Sam Babington

Fiction Adaptation

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Fiction Adaptation Essay:

First Draft
Adaptation within Grimm (2011), The Great
Gatsby Book (1925) and Gatsby (2011) has the
integrity of the original text been infringed?
Sam Babington: 1306356
Television Production Year 2
3rd November 2014
Word Count:
Katherine ...

Sam Babington

Fiction Adaptation

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Contents Page
Cover Page.....................................................................................1
Introduction..................................................................................3
Main Body.................................................................................3-6
Conclusion................................................................................N/A
Bibliography.................................................................................7

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In adapting a novel the adaptor inevitably infringes the

integrity of the original text discuss with reference to at
least one text adapted for broadcast on television.
Introduction
Within television, it has been heavily criticized that fiction adaptations may
infringe the integrity of its original text. The ideology behind adaptation can be
defined as a text that has been changed to suit a new purpose or environment
(1), where its efficacious is determined through a variety of adaptation aspects. For
example, the auteurs style may influence the fidelity of the text through ways such as
a pastiche or Avant Garde transformation, or even challenging narrative
conventions. Similarly, the vast progression of postmodernism too can inevitably
infringe such originality it is often criticized that modernized television may
defamiliarize the narrative through the challenge of a characters homage, or even
converting a text into a hybrid so that it conforms to the modern audience. Semiotics
and intertextuality are often associated with adaptation as they may allow the
audience to gratify nostalgic moments with the text, thus conforming to the originality
of a text. Such infringement will be argued throughout this essay whilst remaining
comparative to the television series Grimm (2011) an almost surrealist adaptation of
iconic fairy tale stories, which have been given a morbid and darkened twist.
Additionally, film adaptation too will be explored by comparing the modernized
adaptation of Gatsby (2013) with the original novel The Great Gatsby (1925), which
will be frequently reinforced by theoretical context.

Main Body
Primarily, the supernatural drama series Grimm, can be argued that it infringes
the integrity of fairytale stories to an extent that it almost transforms instead of
adapting the original stories. The vast adaptations consist of a metamorphosis of each
fairytale, which instead now conforms to the hybrid genre the auteur has added
thriller and horror to the narrative. Such transformation can be argued to be an avantgarde transformation. For example, Alexander Graf quotes that avant-garde
unfetters dynamism and allows the cinemas to charm to achieve its full potential
to become mysterious(3). This is evident in Grimm, as the conventional fairytale

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narrative has been challenged to arguably adapt for the post-modern audience.
(talk about cinematography style/colour of filming)

Additionally, such avant-garde adaptation may even be criticized further

arguing that it is instead a transformation and not an adaptation. For example,
Phyllis Frus quotes that a transformation is a text that reworks an older story or
stories, making a transformation very much like an adaptation.(2). Such criticism
is evident within Grimm, as the first episode portrays a symbolic representation of a
little girl with a red jacket whom is kidnapped by an antagonistic monster (aka the
wolf), remaining intertextual with the Little Red Riding Hood. Such relativity to the
original fairytale story however is transformed due to the auteur intentionally
creating a morbid and profound twist by characterizing the original wolf into a
gruesome killing archetype called a blutbad.

Throughout this essay, most points are likely to intervene with the diversion
between postmodernism and modernist audience. This is significantly applicable
within Grimm due to the development of fairytale stories being within the 1700s and
Grimm being in the latest century. Such time diversion however can be criticized
through the characters homage. Although Grimm is a transformation, some
characters are still instantly recognizable and iconic to the original fairytales. For
example, throughout the series, there are clear character traits relating to Cinderella,
Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and so on. Nonetheless, it is inevitable that these
traits will be adapted to conform to the postmodernist tropes and idioms. This may be
why the auteurs of Grimm have created a pastiche and morbid-twist of these
fairytales, so that the series becomes distinctive and confirmative for the modernized
audience. Such modernization is reinforced by Frus, who quotes Because there are
so many fairytales being retold adaptations may transform texts by borrowing,
mocking, challenging or correcting the ideology of the processor. Thus, series like
Grimm are almost forced to infringe its originality so that the adaptation becomes
more distinctive and avant-garde making it seem more significant as a film piece.

As well as television, film is also found challenging this integrity to a further

extent, so that the film can remain loyal to its postmodernist audience. For example,
the modernized adapted film Gatsby has been criticized for the issue of

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characterization the main protagonist, Nick, has been portrayed to be more

problematic by intentionally adapting to the prohibition of alcohol and we even learn
that he has had problems with alcohol in the past, thus showing how the narrative has
been made more problematic to conform to the modernized audience. QUOTE. Such
deliberate alteration is also evident with the films soundtrack where Luhrmann uses
non-diegetic up-to-date pop music to gratify some of the audiences personal identity
needs (People use media content to compare themselves and their situations with
those of others, quoted by Pieter Fouire). This also intervenes with the use of drugs
which Luhrmann creates within the film, thus showing how some films inevitably
infringes the originality of texts.

More on post-modernism: references to character homage:

Whilst exploring transformations such as Grimm, it is evident that some texts

may in fact conform to the integrity of its original text, often through character
homage. For example, Frus quotes that fairytale adaptations may lead characters to
undergo physical, social and emotional transformation as well. Such quotation
may be challenged as the characters in Grimm mayve been adapted, however theyre
main traits are still evident thus making them instantly recognizable for most of the
audience. For example, the setting of the blutbads......

Similarly, whilst exploring the ideology of semiotics, it is apparent that Grimm

illustrates fidelity to its adaptations through the use of intertextuality. As quoted by
Umberto Eco, semiotics is when phenomenas are used In order to mention things
or state in the world(page 3). Such belief is evident within Grimm as some of the
audience may gratify their surveillance needs (the need for information, page 297)
as quoted by Pieter Foure) through intertextuality i.e. the blutbads house, whose
mise-en-scene is almost iconic with the Big Bad Wolfs, allowing some of the audience
to create a sense of security. Such intertextuality is also reinforced from the way
symbolism is used to conform to the original narrative and becoming instantly
identifiable that it is an adaptation. For example, the harsh red of the little girls jacket
isnt just iconic, yet however also signifies potential danger and death, which is key
throughout Grimms narrative. As well as television, semiotics also work in a
significant way within film to remain faithful to the original text. The adapted film,

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Gatsby, also uses symbolism however in a more visualized and metaphorical way. For
example, the Doctor Eckleburg poster is frequently referred to within The Great
Gatsby novel as a connotation of God, thus having the same religious connotations
evident within the film. Thus, semiotics have been used in both texts to remain
faithful to the integrity of the original texts.

Roland Barthes? How Grimm & Gatsby adaptations challenge the original
narrative. Link to postmodernism and how this challenge is confirmative for
postmodernist audience

Direct comparison of Gatsby script with book

Conclusion

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Filmography
Grimm, Jim Kouf (2011-Present)
Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann (2013)

Bibliography
The Theory of Avant Garde, Peter Burger
Gatsby Movie Script:
http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-great-gatsby
Semiotics: An introductory Anthology (symbolism etc)
Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility (Uses & Grats)
Intertextuality: Theories and Practices
The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald (1925)
Giddings, R. & Sheen, E, 1999, The Classic Novel: From Page to Screen. Manchester
University Press (comparison for Gatsby book to film)
Carroll, R. (ed) (2009) Adaptation in Contemporary Culture, Continuum
International Publishing Group (fidelity of a text)
Frus, P & Williams, C (Ed) 2010 Beyond Adaptation, McFarland & Co. Inc,
Publishers (transformation)
McDougal, S.Y (1985), Made into Movies:From Literature to Film, CBS College
Publishing
Hutcheon, L, 2006, A Theory of Adaptation. Routledge
Postmodern Texts and Emotional Audiences, Kimberley Davis