Stephanie Meyer may be onto something.
In a surprise move, the Twilight author decided to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first novel by releasing a brand new tome for readers to devour. But this one has a catch: It's a special-edition gender-swap. Instead of Edward and Bella, Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined will feature Beau and Edythe, who are basically just the opposite versions of the original lovebirds.
While this is a fun new way for the series' fans to eek out some nostalgia, it also addresses some of the criticism that has been thrown at Twilight. Many critics often thought that the original Bella was nothing more than a Damsel-in-distress trope, so allowing the female to be the angst-y vampire takes care of that issue real quick. And say what you will about the literary prowess of these books, it's certainly an interesting idea to ponder—and a treatment that we'd love to see on several of our personal favorite books.
1. Gone Girl. Goodbye Amazing Amy, hello Amazing...Adam? As fascinatingly crazy as Amy was, there's a whole new world of insanity that would be ready and waiting for a disgruntled husband. Of course, there's a good chance his fake-murder plot (and subsequent scavenger hunt) would be decidedly less involved, but it would be a great way to point out how much more detail-oriented most women are, amirite?
2. Harry Potter. Hermione Granger, step right up and take your rightful place as The Chosen One!
3. The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby as a trophy wife? It's so blasphemous that it just might be perfect. Daisy Buchanan is perhaps the most egregious example of a Damsel-in-distress, so let's see how she would fare as a notoriously wealthy criminal.
4. The Fault In Our Stars. Every gender-swap wish list needs a YA title. We don't have any major complaints with the way Hazel and Gus were written, but rather we just think that in a few years audiences will be thirsty for a re-imagining of the now-classic story. Any excuse to revisit that bench in Amsterdam, right?
5. Little Women. Little Men, the national best-seller. We can see it now! Louisa May Alcott may need some help in the re-writing department (make that a lot of help), but a tale about a group of brothers looking for love in Civil War-era America just writes itself, doesn't it?
6. Fifty Shades of Grey. We kid, we kid. Hasn't everyone had enough already?
7. Charlotte's Web. So get this, Wilhelmina is a piglet who was saved by an adorable little farm girl, and Charlie is the feisty spider who befriends her. You'd read that, right?
8. To Kill a Mockingbird. As a child, we may or may not have thought for a time that Scout was a precocious little boy, so this wouldn't be that far off. Plus, we'd really like to see the role of Atticus Finch re-imagined as a single mother. And with a reboot, there's a good chance that she wouldn't turn out to be a racist in the surprise prequel, so that's something.
9. The Godfather. It's pretty much a fact that there's never been one single interesting female character in a mafia story. Donna Vito Corleone, here's your chance to be an unprecedented mob boss. After all, without the mother there would be no crime family.
10. On the Road. This may be an autobiographical tale about Jack Kerouac's road trip across America, but the Beat movement really could used a few more women in starring roles. Stick Kerouac and Ginsberg in the backseat, please.