Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
1
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
01-07
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
A
BSTRACT
This article analyzes the techniques of graphic literature, such as reduction, excess, compression, used in
the translation of a verbally realized work into another sign system on the example of the translation of V.
Pelevin's literary text "Omon Ra".
K
EYWORDS
Graphic novel, graphic literature, V. Pelevin, artistic device, text arrangement.
I
NTRODUCTION
There is a rising interest in understanding visual
literature and its genres in modern science.
Questions of the state and poetics of graphic
literature genres are raised in the research
activities of researchers such as S. McCloud, W.
Eisner, E. Bulson, J. Baethens, H. Frey, A. Bergson,
and K. Mikkonen [1; 2; 3; 4; 5].
The Russian literary process has seen an
expansion of the genre paradigm and the
emergence of new genre forms in many domains
of mass, middle, and elite literature over the
Journal
Website:
http://sciencebring.co
m/index.php/ijasr
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Research Article
TRANSLATION OF A VERBALLY EXPRESSED WORK INTO
ANOTHER SYSTEM OF SIGNS USING TECHNIQUES OF
GRAPHIC LITERATURE
Submission Date:
March 06, 2023,
Accepted Date:
March 11, 2023,
Published Date:
March 16, 2023
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ijasr-03-03-01
Alexey Nikolaevich Rotanov
Senior Lecturer, National University Of Uzbekistan Named After Mirzo Ulugbek, Uzbekistan
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
2
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
01-07
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
previous decade. Works of visual literature are
undeniably appealing, with demand increasing
year after year, not only among writers but also
among the end user
–
the reader. And, if comics
occupied the leading position in the system of
genres of graphic literature in the last century,
with its rather formulaic poetics, both at the level
of form and at the level of content, there is a
movement in the location of the genre disposition
of graphic literature during the period of the
change in the literary vector from postmodernism
to "new realism"
–
the graphic novel comes to the
fore, striving as a genre to overcome the
restrictive f Thus, in modern Russian literature, a
unique situation is forming in which the author's
consciousness, in an effort to comprehend the
specifics and inner potential of the graphic novel
genre, is looking for various ways to implement
the ideological and thematic-problem layer of a
work of art with the most capacious means of
representation that the graphic novel provides,
while also attempting to overcome the secondary
nature of the graphic novel genre.
As the first step in overcoming the secondary
nature of graphic literature, graphic novels made
on the basis of the adaptation of a verbally
articulated work of art are interesting in this
process.
The main part. In the context of this article,
"adapted graphic novels" refers to a graphic work
of art that is created using transcription
principles rather than simply being based on
another literary text, most often verbally realized,
and acting as a remake or abridged work in
relation to the original text. A graphic novel is a
translation of an original work from a verbal-
verbal sign system into a more complex graphic-
verbal one. The basic principle of the
indecomposability of the form and content of a
work of art is triggered, which states that a
change in form directly entails a change in content
[6, p.16
–
21]. This means that distortions still
occur no matter how hard the team of authors of
a graphic work (screenwriter, illustrator,
lettering master, etc.) tries to translate one text
into another. In order to account for potential
changes on both the formal and content planes,
the process of translation from one system of
representation (verbal) to another (verbal-
figurative) should be tracked. The texts "Omon
RA" (V. Pelevin) [2] and "Omon RA," co-authored
by V. Pelevin (a literary author), K. Kutuzov (a
scriptwriter, that is, the author of a graphic work),
and A. Akishina (an artist), were chosen as the
subject matter for the study.
The difference between the text of the original
and the adapted work at various artistic levels,
including formal and substantive differences as
well as differences in the volume of a graphic
work, which is frequently much smaller in terms
of the number of pages than a verbal one, is the
first characteristic that is revealed in the analysis
of adapted graphic novels. -realized text, which
has a strong potential for expressing the narrative
richness of the visual component's expression
and is able to fit much detailed narration into a
single frame. Yet, there is also a disparity in the
number of chapters between the two versions of
one text in the analyzed works. So, 13 chapters of
the graphic novel "Omon Ra" are offered
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
3
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
01-07
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
compared to 15 chapters of the verbally
articulated text, while 10 chapters of the graphic
novel "Azazel" have the same information as 17
chapters of the original text. In this context,
specific visual narrative approaches can be
identified, and they are particularly evident in
adapted graphic works.
Reduction is the first technique we've highlighted.
When we talk about reduction, we're referring to
the process of condensing a written text before
turning it into a graphic element. However, the
reduction should not be confused with a
straightforward comparable translation of
language into an image, as may occur, for
instance, in a description of a portrait or
landscape. Reduction simplifies the description,
for instance, in chapter 2 of the graphic novel. The
hero's journey is described verbally in the
following passage: "The camp was situated on a
gentle slope of a mountain; its lower section
created something resembling a park. Reduced
moments are given in italics, and distorted ones
are underlined. I walked there alone when Mitiok
vanished, and a short while later I found myself in
a long, deserted avenue of cypress trees, where it
was already getting dark. A lengthy wire mesh
that was covered in enormous plywood boards
with drawings stretched along the asphalt
walkway. A pioneer with a plain Russian face
stood on the first one, staring forward and
holding a brass trumpet with a flag on his hip. On
the second, the same pioneer appeared with
sticks in his hands and a drum hanging from his
waist. On the third, he saluted with his palm lifted
and also cast a glance into the distance [frame A].
Then, a shield that was at least three meters long
and twice as wide as the others hung. It had two
colors: red and white, which were split by a
ripped wave that ran across a white field and left
a crimson trace in its wake, on the right as I slowly
moved forward. At first, I had no idea what it was.
When I drew closer, I realized it was Lenin's face,
which was interspersed with red and white
patches and featured an outstretched beard and
an open mouth. [frame B] (Fig. 1).
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
4
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
01-07
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
Figure 1. An example of reduction in the graphic novel "Omon Ra"
Distortion is added on top of all of this
compression in the form of a reluctance to
represent the path that the hero takes in the
original: "I fell over a pothole in the asphalt and
looked at the next shield
–
there was a pioneer,
but already in a space suit, with a red helmet in
hand... [frame C] " [7]. Because of this, a modern
reader who is unfamiliar with the circumstances
of the age being described can get the impression
that the hero is surrounded by these posters and
shields rather than having them follow him
around. So, text reduction impacts both the
book's physical size and its level of content,
particularly the basic notion of representing the
realities of the ideological propaganda of the
Soviet state that accompanied a person
throughout his or her lifetime. After the
reduction, the metaphor of the hero's journey is
changed, and the hero
—
instead of continuing to
walk parallel to this influence
—
becomes an
observer hero, one who observes the
manifestations of this ideology but refrains from
engaging with them or the disagreement or
agreement that results. This state of affairs
directly leads to a change in one of the facets and
ideas of the verbally expressed novel "Omon RA":
namely, the opposition of the idea of the growth
of the inner cosmos of a person and the goals of
comprehending the cosmos by the state, as a
result of which the name of the hero - Omon -
ceases to be perceived in transgression, then
there is in the transition from the utilitarian
Omon, as a police detachment (a variant of the
name from the father) to Omon, as a homophone
of the name of the "invisible" ancient Egyptian
deity Ra.
Compression is a further method indicated in this
study. By "compression," we imply a text that has
been significantly condensed such that fewer
words are needed to express the same
information.
Nonetheless,
it
should
be
remembered that both compression and
reduction techniques have the potential to alter
the original text's meaning significantly. The first
panel of chapter 8, which shows the process of
imparting to Omon the significance of his
upcoming performance, provides the most
remarkable example of compression. "He
stretched out his hand to me, felt my face, and
struck me with a dry fist on my lips
—
not hard,
but enough that I tasted the taste of blood in my
mouth," the original text reads (Fig. 2).
In the graphic adaptation of the novel, this scene
of explanation is conveyed in five spread frames,
as opposed to 382 words in the original, but in
this case it is impossible to speak of reduction
because the number of words to convey the entire
scene is conveyed in sufficient volume to
understand. However, it is the frames with a blow
due to the author's captions absence leads to
distortion: the blow is perceived as strong, and
not offensive, as in the original text. Thus, it is
evident that the main target of suppression in the
verbally expressed novel is specifically the hero's
personality (hence, the blow was specifically
offensive), and in the graphic novel, the state uses
brute force to suppress, which again explains the
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
5
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
01-07
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
lack of emotional impact in the lieutenant
colonel's speech above.
Figure 2. Example of compression of 382 words for 5 frames
Also, the third approach we've noted, excession,
directly impacts how the work's fundamental
idea
—
a satire on Soviet reality during the
“Satellite
Crisis"
—
is conveyed. Excession should
be interpreted as a total rejection of any textual
elements without even a passing mention of them
in the adapted text. This typically comprises
supplementary explanations, descriptions, and
author digressions. Unfortunately, famous text
passages were overused in work under analysis,
which once more results in distortion.
Remarkably, the elements of the hero's
philosophical understanding of his life, his
emotional perception of the events around him,
his relationship with the other flight crew
members, and the explanation of the external
cause of what is happening (competing with
America) have all but vanished. As a result,
chapter 10 of the original text appears to be
almost entirely missing from the visual work. In
contrast to the verbally articulated work "Omon
Ra," the author changed the level of the idea in a
graphic work targeted at a different type of
reader, leading to this strategy. The passages in
the original text that were deemed excessive
served to highlight the notion of the inner
universe of the human being and the
philosophical notion of the essence of personal
freedom. The philosophical components of the
field of the work's idea have been entirely
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
6
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
01-07
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
eliminated in the visual version of the work,
leaving only the challenge of a feat and its
practicality. Additionally, excess results in
changes at the formal level: in the graphic novel,
the Sots Art method's satirical techniques, which
V. Pelevin successfully applied in the verbal
version, are not traced, and because the hero's
"reality - the inner world" is not opposed, the
postmodernist perception of reality as a
simulacrum is absent. According to our
perspective, the reader is the primary reason why
such an author decided to adapt their work after
25 years, not only in a genre that is new to Russian
literature, but also in a new writing system, when
translating a vocally expressed work into the
system of a graphic novel.
Conclusions. The following graph 1 shows the
connection between the techniques of reduction,
compression,
excess,
and
the
ensuing
deformation of the original literary text.
Graph 1. The relationship of text distortion when using reduction, compression and excess
techniques
The presence of these narrative techniques in the
narrative fabric of a graphic work, in our opinion,
results in significant distortions at the formal
content level, allowing us to discuss not only the
process of broadcasting one work in another sign
system, but also the creation of a new, original
work of art with its own content. content, despite
being comparable to the original. Consequently,
Chapt
er 1
Chapt
er 2
Chapt
er 3
Chapt
er 4
Chapt
er 5
Chapt
er 6
Chapt
er 7
Chapt
er 8
Chapt
er 9
Chapt
er 10
Chapt
er 11
Chapt
er 12
Chapt
er 13
Chapt
er 14
Chapt
er 15
Reduction
10%
15%
20%
15%
5%
40%
5%
5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
15%
15%
12%
Compression 20%
10%
5%
0%
0%
15%
20%
10%
0%
3%
5%
30%
30%
30%
7%
Excession
0%
10%
0%
30%
0%
40%
15%
10%
40%
80%
20%
50%
50%
50%
23%
Distortion
20%
25%
10%
40%
0%
60%
25%
10%
40% 100% 25%
60%
60%
60%
25%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
7
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
01-07
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
these strategies in the graphic novel compensate
for the secondary nature of the visual work in
rather extensive literature.
R
EFERENCES
1.
Eric Bulson. The Cambridge companion to
The Novel. CUP, 2108. 340 p.; Baetens J.,
Frey H. The graphic novel: аn introduction.
NY: Cambridge University Press, 2015.
216 p.
2.
McCloud S. Understanding comics.
–
NY:
Harper Perennial, 2004.
–
222 с.
3.
Mikkonen K. The Narratology of Comic Art.
–
NY.: Routledge, 2017.
–
315 p.
4.
Айснер У. Контракт с Богом и другие
истории арендованного дома. –
М.:
МИФ, 2018. –
217 с.
5.
Бергсон
А.
Длительность
и
одновременность. –
М.: Добросвет, КДУ,
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–
256 с.
6.
Есин Б.А. Принципы и приемы анализа
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3-
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248 с.
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Пелевин В. Омон Ра. –
М.: Эксмо, 2007.
(режим
доступа:
http://loveread.ec/read_book.php?id=29
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Пелевин В. Омон Ра. Графический
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