The Hollywood Novelization

Film as Literature or Literature as Film Promotion

Bibliographic Data

ID4375284
AuthorsJohannes Mahlknecht (corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume33
Issue2
Pages137-168
Publication date2012-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePoetics Today (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0333-5372 • E-ISSN: 1527-5507
PublisherDuke University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1215/03335372-1586572
OpenAlexW2148992522
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited17

Hollywood movie novelizations are novels based on mainstream films and published about the time these films are released in theaters. The present article explores the ambiguous status of this generally little-esteemed and frequently ignored form of adaptation. On the one hand, novelizations are works of literature that can be enjoyed without knowledge of the film they are based on; on the other, they can be (and often are) seen as mere tools of film advertising. This latter aspect becomes particularly evident when looking at the cover design of a novelization. It invariably features the film's artwork (the poster image, stills, and/or typography used for promoting the film) and frequently highlights the film's stars rather than the book's author. By analyzing a selection of book covers of novelized versions of recent films and comparing the novelization of Terminator Salvation (Foster 2009b) with the film (Terminator Salvation 2009, dir. McG) it is based on, the article traces and examines the frictions between the opposing forces-literature and film marketing-that define the genre

Advertising · Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Business · Film genre · Film studies · Hollywood · Mainstream · Movie theater · Political science · Typography · Visual arts · Cinema and Media Studies · Digital Games and Media · Law · Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Literary Criticism

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