Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi

Abstract

Considering
the very common assumption that reading is a much more demanding process than
watching a literature-based film, adapting novels, short stories, and plays
into films has been a debatable issue for years. It is apparent that both the
reader and the audience are involved in a complicated relationship between
texts and films which are the most significant means to familiarize the
audience with literary masterpieces. Filmmakers are regarded as free artists who
are able to make alterations in the texts while translating or adapting them
into screen to reflect their distinctive methods and approaches, thus to create
profound effects on the viewers. Clearly it is to be admitted that both
literary forms and cinematic forms share certain similarities and differences as
well. The objective of this study is to explore this complex relationship
between literature and literature-based films, by providing a critical analysis
of the interdisciplinary, and intertextual nature of both forms and dwelling on
the differences between translating and adapting, with reference to one of the
most popular literature based films, Moby
Dick.