Reviews for A Theory of Adaptation

The average rating for A Theory of Adaptation based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-09-19 00:00:00 Joseph Moore Do you find yourself thinking about adaptation theory when your friends are talking about facebook apps? Ever come out of a movie adaptation of a book and think, hey they did some really interesting things with the source text there, I'm impressed? Do you like your theory with a good dose of non-snobbish simple english but still enough citations to fill half a bookshelf? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're a nerd and Linda Hutcheon's book is perfect for you. One of the few people who really gives films credence, Hutcheon spends a good deal of her time defending film against terrible and ill founded assumptions (film doesn't have tenses, can't do character's thoughts, etc.) but the rest of her time is spent illustrating how the adaptations offer a richness and newness and differentness. that last word is not a word. Not content to rest with films, however, Hutcheon discusses (briefly) other adaptations, that of paintings, of music, of videogames, amusement park rides and etc. Holy comprehensiveness batman! Not especially 'fun' reading, but it is a book that hits a lot of smart notes and is compelling enough to finish in a few sittings.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-02-06 00:00:00 Richard Glenister This book could be much longer. In particular, I felt that the epilogue of the 2nd addition, though it pointed out some great examples of adaptations, fell short: where were the youtube adaptations, like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries that were hitting just as the book was getting ready for publication? Also, it would have been nice to discuss the ineffectiveness of video game movies and analyze the possible reasons for this ineffectiveness. All in all, though, it's a great read for anyone getting ready to teach a class in adaptation, like I am. :)