ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the interplay between diverse systems of representation coexisting in the same multimodal text. Each of these systems is conceived as a unit in its own right, substituting for, and at the same time enriching and shedding light on, the others. The multimodal texts vary in their modalities, their target audiences, and their verbal and visual rhetoric. The perspective is threefold, focusing simultaneously on the multimodality of the texts, the implications of the genre and target audience, and the process of translation/adaptation examined in its social and historical context. The discussion of these aspects challenges deeply rooted dichotomies. In addition to questioning the distinction between translation and adaptation, the book takes a critical look at the opposition between canonized art (literature, poetry, painting) and popular culture (comics, graphic novels) and between materials aimed at children and those aimed at adults.