A Review of Linda Hutcheon's A Theory of Adaptation

Linda Hutcheon’s A Theory of Adaptation (2006) examines the phenomenon of adaptation that has been and continues to be popular in a variety of media. The book is a monograph in 6 chapters and is 232 pages in length, including references and index. Hutcheon presents the use of adaptation not through a series of case studies, but rather through an unbiased comparative analysis of text-based sources from which she teases out commonalities of adaptation present in diverse media such film, television, theatre, opera, music, video games, and amusement parks. She examines how audiences are engaged through adaptation and includes an overview of early adaptation theory, highlighting its advantages and disadvantages. Questions surrounding the denigration of adaptation (the belief that adaptation is secondary to the source), fidelity to the source text, and “remediate” story telling are also addressed. She considers too the audience’s response and participation to adaptation by looking at active involvement in art and criticism. The subject matter raises interesting questions in a variety of academic fields, ranging from but not limited to literary theory, visual art, theatre, film and cinema, and music and opera. It is also applicable to fields of education and business, as her discussion of adaptation’s effect on economics, pedagogy, politics, and personal reason implies.