Fiction Adaptation Unit: Research - First Thoughts and Ideas

Today we were introduced to the Fiction Adaptation Unit and presented with both our essay questions and our practical brief.

The three essay questions to choose from:

1) Discuss the view that "with a successful adaptation, the original work is transformed into something new and different, although retaining many traces of what it was formerly" with reference to at least one text adapted for broadcast on television.

2) To what extent is it true that "Adaptations of classic texts enable contemporary audiences to re-visit the past; as such they can be situated within the broader context of postmodern appropriations of history" ? Examine with reference to at least one text adapted for broadcast on television.

3) In adapting a novel the adaptor inevitably infringes the integrity of the original text – discuss with reference to at least one text adapted for broadcast on television.

I'm drawn towards the third question due to it allowing me to discuss the accuracy and reception of a text based on its adaptation and it also allows me to write a two-sided argument.

Now I need a text to write about: at first several ides popped into my head:

- Watchmen (Adapted from a graphic novel)

- The Green Mile (Adapted from a book)

- Sin City (Adapted from a graphic novel)

- V For Vendetta (Adapted from a graphic novel)

The issue with these texts is that they're films; they weren't broadcast for TV. 

I could use them as secondary texts: for use purely to back up points and provide other examples but not use them as a focus point.

I don't watch a lot of TV but the shows I do watch aren't adaptations. I would like to write about a text that interests me as it would help make the whole process easier to accomplish. 

One show that springs to mind is The Walking Dead as I'm a big fan of the zombie genre. Only problem is I've never watched it but I do own two compilation books of the comics.

Other ideas:

- Asterix and Obelix

- The Adventures of TinTin 

- Garfield

- Of Mice and Men

I have read all of these texts and they've all spawned TV shows (OMAM spawned a TV movie). I could use these as exemplar texts to back up points and to help with a two-way argument.

I think I'm going to go ahead with The Walking Dead as that has an extensive back catalogue of comics and 5 seasons on TV to work with: it would be interesting to see how faithful the show is to the comics.