作為中介動力的改編：從生命觀點談改編的創造性演化

Adaptation as Agency: On the Creative Evolution of Adaptation in light of Life

電影改編作品由於特效科技的發展呈現豐富多元的成果，改編的內容也不再侷限於從文學作品到電影改編，而是逐漸擴展到各類型劇本、劇場演出、電子影音遊戲，甚至也從報紙雜誌報導、真實事件等取材。改編研究因而成為一個新興研究領域，關於改編的理論性探討卻仍有發揮的空間。本文意圖從「生命」的角度重新思索「改編」的意涵，提出將改編理解為一種作為中介動力的改編行動。中介動力在其行動牽涉下一個中介者，兩者之間並非遺傳，也非因果，而是不斷關聯、不斷差異化的過程。「改編」在演化上的原意便是「適應」，有適應行為的發生就會帶來變異，適應與差異化兩者是密不可分的。生命所持續進行的是差異化，也就是創造。每一次的變異仍負載著生命整體，並且改變生命的整體樣貌。沒有一個改編作品脫離了原著，但每一次的改編都在改變觀眾對於該作品的領悟。每一個作品皆是生命的具體樣貌，而改編行動讓我們體會生命衝力，在綿延不斷的時間中展現生命無可預期的創造。 Filmic adaptations proliferate nowadays due to the advent and development of technology. Adaptations are no longer limited to filmic adaptations based on literary texts; the adapted texts may include, among many, various forms of scripts, theatrical performances, and video games. Stories published in newspapers and events happening in everyday life could also serve as the source for adaptation. As the range of adaptation broadens, adaptation studies appear as an emerging discipline. Nevertheless, the theoretical reflections on adaptation seem insufficient. In this paper, I intend to reconsider the nature of adaptation in light of life, and argue that the idea of adaptation action, that is, adaptation as an agency, paves the way for a better understanding of adaptation theoretically and biologically. The notion of adaptation action proposed in this paper is evoked by two inspiring propositions—one is Latour’s actor-network theory; the other is Darwin and Dawkins’s accounts of biological evolution. Actor as an agency involves another actor in the movement, with one attaching another. Moreover, adaptation in the biological sense indicates the fact that each adaptation brings about variation. This is the very spirit of life: to differentiate is to create. Élan vital is sensed in adaptation action, which exposes the ceaseless creation of life in duration.

Filmic adaptations proliferate nowadays due to the advent and development of technology. Adaptations are no longer limited to filmic adaptations based on literary texts; the adapted texts may include, among many, various forms of scripts, theatrical performances, and video games. Stories published in newspapers and events happening in everyday life could also serve as the source for adaptation. As the range of adaptation broadens, adaptation studies appear as an emerging discipline. Nevertheless, the theoretical reflections on adaptation seem insufficient. In this paper, I intend to reconsider the nature of adaptation in light of life, and argue that the idea of adaptation action, that is, adaptation as an agency, paves the way for a better understanding of adaptation theoretically and biologically. The notion of adaptation action proposed in this paper is evoked by two inspiring propositions—one is Latour’s actor-network theory; the other is Darwin and Dawkins’s accounts of biological evolution. Actor as an agency involves another actor in the movement, with one attaching another. Moreover, adaptation in the biological sense indicates the fact that each adaptation brings about variation. This is the very spirit of life: to differentiate is to create. Élan vital is sensed in adaptation action, which exposes the ceaseless creation of life in duration.