‘The Odyssey’ : expanding horizons through adaptation and rewriting

Abstract

This dissertation seeks to answer the research question of what adaptation is. There are several aims to the dissertation, the main aim being to give answer to the research question of what the purpose of adaptation is. The dissertation also seeks to uncover the reason as to why certain writers use adaptation such as it being used for political approaches, for pleasure factors usually through intertextuality, for the expansion of the canon through either homages or subversions and to make the source work suitable for different audiences. Additionally, the dissertation aims to discover not only why adaptation is used but also how it is employed in different genres such as video games, film, and children’s literature. To do this, the multiple aspects of adaptation are explored focusing not only on aspects it shares with translation studies, particularly the literary translation branch, but also with aspects that allow it to break free from the constraints of translation theory, such as the originality and fidelity debate. To show this, Homer’s Odyssey was chosen. The Odyssey, which dates to Ancient Greece, has been passed down through generations, changing constantly along the way through translations, adaptations, and rewritings, since the rhapsodes of Homer’s time to today’s contemporary society seen through video games, film, and other genres. Thus, Homer’s work proves to be an excellent case study on adaptation. First, the dissertation explores multiple theories and discussions on adaptation and translation, comparing the two sides of the coin of adaptation, criticism and praise. The first two theoretical chapters include discussions by critics renowned in the field of adaptation such as George L. Bastin, Julie Sanders, Linda Hutcheon, and Theo Hermans. This gives a basic understanding of the many aspects of adaptation, such as intertextuality, canon expansion, and the pleasure principle. After exploring these theoretical discussions, the following chapters analyse different types of adaptations and rewritings. The third chapter explores works that are ‘original’ (single quotation marks are used when discussing the ‘original’ since the dissertation argues that there is no one true ‘original’ work) including Virgil’s Aeneid and Dante’s Divina Commedia. Here the chapter delves into how the literary canon expands through translations, adaptations, and rewritings. The fourth chapter focuses on two appropriations that are motivated by a political stance, Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad and James Joyce’s Ulysses. This chapter explores how adaptation successfully brings to the forefront marginalised groups, focusing on a postcolonial and feminist appropriation. The following chapter tackles the ability of adaptation to target a specific audience as well as the effect on adaptation in an ever-changing society thanks to technological advancements. In this chapter, three main genres are explored, film, videogames, and children’s literature. Here it is argued that both the genre of film and videogames are in essence, literary, and can be viewed in a similar perspective as written literature, particularly through their narrative. In addition, adaptation, similarly to translation, becomes a necessary tool to target specific audiences and expands the horizons of a literary work. The dissertation then addresses the several aspects discussed throughout, looking at how adaptations and rewritings expanded the horizon of the Odyssey. This chapter also provides an answer to the research question. The definition of adaptation given is that adaptation is the process that an adapter uses to make a source text suitable for a specific function. In the end, some concluding remarks are made on why adaptation is an integral part of translation studies.