AN INTER-SEMIOTIC TRANSLATION STUDY OF THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: A COMPARATIVE SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF THE NOVEL AND ITS FILM ADAPTATION

Abstract

 The present study investigates the intersemiotic translation of John Green’s novel The Fault in Our Stars (2012) into its film adaptation, examining how linguistic and cinematic sign systems interact in the process of adaptation. The research aims to compare the prototext (novel) and metatext (film) to identify similarities and differences that emerge through the transformation of verbal signs into audiovisual ones. Guided by Charles Sanders Peirce’s theory of semiotics (2010) and supported by Lhermitte’s (2005) concept of adaptation as intersemiotic translation, the study employs a qualitative comparative approach. The researcher analyzed ten corresponding sequences from the novel and the film, focusing on instances of addition, deletion, and creation. Findings reveal that approximately 80% of the prototext is retained in the filmic translation, while 17% of the source material has been deleted and new elements have been created three times. The results suggest that the processes of deletion and creation significantly shape the adaptation’s overall meaning, offering an alternative perspective on film adaptation as a semiotic act that reconfigures narrative signs across linguistic and cinematic modes.