Examining Adaptation in The Sweet Hereafter: The Discourse

There are particular elements of a narrative which remain static and make up the "story," however the discourse, or way in which the story is presented allows a storyteller to find personal expression and freedom in creativity. Both Russell Banks and Atom Egoyan tell the same story of The Sweet Hereafter, but each creates his own unique discourse and uses it to draw out and focus on specific issues raised by the events of the story. Some concepts overlap in both discourses, both in the way the story is told and effects that ensue due to that. It is also important to keep in mind that the discourse of Egoyan's film is an adaptation of Banks' novel, which therefore uses the latter discourse as a foundation, even when it departs completely in form. Each storyteller approaches the fabula, or chronological portrayal of events as outlined by Mieke Bal, in a different a different way; however, despite the varied implications which emerge as a result of the two discourses, both preserve the core information as must be done in order to tell the same story.