From Literature into Visual Image : From Fiction to Film in Alice Walker’s “The color purple”

Abstract

This research examines the conditions for the successful adaptation of books to films, in the eyes of readers, spectators, book publishers, and film producers, based on the novel and the adaptation of “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker. It is said that the process of transforming a novel into a cinematic product entails an act of two-way communication between the book and the novel and the contexts of production and reception. Special emphasis is placed on the role that context plays in this communication. The context here is taken to include semitextual material relevant to the modified text and the film. This comprehensive text may lead to fruitful analyzes of adaptations, thus surpassing the myopic standard of fidelity that has traditionally dominated adaptation studies. The analysis uses examples of adaptive transitions, including changes between source narration and film adaptation from “The Color Purple”(Steven Spielberg 1985), which confirm but also complement the analysis and reveal a completely different perspective compared to the readers and viewers.