10 Works of Classic Literature With the Highest Number of Adaptations

The best stories have always been used as references or frequently adapted into movies. Several pieces of literature manage to stand firm till today. They speak to us about the fundamentals of the past centuries, the human condition, society, and culture. In this article, we are going to read about 10 works of classic literature with the highest number of adaptations.

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a work of the Romantic era that dealt with themes such as traditional notion vs. the modern notion of science, the concept of parenting and more, has over two dozen film versions. The 1931 version starring Boris Karloff as the monster, directed by James Whale has become one of the trademarks of a horror film.

Dracula

Dracula is the vampire par excellence. It is therefore no surprise that Dracula has several adaptations, starting from plays, theatres, movies, and even animated versions. Arguably the two most popular versions have been the 1931 version played by Bela Lugosi and the 1992 film by Francis Ford played by Gary Oldman. Dracula was played by Christopher Lee in several Hammer films.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle is the immortal name that will remain alive till eternity. He is the most famous and known detective in literature. Although the latest version of the TV series starring Benedict Cumberbatch became the most famous adapted version of the character; two other movie versions became popular one starring Robert Downey Jr. and Basil Rathbone, who played the role in 14 films.

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is arguably one of the most popular love stories in literature. The equation of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett is so popular that people use it either as a reference for ideal love or the ideal man written by a female writer. The popular versions of the movie are the 1940 film directed by Robert Z Leonard and the 2005 movie directed by Joe Wright.

The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers – the story of three men who fight for rights as well as the young man who joined the troop is one of the classics of the swashbuckler genre. It has been adapted into several films starting from the silent era of the movies till today. This book has been adapted in both animated and live-action versions. It even went on to become a children’s cartoon series.

Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist is certainly a moving tale because of its theme, the depiction of Victorian London and its lovable characters. The adaptation aspect was flexible for this narrative. One of the popular and interesting takes was the 188 Disney film version which portrayed Oliver as an orphan orange kitten who fall into a group of dogs.

War and Peace

Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace is one of the most intimidating pieces of classic literature, not only because of its enormous size but also due to the presence of a lot of characters and their plot lines. It inspired several film versions. One of the best film versions was the 1956 release – it managed to simplify sections of the novel it still ends in 208 minutes long, and it starred classic actors like Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and Mel Ferrer.

Alice In Wonderland

Lewis Carroll’s Alice has been adapted in several kinds of films, the most known would be the 1951 Disney film where Kathryn Beaumont played the character of Alice and the 2010 Tim Burton film where Mia Wasikowska played the character of Alice.

Les Miserables

The first film version of Victor Hugo’s huge novel appeared in the year 1987 in a short movie by the Lumiere Brothers. The popular version however is the latest 2012 film starring Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, and Russell Crowe.

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens’s novel A Christmas Carol has proven to be one of the most stable classic novels to be translated to film, with the first live version appearing in the year 1901. It has consequently been adapted over a dozen times in animated and live-action films.

Also Read: How to Take Notes from Textbooks