Once upon a time, in a library not so far away, two librarians sat down to talk about retellings in romancelandia. We ask what makes an original tale? What even is a retelling? Join us as we break down some of the different layers of these types of stories!Did you catch how many times we said the buzzword? Email us at ragingromantics@nopl.org with your best guess!Jackie's proposed retelling schema:Original talesThese may not be the very first instance of the tale/trope/motif, but they are often accredited as being the source of inspiration for derivative worksRetellingsa derivative work where an author takes a classic story, and reworks the characters, plot, setting/situation, in a new way, thus creating a completely new versino of the originalWill often claim direct influence from the original tale by keeping the characters names/plot points/other identifiable fixturesHomageA derivative work that shows respect or attests to the worth or influence of another, original work. They may retain the names or the plot arc, or they may not. However they still claim influence from the original story.Rip-offDerivative works that pay no deference to original work. Can go all the way from ignoring their source of inspiration, to straightforward plagiarism where they rip pieces of another story and repackage it for their own monetary gainWorks/authors/books mentioned:Fifty Shades of Grey by EL JamesTwilight by Stephanie MeyersRomeo + Juliet and Midsummer Night's Dream by William ShakespeareLegend of Good Women by Geoffrey ChaucerPyramus + Thisbe by Ovid in MetamorphosesPride & Prejudice by Jane AustenAn Offer from a Gentleman by Julia QuinnGoose Girl by Shannon HaleLittle Thieves by Margaret OwensLunar Chronicles series by Marissa MeyerTouch of Darkness/Hades & Persephone series by Scarlett St. ClairDark Olympus series by Katee RobertBrazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLeanJane Eyre by Charlotte BronteA Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City series by Sarah J MaasOther podcasts listened to:S03.27: Retellings in Romance Novels with Kate ClaybornOmegaverse episode - #28 Shifting into Werewolf Romance + OmegaverseScandals episode- #30 the Drama with RWA, Omegaverse and Bad BooksLinks:"A More Inclusive Happy Ending: Romance Novels that Diversify the Classics" (Brown, 2021)"Fairy Tale Retellings? Or Fantasy Romances?" (Reddit)"What is a Retelling?" (bookseriesrecaps.com)"Homage or rip off?" (reddit)"Pyramus and Thisbe" (Britannica.com)"Disney didn't invent Cinderella. Her story is at least 2,000 years old" (McKinney, 2015)"Why We’ll Never Get Tired of Literary Retellings" (Donohue, 2019)Why do you think "retellings" are currently so popular, particularly in young adult literature?" (Quora)"Why is publishing Plagiarism Still Possible?" (Nuttall, 2022)