Reading as a transmediating activity : the screenplay of Checchina’s virtue

Killander Cariboni, CarlaLund University,Lunds universitet,Franska,Avdelningen för franska, rumänska och italienska,Sektion 3,Språk- och litteraturcentrum,Institutioner,Humanistiska och teologiska fakulteterna,Italienska,Avdelningen för franska, rumänska och italienska,French Studies,Division of French Studies, Italian Studies, and Romanian Studies,Section 3,Centre for Languages and Literature,Departments,Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology,Italian Studies,Division of French Studies, Italian Studies, and Romanian Studies (author)

The screenplay written by Italian screenwriter and film director Massimo Franciosa in 1995 andfreely based on the short story Checchina’s virtue (1884) by Italian novelist and journalist MatildeSerao (1856-1927) is an example of those submedia ”designed especially to be transmediated”,according to Elleström (2014, 26). The transmediation never occurred however, since the filmnever came into being, due to financial problems. The typewritten screenplay lies at the library ofthe national film institute in Rome, with its transmedial potential practically unexploited.Elleström’s remark that “both material and mental aspect must be included when theorizingabout media” (2014, 49) invites me to focus on the mental representation triggered by the“sensory configuration” of this screenplay. In my contribution I argue that the transmedialpotential of the screenplay is ideally realized through reading and that the cognitive import forthe reader will supposedly not be the same in the case of the screenplay and of the short story, noteven for the parts of these two media products that are very similar or literally identical.Elleström, Lars, 2014, Media Transformation: the Transfer of Media Characteristics Among Media,Palgrave Macmillan.

About the subject

Kungliga biblioteket hanterar dina personuppgifter i enlighet med EU:s dataskyddsförordning (2018), GDPR. Läs mer om hur det funkar här.
Så här hanterar KB dina uppgifter vid användning av denna tjänst.