Acquainted with the Text

Linda Hutcheon has memorably ruled that “adaptation as adaptation is unavoidably a kind of intertextuality if the receiver is acquainted with the adapted text.” But what exactly does it mean to be acquainted with a text? What are the different kinds of experiences audiences have with texts, what kinds of memories do those experiences leave behind, and which experiences or memories allow audiences to receive adaptations as adaptations? This presentation takes a closer look at these questions in order to establish firmer grounds for indicating what it means to experience adaptation as adaptation.
Thomas Leitch teaches English and directs the Film Studies program at the University of Delaware. His most recent books are Film Adaptation and Its Discontents: From Gone with the Wind to The Passion of the Christ and A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock, coedited with Leland Poague.
Moderation: Dr. Petr Bubeníček