248. What Are Fairy-Tale Retellings? | with Kendra E. Ardnek

After her fairy godmother’s magic act, Cinderella carefully slips her feet into—a set of fine glass seven-league boots.[1. Photo by Tim Rebkavets on Unsplash.] She clicks her heels three times and is whisked away to the land of Oz. Meanwhile, a beautiful princess flees from the prophecy of a deadly spindle. She discovers the house of seven dwarves, where she must hide from a wicked witch along with the witch’s evil sidekick, Rumplestiltskin. What are fairy tale retellings? How do they reenchant us? Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine by Lindsay Franklin Sunrise Publishing: Squire of Truth by Jill Williamson Kickstarter for A Study in Shattered Spells by Josiah DeGraaf Mission update Our new front page is live, complete with upgraded Library Search! As always, subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild Don’t miss the cover reveal for Marian Jacobs’ On Magic and Miracles Meanwhile, Stephen is planning his ACE Launch Party for Sat., March 1 Listen to this show’s end for our two recently announced giveaways Backstory: Kendra E. Ardnek Kendra E. Ardnek is the self-proclaimed Arista of Fairy Tales. She makes her home in the hills of central Texas with her fellow author husband, who she found at a writer’s conference. When not writing, you can usually find her crocheting her own cloaks, valiantly attempting to read every retelling ever written, and pretending that owning toy dragons makes her a dragon trainer. KendraEArdnek.Weebly.com FB: @KendraE.Ardnek IG: @fairytalearista X: @KendraEArdnek 1. Why do all kinds of readers love classic fairy tales? Kids re-read classic fairy tales because they’re simple, fun, memorable Older kids/teens/YA enjoy these too, especially the “retelling” versions Adults like to research them for their deeper and often biblical truth 2. And why do readers also love retelling fairy tales? Any adaptation (even Disney ones) helps bring out new/old meanings Retellings can freshen an old story with new plot twists, settings, finales. Sometimes a retelling can blend other stories, like in this show’s intro. 3. How long may this fairy-tale retelling trend last? One way or another, we shall always enjoy new versions of old stories. That’s because most fairy tales reflect the simple virtues of God’s law. And fairy tales offer not just “tropes” but reflections of eternal heroes. Com station Which are your favorite fairy tales to re-read, retell, or research?