Madness across genres

Abstract

Reading publications on the topic of adaptation from novels to films is akin to watching a debate. Critics like George Bluestone, Dudley Andrew, and Brian McFarlane use tropes of fidelity and originality to argue for and against one genre’s superiority over the other. Some critics argue for novelistic prerogative while others defend the filmic ability to incorporate sound, visual images and cinematic techniques to portray scenes and emotions. On a general consensus, critics regard the genre of the novel as the more acclaimed one. Perhaps critics’ choice of placing written works on the pedestal is due to the fact that the novel is always an adapted film’s origin (or original).Yet, this hierarchical relationship cannot simply be the basis of judgement. Can film never match up? In my essay, I seek to prove that not all adapted films are inferior to their precursor texts.