In literature, revisionism is the retelling of a conventional or established
narrative
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...
with significant variations which deliberately "revise" the view shown in the original work.
For example, the 1883 children's book ''
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood'' revised the folklore tale of
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
to depict Robin as much more straightforwardly heroic and less as a thief with a code of honor. This adaptation was immensely popular, and influenced all subsequent modern portrayals. Many original works of
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
appear to retell
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
s in a revisionist manner.
[John Grant and John Clute, '']The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' is a 1997 reference work covering fantasy fiction, edited by John Clute and John Grant (author), John Grant. As of November 2012, the full text of ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' is available online, as a compani ...
'', "Revisionist Fantasy", p. 810. .
See also
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Continuation novel
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Copyright protection for fictional characters
Copyright protection is available to fixed expressions of fictional characters in literary, musical, dramatic and artistic works. Recognition of fictional characters as works eligible for copyright protection has come about in some countries wi ...
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Fan fiction
Fan fiction or fanfiction, also known as fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF, is fiction typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized by, but based on, an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted ...
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Mashup (book)
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Parallel novel
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Reboot (fiction)
In serial fiction, the term "reboot" signifies a new start to an established fictional universe, work, or series. A reboot usually discards continuity to re-create its characters, plotlines and backstory from the beginning. It has been descr ...
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Spiritual successor
References
Narratology
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