You Decide...

In a high school literature class many years ago (and I'm not
telling how many years ago) I read a book called Silas Marner written by
George Elliot. Now it just so happens that George Elliot was a pen name
for a woman named Mary Ann Evans. Why do you ask did Ms. Mary write
under a male pen name? The answer is simple. Silas Marner was published
in 1861 during a time when women were considered basically unable to
think for themselves.



Silas Marner is a tale of a man
who was betrayed and became a hermit. Through a chain
of events over which he had no control, Silas Marner was robbed of
his gold and ended up with a toddler on his
hands instead. Although crotchety and anti-social towards adults, Silas Marner
had a lonely place in his heart that was touched by the child whom he
kept and raised as his own. Many years later, events connected with that
long ago theft threatened to rob him of the daughter he had grown to
love. Silas Marner is a masterful tale of love and hate, greed and gain, loss and
replenishment, bitterness and joy, superbly told; and the highlight of
my high school reading assignments. It was a piece I truly never forgot.



So
you will imagine my surprise when I discovered the movie entitled A
Simple Twist of Fate, written and produced by Steve Martin of all people,
was a modern day remake of Silas Marner. Although brought into the
twentieth century and sprinkled with bits of comedy, as a Steve Martin
movie should be, A Simple Twist of Fate managed to stay true to the main
themes in the book.



It is therefore my humble opinion that this book and movie would make great items for comparison especially for home schoolers who could easily add this to their literature regimen. Even if you don't home school, you and your kids should read the
book and watch the movie; not only as a comparison of tales, but as an
example of how a classic story can be modernized and made into a movie
worth watching.



So ends another episode of Kids Korner with me, Children's Author Aileen Stewart. Join me next week for another exciting episode same krazy time, same krazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal blog Aileen's Thoughts any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, and life in general.

Lonely Hearts ~ a sweet Christian Romance
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com