Abstract
In the era of fast changing multimedia environment, the problem of the literariness and its formats of existence and communication require new theoretical approaches. On the basis of empirical observations of some concrete cases in mainland China and abroad, this paper proposes the concept of "spreadable literature" to expand the theoretical vision of the mainstreamed "adaptation paradigm." The "adaptation paradigm" focuses on the studies of film and televisual screen adaptations of literary works and follows the linear communication logic, which not only eschews the strong tradition of the spreadability of ancient folk literature but also fails to help us understand the complex transmedia narrative structure termed as "spreadable literature" in this paper. In terms of literary forms, "spreadable literature" aims to construct an alternative world that may provide a space for multiple characters and stories to be developed and rewritten. In terms of circulation conditions, "spreadable literature" may displace the centered status of the fiction, giving way to the game industry for its increasingly pivotal role in the creative process of story development. While "spreadable literature" is not and could not be the only form of the existence and communication of literariness, the netted holistic mode of thinking it provides can be a new theoretical approach.
First Page
205
Last Page
211
Recommended Citation
Zhou, Lulu. 2014. "Beyond the "Adaptation Paradigm": The "Spreadable Literature" and Its Contemporary Characteristics." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 34, (5): pp.205-211. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol34/iss5/4
