If you had to create your own rendition of a famous public domain work what would it look like?

[CarburetorThompson]

Popular public domain works from the 19th and early 20th century see a lot modern renditions.

I think Sherlock Holmes is probably the most notable example.

If you were to write your own remastering of these old characters and stories which would you choose, and what would it look like?

(Posting in author general because it's not exactly a writing prompt.)

 

[ShrimpShady]

I'd just delete all of James Joyce's works from existence.

But if we're being for real, I'd make Of Mice and Men a happy funtime farming slice of life. My soul needs it.

 

[Empress_Omnii]

Carmilla. I want the 1870s vampire lesbians to be more well known.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

@Envylope doesn't have to answer I think we can roughly imagine what the answer is

 

[RepresentingWrath]

@Envylope doesn't have to answer I think we can roughly imagine what the answer is

Same for @Envylosaur

 

[Deleted member 120990]

@Envylope doesn't have to answer I think we can roughly imagine what the answer is

What is the answer, whippersnapper?

 

[CarburetorThompson]

What is the answer, whippersnapper?

Someone already said Carmilla, after that we’ve got Dracula. Feels like it won’t take much an inference.

Either that or the answer would be something like ‘Sherlock Holmes, but genderbent and he‘s also a vampire.’

 

[Deleted member 120990]

Someone already said Carmilla, after that we’ve got Dracula. Feels like it won’t take much an inference.

Either that or the answer would be something like ‘Sherlock Holmes, but genderbent and he‘s also a vampire.’

Darn, you're good at this.

 

[Succubiome]

Carmilla. I want the 1870s vampire lesbians to be more well known.

You should write it!

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Moby-dick but it's a cat and a laser pointer.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

I’ll answer then. I thought about doing something with Dorian Gray (from the portrait of Dorian gray)

But instead of having him as sort of passive, I planned on making him a warlock who made contracts with demons.

 

[Deleted member 120990]

I've only ever considered using public domain characters but not making a whole rendition of their story.

A slight tangent, but can't people do mickey mouse now?

 

[CarburetorThompson]

I've only ever considered using public domain characters but not making a whole rendition of their story.

A slight tangent, but can't people do mickey mouse now?

Yes. Copyright still exists on more modern renditions, but that pretty much only applies visually. In a medium like writing you can have a mouse named Mickey Mouse and be protected by the law

 

[Empress_Omnii]

You should write it!

Sadly, I am not a creative. I'd much rather only write papers for school than struggle to meet my own standards.
Drawing is the most I'll study and work to improve on.

 

[Succubiome]

Sadly, I am not a creative. I'd much rather only write papers for school than struggle to meet my own standards.
Drawing is the most I'll study and work to improve on.

Fair!

 

[Cardon]

I'm doing a few of these, but they're not exactly renditions, they're inspirations.

Mana Kanno's stories for example started because the Library of Babel fascinated me and I thought that infinitely generated books would produce magic books as well if they were created in a world supporting magic.

E: of course my one example that I can share spoiler-free is the one that's not even public domain lol

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I'd be more likely to insert public domain characters into existing stories than to rewrite old stories. Dracula, Alan Quatermain, Randolph Carter, Tarzan (Lord Graystoke), John Carter, Ayesha (She), Tom Brown (since Harry Flashman already got updated), Zorro, Lemuel Gulliver...
Maybe do something like a sequel to Silverlock, updating The Commonwealth to include some more modern stories.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Cain and Able has been done to hell.

I personally would choose Tower of Babel even though I think that it is done to hell too same as Three Kingdoms.

So the original reason was for humanity to make a name for itself and to be on par with God.

This itself has a lot of xianxia theme already and I suddenly find myself sighing because I recall a CN with the said tower theme.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Cain and Able has been done to hell.

I personally would choose Tower of Babel even though I think that it is done to hell too same as Three Kingdoms.

So the original reason was for humanity to make a name for itself and to be on par with God.

This itself has a lot of xianxia theme already and I suddenly find myself sighing because I recall a CN with the said tower theme.

Franz Kafka revisited The Tower of Babel a few times in short stories - one theorizing that the Great Wall of China was meant as the foundation for the SECOND Tower...

 

[melchi]

Anything by Lewis Carol.