Parallel novel
A parallel novel is a piece of literature written within, derived from, or taking place during the framework of another work of fiction by the same or another author.[1] Parallel novels or "reimagined classics" are works of fiction that "borrow a character and fill in his story, mirror an 'old' plot, or blend the characters of one book with those of another".[2] These stories further the works of already well-known novels by focusing on a minor character and making them the major character. The revised stories may have the same setting and time frame and even the same characters.[2]
Goodreads.com maintains a list of its readers' ratings of the most popular parallel novels. As of 2019 the top five were: Wide Sargasso Sea, Wicked, Telemachus and Homer, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (a play, not a novel), and The Penelopiad.[3]
Creating parallel novels can have significant legal implications when the copyright of the original author's work has not expired, and a later author makes a parallel novel derived from the original author's work.[4]
See also
References
- Patrick, Bethanne (November 25, 2007). "'Neither prequel, nor sequel, it's parallel novel'". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- Cellier-Smart, Catherine. "Parallel Novels". West Milford Township Library. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2016.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
- "The Best Parallel Novels or Reimagined Classics". Goodreads. Amazon. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
- Locke, Scott D. (2018). "Parallel Novels and the Reimagining of Literary Notables by Follow-On Authors: Copyrights Issues When Characters Are First Created by Others". Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property. 17 (2): 271. Retrieved 2019-09-17.