A Comparative Study of Metalepsis in the Novel and Film "The Book Thief" Based on the Model of Julian Hanebeck

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 A Master’s student in Cinema, Kamal-Ol-Molk University Nowshahr, Iran, Nowshahr

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Performing Arts, School of Performing Arts and Music, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran., (Corresponding Author),

Abstract

Metalepsis that causes transgression between levels of narrative, can be transmitted from one medium to another as a special type of narrative. At the origin, it appears in a different form at the destination.Although the properties of metalepsis have been considered in the postmodern situation, extensive research on it in the ancient cultures of the world shows that the use of this method in literature and art has a long history. In today's era, since the desire to read and see postmodern works has increased, the need to recognize and adapt the characteristics of these works in literature and cinema is also developing. The present study has examined this procedure from literature to cinema and its concern is to investigate the transmission of written metalepsis to visual metalepsis. The present study aimed to analyze the signs and effects of metalepsis, including immersion, aesthetic illusion, and how to break the fourth wall in the transition from literature to cinema. The research method is qualitative with a narrative research approach. Therefore, the novel and the movie The Book Thief have been studied in a comparative way to identify the cognitive schemas of the levels in the work. The result shows that in the novel with continued metalepsis,we usually encounter even minimal transgression and sometimes stronger signs. In the film, since most of the narrative is carried out by a neutral camera, unlike in the novel, we do not encounter continued metalepsis, and only occasionally does metalepsis occur with intense and obvious signs.

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References

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Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature, Arts and Humanities
Volume 3, Issue 2 - Serial Number 6
January 2024
Pages 191-218

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History

  • Receive Date: 03 September 2023
  • Revise Date: 17 October 2023
  • Accept Date: 08 November 2023

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