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Transformation
Transformation is a middle category between inspiration and adaptation.
At one end of the scale, all artists are inspired by other works of art,
but the nature of that inspiration is often nebulous.
At the other end of the scale, works of art are frequently adapted from
one medium or another, for example, any one of Kenneth Brannaugh’s adaptations
of Shakespeare for the screen.
In
the case of a play, clues that you are looking at an adaptation are:
a) the title of the work is the same; b) the characters have the same
names; c) the plot is essentially unchanged.
Transformation
occupies a
middle ground between inspiration and
adaptation.
As opposed to inspiration, a transformation is clearly related to
previous work of art. As opposed to
adaptation, a transformation typically has a different title than the original,
a different setting, different character names, an altered plot, etc.
What remains of the original in a transformation is a kind of ghostly
presence: enough of its essential
core to make the connection between original and transformation clear, but not
so much that the transformation can’t stand on its own.
In other words, a transformation functions as a meaningful work of art
even if the audience is unaware of the original.
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Exploration
of the Arts 1301-02