Research shows that the list of texts taught in most high-school English curricula has not changed much since the 1980s. What has evolved, however, is the presence of classic literature in the media, with many blockbuster films in the past five years recreating these traditional tales (their billion dollar box-office successes demonstrating the current hunger for this type of content). As an article from MIC Journal describes, “Adaptations act as cultural bridges, reimagining literary works that resonate with the values and concerns of today’s society.” Recent works are not just retellings; they often also reimagine the narrative, engaging a more diverse cast or connecting to contemporary issues. These modernizations engage younger audiences, creating opportunities for educators to utilize this trend to promote literacy engagement.
They also raise important pedagogical questions: Are literary concepts lost in the fanfare of Hollywood? Are students using these media to summarize their readings rather than fully dive into the source material? Do these modern film and TV remakes help or hinder educators’ teachings of classic literature?
In many cases, any engagement is good engagement when it comes to literary texts, and students can often understand the literature they are learning with greater nuance after seeing it portrayed through film.
To achieve this middle ground, we’ve compiled several instructional strategies for bringing both mediums into the classroom.
Students and educators can analyze the methodologies of various adaptations and what effects these methods have on them as audience members. Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet, a less recent example, broke the mold by completely modernizing the setting and characters in west LA while preserving the exact Shakespearean wording in the script.
Luhrman also added cinematic fanfare to his 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Conversely, both recent sensational hits of Wicked preserve the setting and plot points but insert contemporary dialogue and jokes that even differ from the Broadway play, which was already a more child-friendly adaptation of the original book.
In February, 2026, Warner Bros. will release their production of Wuthering Heights. The film will be set in mid-19th century England, as the book is, and will contain an original soundtrack by Charli XCX, most famously known for her synth pop albums, which will be an interesting stylistic choice considering the story is dated in the 1850s.
Promotional Image from Wuthering Heights via IMBD
With these and other sets of movies/texts, engage students in discussing how film production choices influence their interpretation of the work, and how the film may differ from its literary source text. As you teach your students classic Shakespearean tales or F. Scott Fitzgerald, consider having them explore how the visuals, setting, sound effects, dialogic style, and/or music choices help or hinder the film’s impact.
Analysis Activity: Production Choices in Adaptations
Prompt: Choose one literary work we’ve studied (such as Romeo & Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Wicked, or Wuthering Heights) and compare it to at least one of its film adaptations.
Identify at least two specific production choices in the film.
Explain how those choices affect your understanding of the story compared to the original text.
Reflect on whether you think the adaptation succeeds in bringing the text to life for a modern audience.
Guiding Questions:
How do the director’s production choices (setting, costumes, dialogue style, soundtrack, cinematography, etc.) shape your interpretation of the story?
Which choices make the film feel closer to or farther from the original text?
Do these choices enhance or weaken the themes, tone, or emotional impact of the work?
How might a different choice (for example, a modern soundtrack instead of period music) change the audience’s experience?
- Optional extension: Imagine you are the director of a new adaptation. What bold production choice would you make (e.g., setting, soundtrack, dialogue style), and why? How would it change the audience’s experience of the story?
Another comparative analysis activity is to invite students to analyze how film adaptations reflect current societal values, events, or cultural shifts—and why their resurgence is so popular right now. The saying “history repeats itself” doesn’t come from nothing; where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The cyclical nature of our politics, cultural events, and societal and cultural trends calls on us to revisit classic literature to analyze overlap.
We see this cyclicality in the box office: While film adaptations are not new, their frequency seems telling. As just two additional examples, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women introduced feminism and empowerment in a mid-1800s world, while famed director Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey, set to come out in Summer, 2026, will emphasize the value of home and relationships over fame and glory, much like the modern debate of adulthood, leaning riskily towards ambition vs. playing it safe within one’s comfort zone. Directors continue to breathe new life into adaptations and they continue to succeed culturally and financially.
Promotional Image from The Odyssey via IMDB
Perhaps, in a politically tumultuous time, there is comfort in returning to what is known, revisiting the past rather than confronting an unknown future? As a potential thought or writing exercise, students can hypothesize why directors and producers are returning to centuries-old plotlines, rather than reinventing the wheel, and conduct research to elucidate their ideas.
Analysis Activity: Film Adaptations as Commentary on Current Events
Prompt: Select a recent or upcoming film adaptation of a classic text (examples include Little Women, The Odyssey, Wuthering Heights, or another adaptation). Analyze how the adaptation reflects current societal values, debates, or cultural shifts.
- Identify at least one societal issue or cultural value reflected in the adaptation.
Explain how the director’s choices (themes, tone, character focus, or dialogue) highlight this issue.
Hypothesize why this adaptation is popular right now—what does it reveal about our current moment?
Guiding Questions:
What themes or issues from the original text are emphasized or reinterpreted in the film?
How do these choices connect to current events, cultural debates, or social movements?
Why might this adaptation resonate with audiences today?
Do you think the resurgence of adaptations suggests comfort in revisiting familiar stories, or a deliberate commentary on modern challenges?
Optional extension: Conduct brief research into box office trends or director interviews. Use this evidence to support your hypothesis about why adaptations of classic texts continue to thrive in today’s cultural climate.
In a similar vein, students can analyze how casting choices and diverse representations in film may adhere to or diverge from the literature, and then consider (and research) why.
Teachers across the US often acknowledge the lack of diversity both in the characters and authors in standard English Language Arts curricula. However, incorporating certain adaptations into the curriculum can, not just acknowledge a paucity of, but increase, representation in the classroom. For example, the Wicked films and the play Hamilton all cast people of color as characters who were either racially ambiguous or originally white in history and/or the original writing.
Promotional Image from Wicked via IMBD
Teachers might invite students to research how representation and diversity in film has evolved over the years (and, they might compare and contrast that evolution with how representation in literature has changed across the same timespan).
While English classrooms can, and should, evaluate and evolve their curricula every year, film adaptations can continue to be a tool for enriching and challenging students’ understandings of literature. Whether students are assessing casting, stylistic film choices, or comparing film vs. literary plot points, teachers can continue to teach these classics, now with a contemporary twist.
Analysis Activity: Diversity and Representation in Film Adaptations
Prompt: Choose a film adaptation of a classic text (examples include Wicked, Hamilton, Romeo & Juliet, The Great Gatsby, or another adaptation you know). Analyze how casting choices and representation in the film compare to the original literary work.
Identify at least one casting or representation choice in the adaptation.
Explain how this choice changes or enriches your understanding of the story compared to the original text.
Reflect on why diverse representation in adaptations matters for today’s audiences and classrooms.
Guiding Questions:
How do the casting choices (race, gender, age, etc.) align with or diverge from the original text?
What impact do these choices have on the themes, tone, or audience’s interpretation of the story?
How does the film’s representation reflect broader cultural or societal shifts?
In what ways has representation in film evolved compared to representation in literature over time?
Optional extension: Conduct brief research into how representation in film has evolved over the past 20–30 years. Compare this evolution with how representation in literature has (or has not) changed during the same period. Use examples to support your analysis.