Uncanny Fidelity: Recognizing Shakespeare in Twenty-First-Century Film and Television

James Newlin's book Uncanny Fidelity challenges critical orthodoxies in adaptation studies by focusing on films and television series that unexpectedly evoke lost or troubling aspects of Shakespeares original playtexts. By examining adaptation as an instance of uncanny return, Newlin demonstrates how the study of Shakespeares afterlife can radically challenge what we consider to be authentically Shakespearean.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 19 December 2023
Publisher: The University of Alabama Press

In the realm of adaptation studies, the notion of categorizing an adapted text as "faithful" or "unfaithful" to its original source is often perceived as overly simplistic, conservative, and moralistic. In his book, Uncanny Fidelity: Recognizing Shakespeare in Twenty-First Century Film and Television, James Newlin challenges these prevailing critical orthodoxies. Instead, he proposes that by examining how a film or television series closely mirrors Shakespeare's drama, we can delve into the question of what we truly mean by the term "Shakespeare."

Drawing upon Sigmund Freud's concept of the uncanny, which refers to the unsettling sensation of familiarity, this book specifically focuses on films and television series that were not explicitly marketed as adaptations of Shakespeare. However, these works unexpectedly evoke lost or troubling aspects of Shakespeare's original playtexts, their performance history, or their reception. By expanding the scope of fidelity readings beyond conventional concerns such as plot and language, Newlin demonstrates how the study of Shakespeare's legacy can shed light on both the historical context of his drama and its contemporary relevance.

Engaging with contemporary debates in literary and psychoanalytic theory, the book offers provocative close readings of select Shakespearean plays, including The Tempest, Othello, and The Winters Tale, alongside recent films and television series. These works not only evoke widely overlooked qualities of Shakespeare's drama but also recall the casting practices or generic contexts of the early modern stage. By doing so, they challenge our assumptions about what constitutes an authentic Shakespearean adaptation and offer new ways of understanding and appreciating his works in the twenty-first century.

In conclusion, Uncanny Fidelity: Recognizing Shakespeare in Twenty-First Century Film and Television is a thought-provoking and innovative contribution to the field of adaptation studies. By challenging the boundaries of fidelity readings and exploring the uncanny connections between adapted texts and Shakespeare's drama, Newlin provides a fresh perspective on the enduring legacy of Shakespeare in film and television. This book is a must-read for scholars, students, and anyone interested in the intersection of literature, film, and cultural analysis.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780817321765