A Comparative Narratological Investigation of the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee and its Film Adaptation

The following essay investigates the narrative structures of the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird as well as its movie adaptation directed by Robert Mulligan based on Gerald Genette’s narratology and theories of adaptation proposed by Linda Hutcheon and Brian McFarlane. According to Genette, there are three levels of narrative including story, Narrative and Narration. These three levels interact through three qualities of tense: order, duration and frequency; mood: distance and perspective and voice. The narrative structure of To Kill a Mocking Bird would be analyzed in light of Genette’s above-mentioned three narrative levels which helps the reader better comprehend Lee’s employment of narrative techniques in developing the story. The essay also analyzes the adapted movie’s narrative structure and compares and contrasts their distinct and common narrative techniques and the degree that the movie has been faithful to the novel. In Addition, the essay shows how the differences in the narrative elements and techniques of the novel and its movie adaptation may have influenced the story’s overall effect.