# Is there a word for this type of literature? (Details in OP) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941 "2019-06-23T22:39:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/1 "2019-06-23T22:39:21Z")
What I’m looking for is literature that takes an existing fictional work, and a different author uses the existing characters as an off-shoot. The best example I can think of is probably _Rosencrantz and Guildernstern Are Dead_, where Tom Stoppard takes existing Shakespearean characters, and not only fleshes out their story, but has it intersect with _Hamlet_, including using the actual dialogue from the Shakespearean play when it happens. Is there a term for this? Any other examples (right off the top of my head, I think there may be a few of the _Star Wars: Tales of the_ compilations that feature this device, but I can’t check at the moment)? ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/2 "2019-06-23T22:43:57Z")
Pastiche? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/3 "2019-06-23T23:01:20Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > Pastiche? [Pastiche](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiche) ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/4 "2019-06-23T23:01:33Z")
“[Minor-character elaboration](https://cup.columbia.edu/book/minor-characters-have-their-day/9780231177443)” and “[reconfigured text](https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46nbrj)” pop up in a couple of academic works, but I can’t think of or find anything more definite. TV Tropes uses “[External Retcon](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ExternalRetcon).” The latter link has some examples in the Literature “folder” – “Grendel” by John Gardner is the only one I’ve read besides _Rosencrantz_. I’ve heard of _Wide Sargasso Sea_, _Mary Reilly_ (or at least its movie), and _The Wind Done Gone_. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/5 "2019-06-23T23:06:35Z")
Plagiarism? H.P. Lovecraft encouraged other authors to use his settings, monsters, and lore to write their own stories, and many shared in the bounty. The term in that case was the _Cthulhu Mythos_, although I’m not aware of \*mythos \*being used for any other shared literary universes. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/6 "2019-06-23T23:08:43Z")
_Rosencrantz and Guildenstern_ is not exactly a pastiche, since it’s not done in the style of a Shakespeare play. It just takes characters from one. There are an infinite number of pastiches of Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and other characters. Another example I can think of is the novel _Wicked_ and its sequels, which take the Wicked Witch of the West and other characters from _The Wizard of Oz_ and reinterpret them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/7 "2019-06-23T23:09:29Z")
Yup, pastiche. But don’t stop there: Stoppard frequently indulged in pastiche. _Jumpers_ and _Travesties_ come to mind. I like to think of Stoppard’s relationship to pastiche as akin to the difference between an American crossword puzzle and a British “cryptic” crossword: there’s always a signal thematic or concrete or conceptual difference that informs his work’s connection to the original, a puzzle to be figured out, if you care to, that offers a depth and complexity that simply choosing a style to emulate would not. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/8 "2019-06-23T23:09:34Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Plagiarism? > > H.P. Lovecraft encouraged other authors to use his settings, monsters, and lore to write their own stories, and many shared in the bounty. The term in that case was the _Cthulhu Mythos_, although I’m not aware of \*mythos \*being used for any other shared literary universes. Those would be good examples of pastiche. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/9 "2019-06-23T23:11:09Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Plagiarism? > > H.P. Lovecraft encouraged other authors to use his settings, monsters, and lore to write their own stories, and many shared in the bounty. The term in that case was the _Cthulhu Mythos_, although I’m not aware of \*mythos \*being used for any other shared literary universes. Well, for that matter, [“shared universe”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_universe) is a term used in the industry. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/10 "2019-06-23T23:12:56Z")
[Paraquel](https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BHE3DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT78&lpg=PT78&dq=paraquel&source=bl&ots=klbZxOenL0&sig=ACfU3U1b-csR_Emb0FOhSC2cN6B7Kw5-LQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3oZDv2oDjAhXGYcAKHfcCDCIQ6AEwAnoECGIQAQ#v=onepage&q=paraquel&f=false). Related concepts: midquel, intraquel. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/11 "2019-06-24T00:03:17Z")
“Paraquel” is a good word, but “Pastiche” is justifiable, too. Stoppard used not merely Shakespeare’s characters and plot points but a lot of his language, words and rhythms, too. [Various](https://literarydevices.net/pastiche/) [sources](http://softschools.com/examples/literary_terms/pastiche_examples/327/) would have no problem with the OP using the term, including [this guy](https://www.theatredatabase.com/20th_century/rosencrantz_and_guildenstern_are_dead.html). ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/12 "2019-06-24T03:05:00Z")
That’s kinda specifically what I’m looking for. Using the contents of a story, along with the characters, from one piece of work in another. For instance, suppose someone took a throwaway character from “The Stand” by Stephen King, and told their story while integrating the elements of Kong’s work into the narrative, including dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/13 "2019-06-24T03:15:00Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern_ is not exactly a pastiche, since it’s not done in the style of a Shakespeare play. It just takes characters from one. I’m inclined to agree. At least I’d say that, in my mind, a “pastiche” is something different from what the OP is asking about. There _ought_ to be a separate word for it, but I’m not sure what. “Spin-off” is also close, but not quite right, IMHO. > [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#): > > “Pastiche” is justifiable, too. Stoppard used not merely Shakespeare’s characters and plot points but a lot of his language, words and rhythms, too. [Various](https://literarydevices.net/pastiche/) [sources](http://softschools.com/examples/literary_terms/pastiche_examples/327/) would have no problem with the OP using the term, including [this guy](https://www.theatredatabase.com/20th_century/rosencrantz_and_guildenstern_are_dead.html). > [@Tom Stoppard (in The King of Soup's link)](#): > > I was not in the least interested in doing any sort of pastiche, for a start, or in doing a criticism of Hamlet–that was simply one of the by-products. I can’t tell for sure whether Stoppard is specifically denying that _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead_ is a pastiche, or just denying that he originally set out to make it one. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/14 "2019-06-24T04:30:05Z")
Actually, “spin off” sounds exactly right. For instance, both “Maude” and “The Jeffersons” were spin-offs of “All in the Family”, taking a minor character, along with their history in the shared universe, and fleshing them out to create new stories. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/15 "2019-06-24T04:52:56Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I’m inclined to agree. At least I’d say that, in my mind, a “pastiche” is something different from what the OP is asking about. There _ought_ to be a separate word for it, but I’m not sure what. To my mind, in the strict sense a “pastiche” is something like Sherlock Holmes stories that portray the character in a manner similar to that of the Conan Doyle stories, without re-imagining him too much. Likewise the Conan stories by L. Sprague de Camp, or the Cthulhu Mythos stores by authors other than Lovecraft. Certainly works like _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern_, as **The King of Soup** indicates, are sometimes called pastiches. But they don’t follow the style of the original work, and focus on minor characters rather than on the original protagonists. This might be a subcategory of pastiche, but there doesn’t seem to be a specific term for it. (I must take the opportunity to mention that I saw the original Broadway production of _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern_ around 1968.) ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/16 "2019-06-24T11:23:57Z")
Would the “Flashman” series, taking the character from Tom Brown’s Schooldays and turning him into the main character of his own series, count for the OP? Because I’m not sure I would call those pastiche. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/17 "2019-06-24T11:33:06Z")
One of the most famous, and.maybe earliest(?) was Grendel which was the story of Beowulf as retold by the Monster. There is a literally term for this that escapes me but I know one casual term for it is Midquel (as compared to a Sequel or Prequel). ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/18 "2019-06-24T12:30:36Z")
Pastiche borrows the style from a work, not the elements of the work, right? As such, most of these examples aren’t pastiches, to my mind. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/19 "2019-06-24T12:32:54Z")
I thought _Wide Sargasso Sea_ was about the most famous example of what the OP is talking about, but it’s not a pastiche since it’s about looking again at the substance of the plot of _Jane Eyre_, not the writing style. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941/20 "2019-06-24T13:13:31Z")
It’s a form of metafiction - if it were a novel, I’d call it a “parallel novel” (like _Wide Sargasso Sea_ parallels _Jane Eyre_, or _The Wind Done Gone_ parallels _Gone With The Wind_). so maybe “parallel play”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-this-type-of-literature-details-in-op/835941.md?page=2)