A PRECIOUS INTERSEMIOTIC TRANSLATION FROM NOVEL TO FILM

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the intersemiotic relations between Sapphire's novel Push and the feature film Precious, directed by Lee Daniels. Inserted in the field of qualitative research, our work is classified as bibliographical and documentary. Based on Peirce's Semiotics (2005), especially on the concepts of firstness, secondness and thirdness, we discuss the sign transformations that emerged in the translation from the book into the film, focusing on two specific signs: the setting and narration. Concerning the setting, we point out that the film resorts to photography, lighting, and colors to produce meanings about the conditions of existence of the protagonist Precious. Regarding narration, we found that the first-person narrative, created through the discursive route in the book, was translated into the film through a homodiegetic narrator using the voice-off technique. In conclusion, we highlight the critical, political, and socio-material value of the two works analyzed due to their influential contribution to the debate on issues of great relevance to human life, especially for minoritized and marginalized groups.