New York Public Library turns classic novels into Insta Stories

The New York Public Library is using Instagram's Stories feature to make classic novels more accessible and enticing to read, especially to the younger generation. It has teamed up with ad agency Mother in New York to create "Insta Novels," which turns classic pieces of literature into animated digital novels illustrated by various visual artists. These digitized versions take inspiration from the layouts of the original classics, featuring elements that reflect the novels' designs. The full digital books will be posted as Stories: simply hold the screen to read a page and lift your finger to turn it. If you're a fast reader, just let it play on its own to watch the animated elements move on screen.

Insta Novels is launching today on the library's Instagram account, starting with Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Over the next couple of months, it will release the digital versions of The Yellow Wallpaper, a short story by Charlotte Perkins, and The Metamorphosis, a Franz Kafka novella. You don't have to worry about missing any of them either: they will be collected as Highlights, which will serve as the account's bookshelf of sorts, so you can find them anytime you want or read them again at a later date.

Corinna Falusi, Partner and Chief Creative Officer of Mother in New York, said: "Instagram unknowingly created the perfect bookshelf for this new kind of online novel. From the way you turn the pages, to where you rest your thumb while reading, the experience is already unmistakably like reading a paperback novel." Make sure to follow the New York Public Library's account to catch the Alice in Wonderland Insta Novel launch today.