Understanding how definitions of identity are established and altered when literary works are translated to film

Abstract

This paper analyzes the translation of two different stories from their original story in the form of literature to their corresponding adaptation in film. The poem “The Man from Snowy River” translates to film, The Man from Snowy River ; and the novella, Story of Your Life translates to the film, Arrival. Australian identity and human identity, respectively, are altered once translated across the different genres of a poem to film and a novella to film. These genres have intrinsic components specific to each type, which shape how the story is told and perceived. The medium of literature creates an intimate connection between the text and the reader, but the intimacy ranges between poem and novella. A film shifts its storytelling as we now see and hear the story in dramatic ways through a Hollywood style narrative. Parts of each story is lost once translated, but there is information gained when they are compared. Furthermore, the two stories differ in their more specific genres of fiction and science-fiction. By analyzing form, genre, and the components native to each piece of work, there is an understanding of what life was like when each work was created and what values, perspectives, and intentions are important for the author to show to the reader. This paper will show how the audience’s expectations, the details delivered, and the ultimate messages are shaped and altered throughout each piece of work.