A Probe Into The Historical Evolution And Development Direction Of The Study Of Literary Adaptation Films From The Perspective Of Media Theory

Film adaptation has become a major branch of film theory.However,as an independent discipline,the adaptation of film study lacked a complete historical review.This article attempts to use the time axis as a clue to the adaptation theory scattered in various books and critics' interviews,to sort out the development context,theoretical achievements and reasons for transformation in each period,and further explore the development trend of theory of film adaptation in the context of digital media.The study of literary adapted film can be divided into six periods and three major stages: the first stage is the budding period of adaption research,which is affected by the independent demands of film art.Theorists attempted to prove the uniqueness of the film medium through comparison with other arts.This prompted the theorists to notice the existence of adapted film and lay the foundation for adaptation study.The second stage is the mature period.In-depth theorists have gradually realized the limitations of the film medium,and the booming literary film adaptation research had thus become mature and "text-centrism".The third stage is the transition period.The introduction of modern and post-modern theories made adaptation research questioned and actively deconstructed the "text-centrism".As a result,the research was overwhelmed and disappeared by the pluralism and deconstruction frenzy.The entire history of adaptation research showed the trend of swings between the literature and film with the changed in the understanding of their media.In the third stage,adaptation research needs to return to the media in order to maintain self in postmodern theory.At present,the spectacle phenomenon shows the strong discreteness and constructiveness,fidelity and interaction of the digital media in the film.It echoes the trend of deconstruct the "text-centrism".On the other hand,the formalistic trap it generated reminds us that adaptation studies should not ignore the positive significance of literature for film development.