The Great Gatsby meets Alain Badiou : Rethinking fidelity in film adaptation

Abstract

The subject of this book is a consideration of the usefulness of the concept of fidelity put forward by the philosopher Alain Badiou in the discussion of film adaptation. Fidelity or faithfulness is primarily a consideration that emerges in relation to so-called canonical texts in adaptation: Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby occupies a position of global recognisability and, within the United States, cultural mythology that has triggered strong reactions to the four Hollywood adaptations. The various adaptations allow for the differing approaches to the adaptation of this novel to be meaningfully explored. The film adaptations’ paratextual elements are discussed in order to show how these acted as limiting lenses. The strategies of the films for handling elements of Fitzgerald’s prose and themes are compared across the adaptations. The book concludes by asserting the worth of a larger application of a Badiouian fidelity within the field.