Thursday, March 27, 2014

Falling for the Daughters of Twilight

     There are always new takes on old mythology. Think of Romeo
Secrets, and more secrets
and Juliet. Yes, that was taken from a very old Greek tale about Pyramus and Thisbe, a tale I read long before I read Shakespeare's version. The fact is, many of the writers borrow ideas from mythology, from real life, and from religion. Some keep the tales close to the original story, some are only faithful to the basic idea or plot, and others use the story as a springboard to a much different place. If you read the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, you will see the old bard stayed pretty true to the original myth with only the names and setting changed to protect the innocent. For a sample of the second, look no further than the tons of rewrites of Cinderella. My favorite is Ever After with Drew Barrymore, though this one almost makes it into the first category. There are also these two modern versions of note, A Cinderella Story with Hannah Robinson and Another Cinderella Story with Selena Gomez. At least these two productions give a nod to the original story, using Cinderella in the title. Then there are movies that only use the idea of a poor, mistreated, or under-appreciated girl who finds true love with the handsome prince of a man. Think Pretty Woman, for instance. Any number of stories can be generated by an idea from mythology or religion, with some fantastical results. Our new movies include, as an example of the springboard type, Thor and his brother. Today's book,  Daughters of Twilight, by Collette Jackson-Fink, uses ideas from the bible to create an intriguing story full of mystery and wonder, as well as evil and not so evil.