Research Essay Assignment Overview The major project in this class is your persuasive research essay. Your research essay must be a 10-12 page (approximately 2500-3000 word) essay that takes a clearly

Turning Stories into Visions

Destiny Edwards

ENG 102

Dr. Cythia Nicolosi

8/10/2025

Turning Stories into Visions

At first, I intended to research the extensive interaction between art and literature in different forms such as poetry, music, and sculpture. But it also occurred to me that this was too broad to concentrate on. As I revisited my favorite works, I realized a large number of them were novels that had been turned into movies, like Pride and Prejudice and The Lord of the Rings (Araujo & Smith, 2021). This realization took me to refining my research question as follows: How do filmmakers adapt literary tales into visual ones?

The more I thought about it, the more I wondered how filmmakers know what to maintain and discard in novels and how they can turn prose into images and sounds. Certain adaptations feel like homage and new, others like hollow imitation. Originally, I posed a broad research question on how literature affects contemporary art. In earlier studies, I was introduced to adaptation studies, which provided me with the language and context to study this area (Nikolić & Petrović, 2023). It was finally broken open by Linda Hutcheon and A Theory of Adaptation, the persuasive theory that suggests that adaptations are not inferior imitations but original new creations driven by their material, in which case I stopped perceiving adaptation as a translation and started perceiving it as creative discourse (Adumati & Okoro, 2023).

In that sense, my research question was refined into: How can filmmakers translate literary texts into filmic narration? This caused, in turn, my thesis, which is as follows: the filmmakers interpret the literary stories to the visual narrative by compressing the narrative selectively, translating the descriptive prose to visual imagery, creatively rereading themes to fit the cinema style, and juggling between art and audience demand. All of this thesis was the result of what I had been learning, and all of these words were the result of my purpose, which is to describe adaptation as not a copying, but a transformation. The first significant recommendation in my thesis is narrative compression that emphasizes the duration between novels and film to tell a story. Whereas books can span hundreds of pages, movie-makers have to make do with a few hours (typically less than three), compelling filmmakers to condense narrative. It was evident to me in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, as elements such as Tom Bombadil and minor plot lines were omitted to no detriment of the primary story (Araujo & Smith, 2021). Novel to Film by Brian McFarlane attests to this, as condensation is not only predictable but is also necessary (Nikolić & Petrović, 2023). Given that narrative compression manifests itself through impacting pacing and emotional focus, defining the identity of the adaptation aspect becomes a core issue in my final paper.

The second general point, the transfer of prose to the visual code, was prompted by my realization that watching is such a different experience from reading. One page of a novel may dedicate hundreds of words to describing a sunset in great detail, metaphors, similes, feel, and emotion; a movie maker has to achieve the same mood in a few seconds of screen view. I was intrigued by how the costume design, color saturation, and music in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby capture the spirit of Fitzgerald's prose. Such observation of credibility is not only based on my personal viewing capacity but also on the scholarly research on cinematic semiotics, which describes the manner in which the visual symbols are used to express the meaning without verbal communication (Nikolić & Petrović, 2023). This argument is relevant as it goes to the core of what is so special about cinema; it does not present the story in the literary way; it depicts it. In the final paper, I intend to put this discussion following narrative compression because by the time I am done with reducing the length of the story, the next question arises: how is this story visually narrated?

Creative reinterpretation of themes came in as the third point after having observed that some of the adaptations intentionally alter the tone or the focus of the story to appeal to contemporary readers and listeners. A prime example is Greta Gerwig's Little Women, which, though remaining faithful to Louisa May Alcott's original novel, develops more strongly the feminist elements in that it makes the writing by Jo March a proclamation of independence (Monteverdi & Clark, 2024). I realized that reinterpretation of the theme is not betrayal of the source but one of the principles to make the story immortal and worthwhile. My interpretation of Hutcheon backed this up: adaptations are influenced by the information available to the adapting party, their cultural epoch, and intended audience (Adumati & Okoro, 2023). This is an important point, as it shows that adaptation is an authorial act per se. I will place this discussion after the first two in my final paper, developing a structure-style-meaning sequence (compression-visual translation-thematic reinterpretation).

In the process, I also needed to take into account resistance to my thesis. The most widespread refutation is that adaptations are bound to miss something important in the original. Opponents such as George Bluestone in Novels into Film also say literature and film are so dissimilar that there can be no genuine adaptation (Khissoga & Mwangi, 2023). This view is something that will push me to be clear in what I claim and attempt to dispel. I am not saying that movies can accurately adapt a novel, but instead, I believe they can retell it in a form equally valuable. The process of encountering this opposition has in fact contributed to solidifying my thesis, because it has compelled me to formulate adaptation not as duplication, but as transformation. This is a counterargument that I will include in the final paper, and I plan to address it later after making my case, since it would be of the utmost importance that I present my case and then refute it.

I selected the sources because they are authoritative and relevant to my story. A Theory of Adaptation by Hutcheon is a widely acknowledged work in the expounding field; it gives theoretical justification and practical illustrations (Adumati & Okoro, 2023). Another text that can be considered a basis is Novel to Film by McFarlane: it points to adaptation processes in an extensive analysis (Nikolić & Petrović, 2023). Novels into Film by Bluestone is a dated text but, in its summation of the problems of adaptation, still an important piece (Khissoga & Mwangi, 2023). In conjunction with these books, I have also relied on the source of films themselves, i.e., I have examined how certain decisions in The Lord of the Rings, The Great Gatsby, and Little Women highlight my beliefs. This blend of the academic and the movie-related examples brings my work academic validation as well as a solid ground.

When I write my final paper, I am going to open it with a good hook sentence (I remember the first time I noticed that many movies I saw back then as a kid were made as books, etc.) and move to my research question and thesis. To structure the body, I will present it in three main points in the sequence of the adaptation process as follows: narrative compression, transformation of prose into imagery, and reinterpretation of themes. I will mention counterarguments after discussing these points, explaining what counterarguments exist against them and showing that I understand opposing arguments. The conclusion will sum up my learning points and discuss the creative essence of adaptation and my research process.

As of now, I believe my project is in a good place. My argument is logically constructed, I have credible sources, and I have a thesis. I have also seen feasible pitfalls of not all critics who tend to approach adaptations as either faithful or unfaithful to the source. I would like to think that I can provide a new insight with my own philosophy of holding transformation just as high as preservation. Going ahead, I will still be working on my examples and will make sure that my points in my paper lead to the next.

The issue essay has been a great avenue to look back to my development. It not only explained what I am arguing but also how I shall argue it. I followed the steps of how I went from this general interest in art and literature to a specific question about adaptation, which was developed at every research phase. Talking about my work with others pushed my own ideas and showed me that I was blind to other views. This procedure demonstrated to me that research does not take a direct path but, through discoveries, refinements, and reimagining’s. I hope that my thoughts will guide other individuals to realize the non-linear progressive development of creating a thesis.

In conclusion, I do not aim to merely discuss a couple of film adaptations but to add to better insights into the way stories transform when migrating across mediums. I would like to demonstrate that adaptation is not an inferior form of storytelling but an alternative to it, a form that can celebrate the original and bring into existence something new at the same time. It is the conviction that guides my research and the way in which I perceive both literature and film. I look forward to continuing this work, trusting that my preparatory efforts will produce a coherent and interesting original paper on the topic.

References

Adumati, A. O., & Okoro, N. I. (2023). A study of Linda Hutcheon’s theory of adaptation in‘ÀàreAjagungbadé’: An adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Creative Artist: A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies, 17(2), 34-48.

Araujo, R. C., & Smith, J. L. (2021). The Lord of the Rings—The Fellowship of the Ring: A Comparative Analysis of the Book and the Screenplay.

Khissoga, R. H., & Mwangi, L. (2023). An Ecranisation Study of the Novel The Kite Runner and Its Film Adaptation. ELLITE: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 8(1), 54-60.

Monteverdi, E. C., & Clark, M. A. (2024). The Role of Visual Narratives in Representing Female Identity and Emotions in Little Women (2019). Art and Society, 3(6), 60-67.

Nikolić, V., & Petrović, I. (2023). Process and Product, Transfer and Adaptation Proper,Real-World Practice: The Essentials of Text-to-Screen Adaptation. Belgrade English Language and Literature Studies, 15(1), 333-349.