Work

Negotiating the Mainstreaming of a Long-Silenced Testimony in John Ridley’s 12 Years a Slave

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper examines the adaptation of Solomon Northup’s Twelve Years a Slave through the lens of John Ridley’s screenplay, arguing that the process of mainstreaming a marginalized narrative is carefully negotiated at the level of writing. Rather than treating the screenplay as a purely technical or descriptive document, the analysis positions it as a key site of mediation, where the conditions of legibility and representation are actively worked through. Drawing on close readings of stage directions, the article shows how Ridley’s script translates Northup’s testimony into a cinematic form that remains both accessible and critically demanding.

Source: Éditions et presses universitaires de Reims

DOI: 10.34929/imaginaires.vi28.74

Author: Collin, Margaux

Institutions: Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches sur les Langues Et la Pensée, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne

Language: English

Topic: Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Literary Criticism

Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W7222463699

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