{"id":8819,"date":"2018-04-10T13:10:17","date_gmt":"2018-04-10T12:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=8819"},"modified":"2020-02-12T15:44:54","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T15:44:54","slug":"literature-and-popular-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/04\/10\/literature-and-popular-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Literature and popular culture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Works of literature, even those that are hundreds of years old, still have an impact on the entertainment we enjoy today. Books, poems, plays \u201d\u201c you name it, they\u2019ve been altered for the modern day! These timeless works will stick around long after their creator has gone. We\u2019ve looked at some examples of movies, shows and songs that you may not know have been inspired by some classic pieces of literature.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KByxC7B9WH0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">1984 \u201d\u201c George Orwell<\/h3>\n<p>Orwell\u2019s novel has had a massive impact on us; have you ever heard the term Orwellian? Or come across the phrase \u201d\u02dcBig Brother is watching\u2019? If you have, you can thank this novel. The dystopian work that is set in what used to be Great Britain, policed by a higher being that will punish anyone who goes against their regime, has been profound for our favourite creatives. Apple has referenced it in advertising, David Bowie\u2019s <em>Diamond Dogs<\/em> album was inspired by <em>1984<\/em> but the most notable inspiration is the global TV show <em>Big Brother<\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cf7k1h5syWs\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">A Taste of Honey \u201d\u201c Shelagh Delaney<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s no secret that Shelagh Delaney\u2019s work has been a huge inspiration for The Smiths\u2019 frontman, Morrissey. Her play <em>A Taste of Honey<\/em> is probably the most notable; their track <em>This Night Has Opened My Eyes<\/em> is lathered in references and snippets from the play, such as the line \u201cThe dream has gone but the baby is real\u201d\u009d. Delaney features on the cover art for Smiths single <em>Girlfriend in a Coma<\/em> and the album cover for <em>Louder than Bombs<\/em>. Morrissey\u2019s love of literature has been sprinkled across his back catalogue \u201d\u201c <em>Cemetry Gates<\/em> name drops poets John Keats and W. B. Yates and was written as a response to criticisms of his literature references.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wNUFsFRHANI\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Hamlet \u201d\u201c William Shakespeare<\/h3>\n<p>Shakespeare\u2019s importance is unshakeable. More than 400 years after his death, his work is still a staple part of school curriculums and can be seen in entertainment. The tragedy <em>Hamlet<\/em> has inspired Kurt Sutter\u2019s popular drama <em>Sons of Anarchy<\/em>. SAMCRO President Jax Teller is Prince Hamlet; both of their fathers have died and their mother\u2019s move on to the person involved in their husband\u2019s death \u201d\u201c in Jax\u2019s case, his step-father Clay Morrow. Throughout the series, we see the importance of John Teller on Jax, finding letters he\u2019d written and piecing together the truth about his father\u2019s death. <em>Hamlet<\/em> was also the inspiration for one of Disney\u2019s biggest hits, <em>The Lion King<\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-1pMMIe4hb4\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Wuthering Heights \u201d\u201c Emily Bront\u00c3\u00ab<\/h3>\n<p>Considering they have the same title, you won\u2019t be surprised by this one. Kate Bush\u2019s classic track <em>Wuthering Heights<\/em> pays homage to Bront\u00c3\u00ab\u2019s only novel, referencing the love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw \u201d\u201c better known in this track as Cathy. Bush sings from Catherine\u2019s point of view, begging to be let in to see Heathcliff. As Kate Bush and Emily Bronte share the same birthday, it\u2019s the best possible way to honour her memory.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zg2njQzgMWg\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Lord of the Rings \u201d\u201c J. R. R. Tolkien<\/h3>\n<p>Another piece of literature that continues to be relevant across entertainment is the Tolkien novel <em>The Lord of the Rings<\/em>. Peter Jackson has immortalised it on screen but one reference you may not be familiar with is the Led Zeppelin track <em>Ramble On<\/em>. The 1969 song, taken from <em>Led Zeppelin II<\/em>, contains the lines \u201c\u2019Twas in the darkest depths of Mordor \/ I met a girl so far \/ But Gollum, and the evil one crept up \/ And slipped away with her\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZMqPlQgHww8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Stranger \u201d\u201c Albert Camus<\/h3>\n<p>The Cure\u2019s debut single is very openly referencing Albert Camus\u2019s existential novel, <em>The Stranger<\/em> (<em>L\u2019\u00c3\u00a9tranger<\/em>). <em>The Stranger<\/em>\u2019s protagonist Meursault kills an Arab man at the beach, due to how hot it was that day. Robert Smith tried to condense what he thought of the novel into something short and poetic \u201d\u201c and so their single was born. \u201cI\u2019m alive \/ I\u2019m dead \/ I\u2019m the stranger \/ Killing an Arab\u201d\u009d stands out as being an obvious reference, but Meursault\u2019s rationale may be harder to spot \u201cWhichever I choose \/ It amounts to the same \/ Absolutely nothing\u201d\u009d. Camus\u2019s character is famed for finding little meaning in life.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uE7qjQlfoRs\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Taming of the Shrew &#8211; William Shakespeare<\/h3>\n<p>Like we said, Shakespeare\u2019s legacy lives on! The 1999 teen rom-com <em>10 Things I Hate About You<\/em> is based on this play; even some of the names used are derived from the original work. Cameron is smitten with Bianca but to date her, he has to set her sister Kat (the shrew) up with a bad boy named Patrick. Both Bianca and Kat come from the play, Kat being short for Katherina and their surname Stratford is a nod to Shakespeare\u2019s birthplace.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QGJuMBdaqIw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">On the Road &#8211; Jack Kerouac<\/h3>\n<p>Kerouac\u2019s novel has been notorious since its release in 1957 and has gone on to inspire musicians and writers alike. Aside from the likes of Bob Dylan and Hunter S. Thompson, <em>On the Road<\/em> had a profound effect on pop star Katy Perry. Her hit single <em>Firework<\/em> actually comes from this novel, as Perry said, &#8220;I want to be a firework, both living and dead. My boyfriend showed me a paragraph out of Jack Kerouac&#8217;s book\u00a0<em>On the Road<\/em>, about people that are buzzing and fizzing and full of life and never say a commonplace thing. They shoot across the sky like a firework and make people go, &#8216;Ahhh.&#8217; I guess that making people go &#8216;ahhh&#8217; is kind of like my motto.&#8221;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>So, there you have it! Works of literature are all around us and may be lurking in your favourite song, film or TV show. But are you more intrigued to see the original inspiration? At <a href=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/store\/books\/?megamenu_creative=main-books&amp;megamenu_name=main-books-TNB&amp;megamenu_position=L&amp;megamenu_id=TNBL\">musicMagpie Store<\/a> you can buy books and enjoy free delivery!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Works of literature, even those that are hundreds of years old, still have an impact on the entertainment we enjoy today. Books, poems, plays \u201d\u201c you name it, they\u2019ve been altered for the modern day! These timeless works will stick around long after their creator has gone. We\u2019ve looked at &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":8720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1796,16,159],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8819"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8819"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11395,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8819\/revisions\/11395"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}