Week 8 Question

To what extent can narratology, translation and adaptation studies aid us in understanding cosplay ?

The Oxford Dictionary (2020) defines narratology as “the branch of knowledge or criticism that deals with the structure and function of narrative and its themes, conventions, and symbols. From a traditional standpoint, a narrative text is simply a text in which a story is told. The story (or fabula) is simply a series of logically related events that are experienced by the characters. On the other hands, scholars such as Ryan (2004) call for a more fluid, socially situated definition of narrative texts. Either way, it can be said that there is a basic grammer of narrative events and repotoire of character types out of which all narratives are fashioned (Propp, 1928). Cosplayer mimic characters from the narrative of a text. However, it could be argued that since each fan may appreciate and emphasize different aspects of a character in their performance based on their perception of the text, it has a closer similarity to Fanfiction. In terms of cosplay, the question remains as to the extent of which the narrative of the original text survives adaptation to cosplay, and whether the terminology of narratology is relevant to cosplay (Mountford, 2018).

Kirkpatrick (2015) says that “Through embodied translation, cosplayers embody source characters from a textual realm into a material one. Consequently, in so doing they subject super or fantastical characters to the laws and limitations of the real world”. Though translation used to be extremely strict in terms of ‘faithfulness’ to the source text, this point of view has shifted due to concerns with the function of a text. Now, cosplay translates and adapts texts in order to cater to the cosplay community. In cosplay, the character (visual) trumps the narrative (text). The narrative is largely lost in translation (Mountford, 2018).

Narratology, translation and adaption studies aids us in understanding cosplay because it reveals cosplay as being its own genre. Because the majority of the original text narrative not truly adapted to cosplay, and these gaps are adapted and altered, it creates a slightly altered story, similar to a Fanfiction. There is endless possibility for where the narrative can be taken, and this altering creates a potential alternate genre from its source material. It also helps us understand cosplay in terms of its creativity. Many critics see cosplay as simply copycatting existing characters and narratives, being uninspired and unoriginal. Narratology and translation/adaption studies shows the alterations and changes in cosplay, revealing the creative roots behind the genre.

References

Mountfort, P (2018). Planet Cosplay. Intellect Books.

Oxford (2020) Oxford Learners Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/