LITERARY ADAPTATION AND INTERCHRONOTOPIC DIALOGUES IN THE STREAMING SERIES THE CHOSEN

Abstract

This reflective study discusses the relationship between literature and cinema, drawing on Bakhtin’s literary theory of the chronotope as a foundation for examining film and literary adaptation. The object of analysis is the streaming series The Chosen, created by Dallas Jenkins and released in 2017, which remains in production. The study investigates how the construction and representation of the heroes in The Chosen hypertextualize the literary narratives by addressing socially relevant themes in contemporary society. The main objective is to reflect on how the series’ stylistic and aesthetic choices contribute to building a narrative representation that dialogues with modern cultural contexts. The analysis focuses on social issues interwoven into the narrative thread such as sexism, prejudice, the place of minorities, gender equality, and other universal values. These themes permeate the characters’ journeys and are emphasized in the encounters between Jesus and other figures. Content analysis is employed through the examination of selected scenes depicting these encounters, chosen for their atypical and gender-representative portrayals. The theoretical framework is grounded in Bakhtin (2018), Scheler (2012), Hutcheon (2011), Stam (2003), and Genette (2006).

Keywords: Adaptation; cinema; chronotopic dimensions; dialogic theory of discourse