From Novel to Film: the role and adaptation of language in Atonement by Ian McEwan

The aim of my thesis is to observe and analyze the role of language when it is adapted from the novel to the film. In particular, it will focus on the way in which language is employed in McEwan’s novel Atonement compared to its cinematic adaptation created by Christopher Hampton. The methodology that has been applied was that of analyzing and comparing opinions of scholars, as well as using academic articles and reviews providing a variety of ideas and different point of views about the subject matter. Firstly, the study focuses on the theory of adaptation, in particular on finding a proper way to define what an adaptation is and also who can be addressed as the adapter, since there are many figures working throughout the whole process of adaptation. Secondly, the dissertation takes in consideration the 2007 cinematic adaptation directed by Joe Wright entitled "Atonement" and based on McEwan's notorious novel, which shares the same title. Finally, in a third chapter, the study focuses on the role and adaptation of language, comparing Joe Wright's novel-to-film transposition of Atonement to McEwan's work, analyzing with the software AntConc the frequency as well as the co-occurrance of words in the screenplay of the film and in some selected chapters of the original novel, and finally comparing dialogues and written texts which are part of the adapted film to their original version in the novel.