From: petertrei@gmail.com   
      
   On 1/21/2026 8:34 PM, William Hyde wrote:   
   > James Nicoll wrote:   
   >> Adventures in the Public Domain: On Updating Out-of-Copyright Works   
   >>   
   >> Should we attempt to bring older works into the modern age?   
   >>   
   >> https://reactormag.com/adventures-in-the-public-domain-on-updating-   
   >> out-of-copyright-works/   
   >>   
   > I myself am much more interested in the recent phenomenon of   
   > "downdating", in which a modern novel is set in the past.   
   >   
   > Most of you, of course, will be familiar with Sir Steven Fry's "The   
   > Stars' Tennis Balls", a classic tale of false imprisonment and revenge.   
   >   
   > But just in case you are not, a recap.  A young man, about to be   
   > married, is given a note by a trusted older friend.  This friend, alas   
   > is involved with an underground group much frowned upon by the powers   
   > that be.  Through  the machinations of various "friends" the government   
   > is given cause to investigate our protagonist, who is whisked away to an   
   > "insane asylum" on a remote island (were we to update rather than   
   > downdate this novel, it would be a black ops site in Tajikistan).   
   >   
   > With the aid of an older, wiser, but unhealthy fellow prisoner, our hero   
   > escapes, becomes rich, and proceeds to a long process of revenge on   
   > those responsible for his incarceration, one of whom has married his   
   > fiancee.   
   >   
   > A young French author of much promise has downdated this novel, cleverly   
   > substituting the Bonapartist cause for the IRA, a Swiss bank account for   
   > a buried hoard of treasure, and an ancient stone prison for the asylum.   
   >   
   > It was not so easy for an unknown man to enter high society in the early   
   > 1800s (today all it takes is money) but the author handles the   
   > prisoner's entry very well.  In fact the whole society of early to mid   
   > 1800s France is rendered with staggering accuracy.  I was unable to find   
   > a false note.  He must have spent years in research.   
   >   
   > The process of revenge runs in parallel with that in Fry's novel.   
   > Without the internet it cannot be an exact parallel, but the author   
   > works very well with the mechanisms of 19th century finance and   
   > venality.  The basics of corruption do not change over time.   
   >   
   > These are darker times than the era in which Fry's masterpiece was   
   > written.  So one change our updater does make is to the ending.  Whereas   
   > Fry's hero, revenge accomplished, faces at best a lonely future, our   
   > downdated hero, while deprived of his one true love, finds a second,   
   > much younger, love, and  resumes his intended life path as a husband and   
   > presumably father.  An older but much richer one.   
   >   
   > I for one will be looking out for new books by young M. Dumas.  He has a   
   > great career ahead of him.   
   >   
   > William Hyde   
   >   
   >   
      
   I'm reminded of the number of times Shakespeare plots have been updated   
   or rehoused in films:   
   West Side Story, Clueless, Throne of Blood, RAN, etc.   
      
   pt   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)