Adaptation as Communication

I argue that relevance theory provides a useful framework for understanding adaptations. The claim proceeds from my view that an adaptation is an act of communication like any other; consequently, relevance theoretic concepts, such as the presumption of optimal relevance, apply to adaptations as they do to other communicative acts. The crucial role of contextual assumptions in relevance theory underpins my argument that assumptions about the source work form part of the context in which the writer intends an adaptation to be processed. Furthermore, adaptations relate to their source works in a number of ways; these can be accommodated and accounted for within a relevance theoretic framework. A relevance theoretic approach also places the communication of attitude at the centre of the interpretation of adaptions. It illuminates the relationship between translation and adaptation and allows me to frame questions of fidelity and resemblance so as to account for audience expectations.