Wednesday, July 26 - Considering Adaptations

July 26, 2016

Today, Marty led us to consider adaptation in general, as well as how we would adapt A Tale of Two Cities if we were given the task as screenwriters or playwrights.  He began with this question:

What are the challenges of adapting this text (or any text) to the stage or film?

This question led us to consider:

•  The differences between fiction and drama (narration and dialogue vs. staging and scripting)
• Audience – what does a film/play audience demand that may be different from the readers of a novel?
• Time/economy – will you need to simplify storylines and/or emphasize a particular storyline or character?
• Issues of representing elements from the novel that are difficult to show in a three-dimensional setting, such as violence, metaphor, and imagery.
• Casting – who would you put in these parts and why?

Next, Marty asked us, “What makes an adaptation ‘successful’?” This question led us to debate the merits and drawbacks of any adaptation’s fidelity to the novel as well as the variety of purposes an adaptation may have.

These two discussions had primed us well for our next task, to specifically imagine how we would adapt the novel A Tale of Two Cities.  Marty asked us specific questions to that end, which we then discussed:

•       What would you choose as the opening scene?
•       What would you choose as the closing scene?
•       What moment in your adaptation would you use for the greatest emotional impact?
•       What will serve as the most visually rich moment?
•        What theme(s) will you emphasize?
•       What scenes/characters/elements would you remove?
•        What scenes/characters/elements would you add?
•        Why should we see your play/film?

This primed the group to think about what we believe are the essentials of the text.  Next, Marty led the group in composing a list of key scenes.   As we discussed this list, we talked about the function(s) of these essentials scenes to plot, theme, and meaning.  Similarly, we then composed a list of key characters, and coupled with that, a list of characters that could be left out of an adaptation.  Marty then assigned each person a character from the “left out” list and had him or her argue why that character should be included after all.  This led us to consider the purpose and function of each character in the text.

As we went through this entire process, I realized how powerful a tool this lesson is for deepening a student’s understanding of and engagement with a novel.  Answering these questions forced me to consider important elements of Dickens’ craft, including the function and purpose of the narration, each scene, and each character.  It was also very engaging, allowing me a creative outlet and giving me a voice with which to dialogue with the text.  Finally, I also realized that the lesson could be an extremely effective form of student assessment, as success with it requires an in-depth knowledge of the novel.