Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Farhangian University, p.o.box14665-889،Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Farhangian University,p.o.box 14665-889 Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Adaptation, a pervasive practice in cultural production, has long been evaluated through the lens of fidelity, often relegating the adapted work and its adapter to a derivative status. Challenging this paradigm, Linda Hutcheon reconceptualizes adaptation as an act of creative reinterpretation and purposeful reinvention. In her framework, the adapter emerges as a deliberate re-creator whose work, while intertextually grounded, can be assessed on its own aesthetic and functional merits. Drawing on Hutcheon's theory and adopting a comparative approach, this study examines Kamel Kilani's adaptation of the tale "Madinat al-Nuhas" in relation to its narrative source in One Thousand and One Nights. The analysis reveals that Kilani, operating with a distinct pedagogical agenda, strategically preserves the narrative core while introducing significant omissions and additions. He effects profound transformations in characterization, thematic emphasis, narrative style, and didactic purpose. By foregrounding magical and supernatural elements, he reconfigures this originally adult-oriented tale into a fantasy narrative tailored to the cognitive and affective needs of a juvenile readership. These alterations, far from constituting a betrayal of the source text, exemplify a successful instance of creative and responsible adaptation-one that revitalizes a classical narrative for contemporary young audiences and ensures the continuity of cultural heritage.
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