Adaptation

Adaptation and Linda Hutcheon:

Linda Hutcheon is a Canadian theorist. She has written a detailed book A Theory of Adaptation. According to Hutcheon, a famous film theorist, to adapt a work means ‘to adjust, to alter, to make suitable’. She has given three interconnected perspectives regarding literary adaptations. She says an adaptation is an extensive “transposition” of a particular work or works. This process involves the change of medium or the change of context. In the process of transposition, the interpretations differ as there are varied points of views.  There can be a transposition from a real to imaginary or from a historical account to biography, etc. Secondly, she looks at adaptation as “a process of creation”. The act of adaptation always involves both re-interpretation and re-creation. In other words, it is called appropriation and salvaging. Salvaging refers to the act of saving an old text from being forgotten, or paying homage to a previous text. Thirdly, Hutcheon calls it “a process of reception”.  It is a process of intertexuality. Hutcheon says the process of adaptation is the process of appreciation. It is the process of taking possession of another’s story. Adaptation is, actually, reappearance but reappearance without any imitation. It is a combination of “telling” and “showing” forms of narration. Being shown a story is not the same as being told it.

According to Hutcheon adaptations always reflect the presence of the prior text. She says that an adaptation is a derivation… not derivative – a work that is second without being secondary. With a change in form there occurs a considerable change in both the depiction of story and its receiving. She believes that films are better when they are completely faithful to the original. Thus, she focuses on the notion of fidelity. Further, she says adaptation includes performance, orchestration, summary, critical commentary, sequels, prequels, etc. It also includes the modes like transformation and imitation. All imitations are indeed interpretations. Adaptations are the texts of one sort or another rather than realizations of texts. Adaptation is “repetition with replication”. Adaptation’s ‘target’ text is always another work of art, another form of coded discourse.  She has played a prominent role in democratization of the subject – ‘Adaptation’.