New issue of faculty-founded journal released
October 10, 2023
The newest issue of Transcr(é)ation, founded by Dr. Marie Pascal, Assistant Professor of French (LTA), has been released. This is the third issue of the bilingual specialty journal, which is devoted to discussing adaptations of texts in films and TV series, without prioritizing one over the other. This issue is dedicated specifically to adaptions between TV series and literature, and was directed by Dr. Jessy Neau, a French scholar who did her Ph.D. at Western University and France’s University of Poitiers. The Transcr(é)ation website was visited by more than 2000 readers on the first day the new issue was released.
Dr. Pascal says that while TV series are a very important part of our culture, scholarly reflection about them remains limited. This issue of the journal focuses on how a text can be transformed by a medium that can extend the story with new plots, characters and threads. “Some articles emphasize the fact that a book read by a person and hence a closed/defined/private work of art, will then take the shape of a shared amusement/recreational moment as a TV series,” Dr. Pascal explains. At the same time, she adds, the work can be lengthened by the creator of the series, thus creating a bigger franchise for the work.
The first issue of Transcr(é)ation was released in 2022 after Dr. Pascal saw a gap in academic journals dedicated to cinema adaptations as well as the absence of bilingual journals. While many movies and TV series are being produced as adaptations, research concerning the intersections between film and text as well as any other intermedial dialogue has not advanced to where adaptation is considered a full-fledged discipline.
Transcr(é)ation has been supported by three internal grants since Dr. Pascal began at King’s. These grants helped to fund building the website, creating a logo and designing illustrations, as well as hiring several top students to help with the translation of the articles.
Throughout the journal’s journey, there has been tremendous support from Dr. Pascal’s King’s coworkers. “I have just had the translations revised by a generous colleague in the Department of English, French and Writing,” she notes. Upon publication of the first issue, Dr. Pascal said “My colleagues have been, from the very beginning, extremely encouraging and resourceful, and I certainly would not have dared start this project without their support.”
Each article will be published in English and French, which Dr. Pascal hopes will allow scholars to reach a broader audience.