's basically [[VillainEpisode a Spider-Man story arc from the villain's POV]]]]. Contrastly, if you don't know much about the series, Eddie [[spoiler:turning into [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} a pitch-black, brain-eating monster]]]] will come off like a total GainaxEnding. Also, TheStinger only really works if you're familiar with [[spoiler:''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' and his RoguesGallery]]. |
| 233 | [[/folder]] |
| 234 | |
| 235 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 236 | * The ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryDirectToVideoFilmSeries'' films, ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryAndTheWizardOfOz'' (2011) and ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryWillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'' (2017), is this to the original movies. (The properties are owned by Creator/WarnerBros) Fully appreciating it requires familiarity with both the films and the classic ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' shorts, as well as other MGM cartoon characters like Droopy who have minor roles. |
| 237 | [[/folder]] |
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