This course, designed for the general student, examines how the same story can be told in many different ways: just as when a movie is made from a book, when a composer creates an opera from a literary work he must make decisions about what to keep, to discard, and to change. We will first consider several different literary works, and then discover what happens when they are retold as operas, considering what is gained, lost, and changed in these musical retellings. No prerequisites: the ability to read music is not necessary. This course fulfills the CORE Arts requirement.