FROM LIFE TO FICTION: NOVELS AND SCREENPLAYS OF SAINT-EXUPERY (FRANCE).

摘要

Much of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's literary work is clearly a transposition of his biography with the most vital moments emerging as polished metaphors rich in philosophical meaning. Apparently the young aviator's earliest experiences resulted in a short story called L'Aviateur where all his important themes and locales are already evident. They can be summarized in one general theme of loneliness and dedication as experienced by the man of action.;This study compared in particular the evolution from novel to screenplay as witnessed in Courrier Sud, a novel that Saint-Exupery adapted himself for the screen. A later comparison involved the adaptation of Vol de nuit, a screenplay that was written by professional script writers in Hollywood. The object was to expose differences and similarities, both in style and essence, as the author's experiences were transposed again into a newer medium. Though novel and screenplay share a linguistic bond, one emphasizes the intellectualisation of the text while the other appeals foremost to the eye. But the two narratives can also have different plot aggangements. Thus the novel Courrier Sud used a different discourse time with the help of flashback and an omniscient narrator, while the screenplay showed the time sequence of plot events in chronological order. Other differences involved lively dialogues, more local color, and an emphasis on vernacular language where the novel had abounded in discrete understatement. The themes remained unaltered in both versions, Bernis is a similar hero who engages his life to find his quest. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of author.) UMI.;The subsequent novel Courrier Sud develops this theme even further, the lonely hero becomes a more complex man who longs for a nostalgic return to a world he left behind, and he is subsequently involved in a tender love story. Vol de nuit, the next novel, presents an even higher ideal: while a strong team spirit sustains these men of action the theme of work is all important! But nonetheless man remains unimportant in a vast universe and only the commitment to a great cause can add meaning to his existence. This ultimate theme of Saint-Exupery is personified by Riviere, the strong boss in Vol de nuit. All these themes can be traced almost chronologically throughout Saint-Exupery's texts, and they evidently continued by being transposed into another medium, the screenplay.