13.1 Theories of Adaptation and Intertextuality

Theories of adaptation and intertextuality explore how works transform across media. These concepts examine how stories change when adapted to new formats, and how texts relate to and influence each other.

Understanding adaptation and intertextuality is key to analyzing drama's evolution. These theories reveal how plays borrow, reimagine, and dialogue with other works, shaping our interpretation of both original and adapted texts.

Adaptation and Intertextuality in Drama

Defining Key Concepts

Top images from around the web for Defining Key Concepts

• 

  Review of “ShakespearePlaysPlus Text Corpus” – RIDE View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Creator, Challenger, Coach through Change: Getting out of the Drama – Reveln Consulting View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Thriller Webtoon "Crime Puzzle" to Receive Drama Adaptation @ HanCinema :: The Korean Movie and ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Review of “ShakespearePlaysPlus Text Corpus” – RIDE View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Creator, Challenger, Coach through Change: Getting out of the Drama – Reveln Consulting View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

Top images from around the web for Defining Key Concepts

• 

  Review of “ShakespearePlaysPlus Text Corpus” – RIDE View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Creator, Challenger, Coach through Change: Getting out of the Drama – Reveln Consulting View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Thriller Webtoon "Crime Puzzle" to Receive Drama Adaptation @ HanCinema :: The Korean Movie and ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Review of “ShakespearePlaysPlus Text Corpus” – RIDE View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Creator, Challenger, Coach through Change: Getting out of the Drama – Reveln Consulting View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

• Adaptation transforms a work from one medium or genre into another involving changes to suit new format or audience
• Intertextuality describes relationships between texts where one work references, builds upon, or draws influence from others
• Dramatic adaptations translate narrative elements, themes, and characters from source text into performative medium (theater, film, television)
• Intertextuality in drama manifests through direct quotations, allusions, parody, or subtle thematic echoes
• Fidelity in adaptation theory examines degree of faithfulness to source material (plot, character, theme)
• Adaptation and intertextuality intersect as adaptations engage in dialogue with source material and related texts

Applications in Dramatic Works

• Transmediation translates narrative elements between media considering unique affordances and limitations of each format
• Adaptations prioritize different aspects of source material (plot fidelity, thematic resonance, character development)
• Remediation incorporates and reframes elements of older media in new forms altering audience relationship with content
• Adaptation strategies range from literal adaptation to interpretation to radical reimagining
• Relationship between original and adaptation involves interplay of homage, critique, and transformation
• Cross-media adaptations explore unique expression of source material elements (internal monologue, visual symbolism)
• Adaptation reception influenced by audience familiarity with source and expectations of fidelity or innovation

Original Text vs Adaptation

Transmediation and Remediation

• Transmediation translates narrative elements between media formats
  • Considers unique affordances and limitations of each medium
  • Adapts storytelling techniques to suit new format (visual storytelling in film adaptations of novels)
• Remediation incorporates older media forms into newer ones
  • Alters audience relationship with content
  • Examples include digital adaptations of print media (e-books, interactive graphic novels)
• Adaptation strategies vary in approach to source material
  • Literal adaptation closely reproduces original elements
  • Interpretation maintains core elements while making significant changes
  • Radical reimagining uses source as loose inspiration

Fidelity and Innovation

• Fidelity in adaptation examines faithfulness to source material
  • Plot fidelity preserves narrative structure and events
  • Character fidelity maintains personality traits and arcs
  • Thematic fidelity retains core ideas and messages
• Adaptations may prioritize different aspects of source material
  • Plot-driven adaptations focus on narrative events
  • Character-centric adaptations emphasize psychological depth
  • Thematic adaptations explore central ideas in new contexts
• Innovation in adaptation involves creative reinterpretation
  • Updating setting or time period (modern retellings of Shakespeare)
  • Gender-swapping characters (female Sherlock Holmes adaptations)
  • Genre-bending (horror adaptation of classic literature)

Reception and Audience Engagement

• Adaptation reception influenced by multiple factors
  • Audience familiarity with source material
  • Expectations of fidelity or innovation
  • Cultural context of adaptation
• Cross-media adaptations explore unique expressive possibilities
  • Visual symbolism in film adaptations of novels
  • Interactive elements in video game adaptations of films
• Audience engagement varies for different types of adaptations
  • Nostalgia-driven engagement for faithful adaptations
  • Critical analysis of interpretive adaptations
  • Surprise and discovery in radical reimaginings

Adaptation Strategies for Effectiveness

Approaches to Adaptation

• Literal adaptations closely reproduce source material
  • Prioritize fidelity to plot, characters, and dialogue
  • Examples include many Shakespeare film adaptations (Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet")
• Interpretive adaptations maintain core elements while making changes
  • Adapt to new medium or contemporary context
  • Examples include modernized settings of classic plays (Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet")
• Radical adaptations use source as loose inspiration
  • Reimagine story, characters, or themes in dramatically different ways
  • Examples include postmodern retellings (Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead")

Capturing the Essence

• "Spirit of the work" refers to capturing essential elements of source material
  • Focuses on themes, tone, and emotional impact
  • Allows for plot alterations while maintaining core essence
• Adaptation strategies focus on different aspects of source material
  • Narrative structure (maintaining key plot points)
  • Character development (preserving character arcs and relationships)
  • Thematic exploration (emphasizing central ideas)
  • Visual aesthetics (translating descriptive prose into visual design)
• Effectiveness evaluated on engagement of diverse audiences
  • Appeals to those familiar with source material
  • Accessible to new audiences encountering story for first time

Critical Reception and Evaluation

• Critical reception considers adaptation's success on multiple levels
  • Standalone artistic merit
  • Relationship to source material
  • Innovation in interpretation or presentation
• Audience response often reflects expectations and familiarity
  • Fans of source material may scrutinize fidelity
  • New audiences may focus on overall entertainment value
• Evaluation criteria for adaptation effectiveness
  • Coherence of narrative in new medium
  • Depth of character portrayal
  • Resonance of themes in adapted context
  • Technical execution (acting, direction, production design)

Cultural Context in Adaptation

Cultural and Historical Influences

• Adaptations reflect cultural values and social norms of production context
  • Contemporary adaptations may address current social issues
  • Historical adaptations offer perspective on past cultural attitudes
• Cultural translation adapts works across linguistic and cultural boundaries
  • Necessitates changes for accessibility and relevance to new audiences
  • Examples include localization of foreign films or plays
• Historical adaptations reinterpret classic works through contemporary lens
  • Highlight themes resonating with current social or political issues
  • Examples include modern-day settings for Shakespeare plays addressing power dynamics

Cultural Capital and Selection

• Cultural capital influences selection of works for adaptation
  • Canonical works often chosen for prestige and recognition
  • Emerging interest in adapting diverse and underrepresented voices
• Approaches to adaptation shaped by cultural expectations
  • Western adaptations of Eastern works may alter narrative structures
  • Independent adaptations may take more risks than mainstream productions
• Postcolonial adaptations engage in critical dialogue with canonical texts
  • Reframe narratives from marginalized perspectives
  • Examples include adaptations of "The Tempest" exploring colonialism (Aimé Césaire's "A Tempest")

Reception Across Cultures

• Adaptation reception varies significantly across cultural contexts
  • Influenced by cultural familiarity with source material
  • Aesthetic preferences shape visual and narrative expectations
  • Social taboos may necessitate content alterations
• Adaptations serve as form of cultural commentary
  • Use familiar narratives to critique aspects of adapting culture
  • Examples include satirical adaptations of classic works
• Cross-cultural adaptations can bridge understanding between societies
  • Introduce audiences to foreign literary traditions
  • Highlight universal themes across cultural boundaries