A Case Study Of Ian Mcewan's Atonement And Its Film Adaptation

The famous British writer Ian McEwan's novel Atonement,published in 2001,has won many prizes and been highly thought of by readers from home and abroad.In 2007,the famous screenwriter Christopher Hampton and director Joe Wright adapted the novel into a film under the same name.Like its predecessor,the film was favourably reviewed and went on to receive many prizes.This thesis will use research methods such as narrative study,close reading,and comparison to explore the novel and its film adaptation,study how the screenwriter and the director reinterpret and criticise the text,and analyse the reasons behind those moderations.This thesis will be divided into three chapters.The first chapter study the reliability of narration in the novel and the film,the relationship between focalisation and narrative voice,reasons for the different presentation of characters' traits in both media(with a focus on Briony's),and the side effects of having a celebrity cast.The second chapter analyses differences and effects of narrative sequence and structure in the two media and how the film improves them.The last chapter explores the reason,purpose and significance of different presentations of atonement,war and love and the way the film criticises the narration of atonement in the novel.This thesis finds out that: in the novel,the unreliability generated by child focalisation of the young Briony and the adult narrative voice of the elderly Briony can mislead readers,since the adult narrator adds her emotions to the narration,and guides readers to believe that it is out of innocence and fearfulness that the young Briony makes the mistake.The film,on the other hand,deletes external factors which defend Briony's crime,and reshapes Briony into a “villain,” so that audiences would be disgusted by her negative traits and feel more sympathetic for the victims.With the help of close-up shots,Briony's gradual repentance for her misdeeds will be more likely to meet audiences' expectations.The presence of celebrities James McAvoy and Keira Knightley in the film hinder audiences' interpretation of the original characters,as audiences may have been impressed by other roles they have previously played.Both the novel and the film separately depict what Briony sees and what really happens,and the film improves the inconformity caused by the narration in the novel and instead uses details,repeated scenes,and soundtracks to clearly and fluently connect each part.The double ending in the novel reveals the cruelty of war and the weakness of human beings,making readers feel pity for the impossible atonement.The triple ending in the film uses the interview to keep the confession while adds a new and symbolic happy ending to reinterpret the text,encouraging people to overcome difficulties and look forward to a brilliant future.Furthermore,the film gives audiences the right to choose the ending they wish to believe.The film also criticises the ambiguity in the novel that the “concentric circle” structure with five layers showing different stories makes the plot more complicated.By deleting some plots and distinguishing the roles different media play in the text,the film makes the motif of atonement clearer.Long shots and intertexts used in the film partially depict the war in the novel.With a focus on the situation of the evacuation of Dunkirk after bombs and gunshots,audiences can experience the war by themselves.the film also makes propaganda of the motif of love to arouse audiences' interests.A comparison of the two media from aspects of characterization,narrative strategies and motifs helps identify distinctive features of both media.Furthermore,by analysing how the screenwriter and the director reinterpret and criticise the novel,people can gain a new understanding of the original text.Therefore,this thesis helps to push forward a comparative study between different media and further study the original text.