Negotiating an Approach to Trauma: where Visual Media and Literature Diverge

Abstract

This article aims to uncover and assess some of the most prominent techniques used in the contemporary portrayal of trauma, by analyzing the works of Hanya Yanagihara, Koen Tachelet and Ivo van Hove for the novel A Little Life and its stage adaptation. This case study is particularly complex thanks to the stage adaptation being itself adapted in turn, for streaming platform distribution. The paper shows each medium’s own strengths when it comes to the challenge of accurately portraying the broken psyche of a traumatized individual, as well as highlighting where and how the adaptation is forced to diverge formally from its literary counterpart, in order to create a powerful depiction of the same subject. Close reading is used in order to wholly assess each of the works, both individually, and comparatively. Finally, the article highlights how both visual media and written media can create impactful representations of trauma, so long as each form acknowledges and maximizes its own strengths and makes full use of its range of technical possibilities, adapting the visual where it cannot fully replicate the original text.