Paula’s Comments (group member since Dec 29, 2009)

Paula’s comments from the Q and A With Paula Reed group.

Since Hester was born of my teaching American lit for more years than I care to count, I thought I'd ask about traditional high school lit curriculum. When I ask kids what books they'll never forget, Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck comes up a lot, as does Night by Elie Wiesel. What books did you read in high school that left an indelible impression?

The term "pastiche" usually refers to books that employ a light or satirical take on a classic, like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but with the success of Ahab's Wife, based upon a character so minor in Moby Dick that she doesn't appear as a character at all, we've seen numerous new takes on old classics. Huck Finn spawned My Jim and Pap, Bram Stoker's nephew has written Dracula the Undead. My book, Hester, fills in the missing years of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. How do you feel about this new, more serious form of pastiche?