Fantastical Reimaginings: Alice in Wonderland
by Nicole S.
"Curiouser and curiouser!" How many of you had always wanted to fall down a rabbit hole and visit Wonderland yourself? I know I have! Alice in Wonderland has been a favorite story of mine and my infatuation with it grows as I get older. Do you know about where the original story came from?
History
The story of Alice in "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" was published in 1865 by Lewis Carroll, also known as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. It is said that this story was inspired by the stories Charles told to the daughters of a close family friend on a boat outing. Alice Liddell, her sisters, their father, the scholar Henry Liddell, and Charles are all inspirations for some of the characters in the Alice in Wonderland story. To this day it is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense genre. It has never gone out of print and has been translated into 97 languages.
The Original
The story starts with a bored and drowsy seven-year old Alice sitting on the riverbank with her sister. She starts to daydream and notices a white rabbit with a pocket watch run past her. She follows the rabbit down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. The novel has twelve chapters each with Alice’s journey into Wonderland which includes creating a pool of tears, advice from a blue caterpillar, a very mad tea party and of course the Queen of Hearts playing croquet.
Alice in Wonderland Retellings
So, how much has this classic fairy tale changed over the years? Are the retellings similar or impossibly different? Find out more about similar tales below!
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Disney’s "Alice in Wonderland"
Available on Hoopla
Disney’s "Alice In Wonderland" takes the story written by Lewis Carroll and visually lets us take a closer look into Wonderland. The story follows fairly similar to the original story minus some of Carroll’s chapters that involve minor characters, such as the Mock Turtle and the dormouse, and a trial that Alice attends due to being accused of stealing Queen’s tarts.
Disney went on to create a live action version of both "Alice in Wonderland" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass", both works by Lewis Carroll. These versions however have Alice revisiting “Underland”, as a nineteen year old girl who believes that she had only dreamt of visiting Underland when she was girl.
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"Splintered" by A.G. Howard
Available on Hoopla
Splintered follows the story of Alyssa Gardner who is a descendant of Alice Liddell, the inspiration for the stories of Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Alyssa has a deep dark secret; she can hear insects and flowers talking. Her mother is locked up in a mental hospital for having this as well. In fact all of the women in the family are cursed with this so called gift. When Alyssa meets a beautiful and mysterious stranger who tells her Wonderland is a real place and going there will help her break her family’s curse she has a decision to make: Save her family from this curse or be destined to go mad like her mother?
This tells parts of the original story of Alice but in a great twist. In this book Alyssa has to go back to Wonderland and “fix” all the mistakes that the original Alice made. This is one of my favorite series because I enjoy Howard’s imaginative and vivid description of Wonderland and using the inspiration of the original tale but spinning it in her own unique way.
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"Alice in Zombieland" by Gena Showalter
Available on Hoopla
In "Alice in Zombieland", Alice Bell has lived under one strict rule from her father: Don’t leave the house at night because of the “monsters.” On Alice’s 16th birthday, her and her family are attacked by zombies on the way home from her sister’s dance recital. Sadly, only Alice survives - and zombies are real?!? While living with her grandparents, Alice is consumed by guilt and decides to avenge her family. In order to survive she must trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has a secret of his own.
This story includes some references to the original story of Alice but for the most part it is an entirely new story all on its own.
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If you would like to continue your journey through Wonderland, check out these other Alice in Wonderland retellings available on Hoopla!
o "Heartless" by Marissa Meyer
o "Death Of The Mad Hatter" by Sarah J. Pepper, Deb Lebakken, Heather Banta, Emily DeHaan
o "After Alice" by Gregory Maguire
o "Reagan Through The Looking Glass" by Allyson Lindt
o "A Blade So Black" by L.L. McKinney
"We're all mad here." - Cheshire Cat
Picture credits: Disney, Bantom Classics, Hoopla
Hans Christian Anderson's "The Nightingale"
by Tess J.
Image from Amazon
“The Nightingale” is a less-well-known Hans Christian Anderson tale. There are several re-tellings but not many of them have strayed far from the original story.
History
Hans Christian Anderson wrote “The Nightingale” in 1843. His friends called him “the literary nightingale” due to his impressive and versatile storytelling skills. They likened them to the song of a nightingale, which is deemed by many to be the most beautiful birdsong in the world. The nightingale has the ability to sing many different notes and sings both day and night. Anderson knew of a man who was quite ill but seemed to take a turn for the better after a young opera singer, Jenny Lind, sang for the man. Anderson recognized the power of song to uplift and heal (Tartar, 2008).
The Original
The Emperor of China has a fabulous palace and a garden so grand and large, even the gardener doesn’t know where it ends. Travelers from around the world come to walk through the garden and admire it. The Emperor and his court are pompous and arrogant. One day, the Emperor is reading a book about his marvelous gardens when he learns that the most splendid thing is not the flowers with silver bells or the vast forest, but a musical bird called the nightingale. He is furious that he has never heard of this creature before and demands that the court members find it for him. They search throughout the palace but cannot find it. They suggest that it may be a myth but the Emperor threatens they will all be punched in the stomach if the bird is not found that night.
The members of the court feverishly search for the bird but only one person can tell them of it – a little kitchen maid who makes nightly trips down to the sea to care for her sick mother. She is so tired on her return that she rests in the forest and is renewed by listening to the nightingale’s song. She agrees to take them to the forest to find it. Along the way, the members of the court, who have rarely been outside, mistake cows and frogs for the nightingale. Finally they find the bird and ask it to come back to the palace to sing for the Emperor. It agrees and its song is so beautiful, the Emperor is brought to tears. They cage the bird and have it sing on que whenever the Emperor wishes.
Soon, the bird is famous throughout the world. Japan sends a gift of a mechanical bird, which is covered with jewels and gorgeous to look upon. At first, he tries to have the two sing together, but the nightingale’s song always changes based on its mood, whereas the mechanical bird could only play one tune. After playing the song over thirty times, the Emperor turns to look for the real nightingale, only to find that it has flown away, back to the forest. He and the members of the court are offended and claim the mechanical bird is far superior, anyway. It held a place of honor and sat by the Emperor’s bed. People brought it gifts and delighted in its one tune because they could all mimic it and sing it to themselves. The real nightingale was banished. This went on for one year until...
One evening, as the Emperor was relaxing in bed, listening to the mechanical bird, it broke! The royal doctor was called but could do nothing. The watchmaker was called, fixed the bird as best he could, but warned it could not sing as often because its gears were greatly worn down. From then on, the bird only sang once a year. Five years went by like this until the Emperor grew very ill.
The Emperor suffers hallucinations, pressure on the chest, temporary muscle paralysis, (Anderson is describing sleep paralysis) and is dying. A phantom of Death appears sitting on the Emperor’s chest wearing his crown and brandishing his sword. Ghostly faces float by whispering all of the Emperor’s good and bad deeds. He screams at the mechanical bird to sing for him, to block out these visions and sounds, but it cannot.
Suddenly, the real nightingale lands on the windowsill and begins to sing. The faces fade and Death itself calls for the bird to continue singing. The bird bargains with Death – it asks Death to put down the Emperor’s crown and sword. Death agrees in return for a song. The nightingales songs remind Death of its own garden and slowly retreats from the Emperor to return there.
The Emperor cannot express his thanks to the little bird enough and offers many rewards. The nightingale refuses them all, saying his tears at their first meeting are jewels enough. The nightingale will not live with the Emperor but they agree that it can come and go as it pleases and sing for him when at the palace. The Emperor heals as the bird sings over him and surprises his court members in the morning when he rises well again.
Image from eBay
Shelley Duvall’s "Fairy Tale Theatre"
Watch on YouTube
As a child, I had not read Anderson’s story of “The Nightingale” but discovered the tale by watching Shelley Duvall’s “Fairy Tale Theatre” television show. “The Nightingale” was and is one of my favorites in the series. If you have not seen these, please check them out! The link to the episode of “The Nightingale” is above. Keep in mind, they were made in the 80s but I still quite enjoy them.
As a child I liked it because the court members are over-dramatic bumbling fools, that no one can look upon the Emperor without permission, and anyone who does not please him gets punched in the stomach as punishment. I liked the story of the nightingale coming to sing for him and how his heart was changed by it and the loving kitchen maid.
This retelling is not too far off from the original story. The story takes place in Cathay, which was what Northern China was known as in Medieval Europe. The only other major difference is the kitchen maid’s role, which is much larger than in the original story. In Anderson’s tale, she is only seen in the beginning when she leads the court members to the nightingale. In the show, she reappears several times after that scene. She speaks with the Emperor after the nightingale is banished. After he becomes ill, she desperately searches for the nightingale and pleads with it to return to the Emperor, before it’s too late. After the bird drives Death away, it tells the Emperor of the kitchen maid’s deed. When he is well, he honors her above all the others by taking her on a walk in his garden.
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Image from Amazon
“The Nightingale” retold by Jerry Pinkney
Available Aurora Public Library
This version of Anderson’s The Nightingale is almost exactly the same as the original. The biggest difference is the setting. While the original takes place in China, Jerry Pinkney wrote and illustrated his adaptation to take place in Morocco, Northwest Africa. Instead of the title of Emperor, he is a King and his court members are attendants-in-waiting.
The kitchen maid’s age is not stated in the original. She is old enough to work in the kitchen and take care of her ailing mother. In Duvall’s television episode, the kitchen maid is a young woman. In Pinkney’s picture book, the kitchen maid is a child of about 10 years old. Even though she is shown on the front cover of the book, her role is not larger than that of the original. However, during the celebration held when the King is well again at the end of the story, she is presented with an Imperial Ribbon of Honor with a gold medallion in the shape of a nightingale hanging from it.
The illustrations are stunning and I greatly enjoyed this version of “The Nightingale”.
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Image from GoodReads
“The Nightingale” – a graphic novel version by Werner Wejp-Olsen
Available instantly via Hoopla Digital
This graphic novel is available as an e-comic on HooplaDigital (hoopladigital.com).
This version of “The Nightingale” is almost exactly the same as the original. The differences are that it is a graphic novel and the illustrations and text are light hearted and amusing. It is appropriate for young children where as the original and the first two retellings described are better for older children. Death and the ghosts that come to the Emperor/King when he is ill are rather scary. I enjoyed this silly adapation.
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I hope that you check out The Nightingale by Hans Christian Anderson. If you have already read it, or enjoyed the original, I highly recommend the retellings listed in this blog! Please comment below with your thoughts on this beautiful story.
Curious about what a nightingale sounds like? Listen here!
Resources
Anderson, H.C. “The Nightingale”. The Annotated Hans Christian Anderson, edited by Maria Tatar, W.W. Norton & Company, 2008, p. 78-97.
“Common nightingale.” YouTube, uploaded by BIA birdimagency, 28 May, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teP1pE6S7tQ
“The Nightingale.” YouTube, uploaded by Lee Miller, 25 August, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8dLBflODHE
Fantastical Reimaginings: Snow White
by Nicole S.
Image from Disney
"Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go....” If you can whistle the rest of this tune then kudos to you! (I sadly cannot whistle) I bet some of you can also name at least two of the dwarfs in Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. However, did you know that the original tale of Snow White is very different than the Disney version?
History
The original Snow White fairy tale was published in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm in their collection “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” as Tale 53. In German the original title was “Sneewittchen”. The Grimms then revised the story in 1854. Later, in 1912, in the Broadway play of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, the dwarfs were given individual names. These names were later changed when Walt Disney released his first full length featured animated film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. Fun fact: The story of Snow White is not the same story as the Grimms fairy tale “Snow-White and Rose-Red”.
The Original
Image from Story Berries
In the original story, a queen is sitting at her open window sewing when she pricks her finger and three drops of blood fall onto the snow-covered black windowsill. She wishes to herself that she will have a daughter whose “skin is as white as snow, lips as red as blood and hair as black as night." Not much longer the queen gets her wish when she gives birth to a baby girl she names Snow White. However, the queen dies shortly after due to childbirth. Snow White’s father remarries to a woman who is beautiful but also wicked and vain as she practices witchcraft. She possesses an enchanted mirror that she asks everyday who is the fairest of them all? Each time the mirror answers back that she is the fairest of them all until Snow White gets older and the mirror changes its response. Outraged, the queen orders a huntsman to take Snow White into the woods and kill her. As proof, the queen asks that the huntsman bring back Snow’s lungs and liver so she can consume them and become as beautiful as Snow White. The huntsman doesn’t have it in him to kill Snow White so instead he lets her run away into the forest and brings back a boar’s liver and lungs to the queen to fool her. In the forest, Snow White discovers a small cottage owned by dwarfs. In this story the dwarfs demand the Snow cook and clean for them in exchange for their protection. The evil queen thinking Snow is dead asks the mirror who is the fairest. The mirror answers that it is still Snow White. Learning she has been tricked, the Queen tries three more times to kill Snow. The first time, disguised as an old peddler, she tricks Snow into trying on a corset that is so tight Snow passes out. However, the dwarfs save her by cutting up the laces. The second time, dressed as a comb seller, she tries to sell Snow a comb laced with poison which causes Snow to pass out. The dwarfs save her by taking the comb out of her hair. The third time disguised as a farmer’s wife, the queen uses a poisoned apple to do the trick. Passing out, the dwarfs believe her to be dead and place her in a glass coffin. A handsome prince comes by and wants to take her away even though they have never met. As the dwarfs carry her coffin out of their cottage to the prince they stumble and jostle the coffin causing Snow to spit out the apple that was lodged in her throat and awakes. (No kiss from the prince!) The prince asks Snow to marry him and she agrees. Together they invite everyone to the wedding including the Evil Queen. The Evil Queen asks the mirror who is the fairest and the mirror responds that the prince’s new bride is the fairest, not knowing it is Snow. She attends the wedding and is enraged when she finds Snow alive. However, for the attempted murders of Snow, the prince demands she wears red-hot iron slippers and must dance in them until she drops dead.
Snow White Retellings
So, how much has this classic fairy tale changed over the years? Are the retellings similar or impossibly different? Find out more about similar tales below!
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Image from hoopla digital
Walt Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”
Available on:
Hoopla as picture book and read along book
In the Disney version of “Snow White”, the prince and Snow meet at the wishing well in the beginning of the story. She is also 14 years old. The seven dwarfs all have their own names and the Evil Queen only tries to kill Snow herself once with the poisoned apple. It is also the Prince who wakes Snow up with a kiss and the dwarfs run the Evil Queen/Old Hag off a cliff. Besides that, most of the story is the same.
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Image from hoopla digital
“Winter” by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #4)
Available on:
Hoopla as an audiobook and OverDrive/Libby as an eBook
In “Winter”, Princess Winter is loved for her grace and kindness by her Lunar people despite the scars marking her face. Winter deeply despises her stepmother Queen Levana and knows of her disapproval of Winter’s beloved childhood friend and palace guard Jacin. Levana believes Winter to be timid and weak however Winter has been undermining her for years. With the help of her friend Cinder, Winter attempts to launch a revolution and wage war on her evil stepmother. Can she finally get her happily ever after?
This story is in part of a larger story in the “Lunar Chronicles” series by Marissa Meyer. Each book takes the fairy tales you already know, like Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel, and gives them a futuristic sci-fi twist.
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Image from hoopla digital
“Mirror, Mirror” by Jen Calonita (Twisted Tale Series)
Available on:
Hoopla as an eBook
“Mirror, Mirror” follows the story of Snow White but what if the Evil Queen had poisoned the prince? After Snow’s beloved mother passes, her father remarries and the Evil Queen is in power. Snow does everything she can to keep her head down and out of sight. However new information comes to light about her parents’ death, and the plot to kill her backfires. Snow, with the help of some wary dwarfs, a prince and a mysterious stranger, will embark on a journey to defeat the Evil Queen and take back her kingdom.
This story follows the Disney’s version of the fairy tale with a slight twist that creates a new timeline and path for the story. Each “Twisted Tales” story is a stand-alone for each Disney fairy tale.
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Now that you know the real story and some newer re-tellings, check out these other Snow White re-tellings available on hoopla!
o “Snow White - And Other Examples Of Jealousy Unrewarded” by Amelia Carruthers
o “Shadow Queen” by C.J. Redwine
o “The Fairest Beauty” by Melanie Dickerson
o “Mirror Mirror” by Gregory Maguire
o “Tear You Apart” by Sarah Cross
Let us know in the comments which rendition of "Snow White" is your favorites! Hope you all live happily ever after!
Fantastical Reimaginings is a blog series where APL staff explore some of their favorite fairy tales - from their classic beginnings to popular renditions to modern retellings and impact on pop culture.
Fantastical Reimaginings: Beauty and the Beast
by Nicole S.
Image from Disney
“Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme....Beauty and the Beast.” Who else hummed the tune when they read that? Many people can spot that line or even the melody and say what it’s from - Disney’s "Beauty and the Beast"! I am a huge Disney fan and to this day when anyone asks me what my favorite Disney movie is, it’s hands-down "Beauty and the Beast". However, did you know that Disney didn’t create that story? Or that the original story is slightly different than the one Disney depicted?
History
The original "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale was written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in "La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins" ("The Young American and Marine Tales"). In French, the title is "La Belle et la Bête". It was then abridged, rewritten and published first by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756 in "Magasin des enfants" ("Children's Collection") and later by Andrew Lang in the "Blue Fairy Book" , part of his Fairy Book series in 1889. Most of the later variants have been inspired by either Villeneueve or Beaumont’s versions.
The Original
Image from SurLaLune
In Villeneuve’s version, both Belle and the Beast had a backstory to go with their tale. The Beast was a young prince whose father had died while his mother waged war to defend their kingdom. The prince was to be taken care of by an evil fairy who attempted to seduce the prince when he came of age. However when he refused her, she turned him into a beast. Belle was in fact the daughter of a king and a good fairy. The evil fairy had tried to murder Belle so her father placed her in the care of a merchant who’s own daughter had passed. The merchant had 6 sons and 6 daughters (Belle being the youngest). All the daughters were beautiful and cruel except Belle, who was kind-hearted. When the merchant asked each of his daughter’s what they would like him to bring them back from his trip to port, the eldest daughters wanted clothing and jewels and Belle asked for nothing. When prompted, she asked for a rose as there were no roses in their part of the country. On the way back the merchant loses his way in a storm and stumbled upon a castle. Seeing it empty, he sneaks in to find food and spends the night. The next day he sees a rose garden and remembers Belle’s request. As he goes to pluck the loveliest rose he can find he is confronted by the hideous Beast who attempts to kill him for stealing one of his most prized possessions. The merchant begs him to spare his life explaining the rose is for his youngest daughter. The beast agrees to let the merchant return home to give Belle the rose but only if the merchant brings back one of his daughter’s to take his place. Whoever he brings back must be fully aware of the predicament when she accepts. Belle returns to the castle to take her father’s place. The rest of the tale you have heard before.
Beaumont’s version is shorter by excluding the backstories of the Beast and Belle, with the beginning of the story the same. However the merchant only has 3 sons and 3 daughters, including Belle. She ends up in the castle and is instead told she is the mistress and that the Beast must obey her.
Beauty and the Beast Re-tellings
So, how much has this classic fairy tale changed over the years? Are the re-tellings similar or impossibly different? Find out more about similar tales below!
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Disney’s "Beauty and the Beast"
Available as picture book on Hoopla
This is the story that most people are more familiar with. In this story, Belle is an only child to the wacky inventor, Maurice. Everyone in her village thinks she is odd and longs for an adventure. The Beast was originally a spoiled prince who was transformed into this hideous form by an enchantress who he refused to give shelter in exchange for a beautiful rose. The beautiful rose is enchanted and entwined with the Beast’s human life. Each petal that falls brings him closer to his 21st birthday and once the last petal falls he will die.
Much of this tale bares a close resemblance to the original - minus some characters and Belle’s background. However, for those that have watched the live action version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, both Belle and the Beast are given a backstory.
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"A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas
Available on Overdrive/Libby
In "A Court of Thorns and Roses", 19-year-old Fayre is forced to hunt in the woods for her family’s survival. Humans and fae don’t get along. So much so that there is a wall that borders the human lands and the fairy lands. Fayre has a strong hatred towards Fae as there are some who travel across the wall and hunt down humans. Fayre sees a wolf and knows it is no ordinary wolf - it is Fae. Without a second thought she pierces the wolf with her arrow, killing it. Finding out one of his own was killed with no regrets by a human, Tamlin, one of the High Fae, kidnaps Fayre and brings her to the fairy land Prythian in exchange for the fae life she killed. Fayre sees Tamlin as nothing but a hideous beast, but there is more to him than meets the eye.
The premise for this story, exchanging a human life for another and forcing them to live in a castle with a “beast”, makes it very similar to the original. However, this story continues as a series and involves mythical creatures like the Fae. This is one of my favorite re-tellings!
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"Beastly" by Alex Flinn
Available on Hoopla
Beastly turns the fairytale into a modern story taking place in New York City. Kyle Kingsbury is the most popular boy in school and always gets what he wants, which makes him arrogant and cruel. When he is voted homecoming prince, Kendra, the outcast, protests his victory due to it being because of his "physical beauty.” Kyle publicly humiliates Kendra and other unattractive classmates which prompts Kendra to curse him and physically transform him into everything he despises. The only solution to the curse is to find someone that will love him as he is.
This retelling is incredibly similar to the originals tales except that it is modern day in a high school in New York City. The plot involves an arrogant, attractive young man (the prince of his school) being cursed by a witch/enchantress and becomes a hideous “beast.” He must find someone sees the beauty from within. This book was later adapted to film that stars Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens.
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For more retellings of this beloved story check out these titles available in our digital collection through Hoopla!
o "Beauty" by Robin Mckinley
o "Rose Daughter" by Robin Mckinley
o "Bryony And Roses" by T. Kingfisher
o "Beauty & the Billionaire" by Jessica Clare
o "Beauty and the Clockwork Beast" by Nancy Campbell Allen
Beauty and the Beast is a great fairy tale that teaches you to see the beauty within a person and to not judge based on appearance. There have been many versions of this story but the theme stays the same. Check out some of these titles above for yourself and let us know in the comments which re-telling is your favorite!
Also enjoy the pictures of my Beauty and the Beast shrine below! 😊
**Video may contain spoilers**
Join APL staff each week for a discussion of some of their current
reads! Each week they will discuss a book from a different genre. Join
the discussion live on at Facebook.com/AuroraLibrary each Friday at 1
p.m. (MST) and leave your thoughts in the comments below! (See
discussion questions below - questions may contain spoilers!)
The next discussion will be at 1 p.m. on April 24, 2020 on our Facebook page and will feature "Truth or Beard" by Penny Reid (available instantly on hoopladigital.com).
Discussion Questions for "Wuthering Heights"
- Why does Emily Bronte have so many different people telling this story? What is the effect of hearing the story filtered through so many different narrators? Are there characters that never get to tell their points of view?
- Do you continue to root for Heathcliff even knowing all of the horrible things he does? Why or why not? Do you think he is cruel? Is his cruelty justified?
- Are there any characters who are truly likable or sympathetic?
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