Aristophanes in Comic Books: Adaptation as Metabase

Abstract

Translation studies researchers have for a long time critically engaged with the idea of translation being a mode of creative rewriting across media and cultural or temporal divides. Adaptation studies experts use a similar premise to study products, processes and reception of adaptations for specific locales. This article combines such perspectives in order to shed light on an under-researched area of comic adaptation: this is the metabase, or transfer, of Aristophanic comedies to the comic book format in Greek and their subsequent translation into English for an e-book edition (Metaichmio Publications 2012). The paper suggests a model for the close reading of creative transfer based on Lefèvre’s (2011; 2012) typology of formal properties of comics and Attardo’s (2002) General Theory of Verbal Humour. As is shown, visual rhythm and text-image relations create a rich environment for anachronism, parody, comic characterisation and ideological comments, all of which serve a condensed plot. The English translation rewrites cultural/ideological references, amplifies obscenity and emphasizes narrator visibility, always taking into consideration the mise en scène.

Recontextualizing Literary Classics With Modernity: A Social Semiotic Analysis of a Comic Adaptation of Journey to the West

“…He believes that fidelity is the key regardless of the type of adaptation strategy adopted. Asimakoulas (2016) examines how Aristophanes are adapted into comics and identifies that the process of humor transformation involves creative adaptations such as language simplification and the addition of explanatory texts and the removal of erotic expressions and traces of feminism. Therefore, it can be seen that comic adaptation is influenced by the type of the source text.…”

“…Product-oriented approach mainly concerns the advantage in meaning-making in the comic medium and looks into how comic adapters are able to make use of a range of semiotic resources such as dialogue balloons, captions, and panels. Many studies show that comic has its advantages in constructing identities (e.g., Asimakoulas, 2016; Beineke, 2011; Sabeti, 2014; Vanderbeke, 2010). For example, Beineke (2011, pp.…”

“…For example, the comic versions of Shakespeare have been incorporated with personal thoughts of the comic author (Perret, 2004). The works of Aristophanes, a famous playwright of ancient Athens, have been recreated with verbal humor and visible feminism (Asimakoulas, 2016). Journey to the West , known as the leading one of the “four famous novels” in China, has witnessed a similar process.…”