From Novel To Film:Representation And Development Of Focalization In Narration

As an influential author in America, John Irving has published many brilliant works which have been translated into more than thirty languages for readers around the world. Among the novels published since1968, many of them have been adapted into movies in which The Cider House Rules rearranged by himself achieved great success for its remarkable narrative style and its unique originality both in the novel and film circles.This thesis consists of six chapters. The first chapter Introduction gives a brief introduction on John Irving and The Cider Houses Rules, looks back on the researches both at home and aboard, and points out that the text aims to research into the narrative focalization and sums up the features of the two texts which is based on the examples. It also expounds the development and creativity of the classical narrative focalizatior, in comparison with that of the film text, showing that the research significance is revealed by the following aspects:the sublimation of the two text research and the little push to the narrative focalization theory. Finally, it introduces the structure of the thesis.The concept and classification of focalization in the novel are introduced in Chapter Two. Referring to the previous studies on focalization, the author mainly adopts and analyzes the definition and classification of focalization proposed by Gerard Genette. Besides, this part also presents Genette’s contributions to promote the development of classical narrative theories in order to pave the way for the next chapter.Chapter Three analyzes focalization occurring in The Cider House Rules and summarizes the features of focalization. The text, basing on the zero focalization, alternates internal and external focalizations. The coordination and the transformation of the three focalization patterns provide a wide developmental space for the creativity in narrative.Chapter Four analyzes focalization existing in the movie and describes concept and classification of focalization in the movie. Additionally, this part analyzes the differences and similarities about focalization in narration of the novel and the movie, and underscores some exclusive issues in narration of movie such as the specialty of filmic language and the use of picture and voice, which lays the foundation of the theory for the next chapter.Chapter Five explores focalization presenting in the movie and its affect on the focalization theory. The theory frame of this part originates from the reconsideration of Andre Gaudreault and Francois Jost towards the concepts and classifications of focalization from the view of filmic semiotics. According to the contributions of these two writers, this thesis analyzes the movie The Cider House Rules adapted from the novel and sums up the features of focalization in the movie and complexity presented by the diversities of filmic materials.The last chapter is conclusion. In my opinion, the novel The Cider House Rules and its adapted film show unique focalization traits. On the basis of the novel’s narrative focalization, the scholars made new development on the film narrative theory, leading to the shift in the presentation mode of the focalization of the novel under discussion. It is inspiring that seeking common ground while reserving differences for the novel and film, making use of two different narrative arts on narrative focalization.