Comparison of two beat generation novels' adaptations: On the Road and Naked Lunch

Beat Generation novels, although they had a deep influence on both American literature and world literature, did not take the attention of filmmakers for adaptation for long years. People's interest increased towards Beat Novel soon after the release of the film adaptation of On the Road in 2012, however this increase in interest did not entail an increase in the number of Beat Novel adaptations. This study has two essential aims. First one is to investigate two Beat Novel adaptations, Jack Kerouac's On the Road and William Burroughs' Naked Lunch. Second one is to determine which elements of adaptation are more efficient in adaptation studies. The Beat Generation, Novel Adaptation and Desire in Adaptation and detailed analysis of two Beat Novel Adaptations: Walter Salles' On the Road and David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch were the main issues in this study. The first part deals with the Beat Generation: its background, pioneering members and reactions of critics and society towards the Beats and the Beat Movement. The second chapter lays out the theoretical dimensions of the research to help in expressing the gist of the main argument. Chapters three and four analyzed two Beat Novels and their film adaptations. Here I intend to determine whether adapters of On the Road and Naked Lunch succeeded to create a new and original work of art or not. The research shows that even though Naked Lunch was independent from the original work, it was defined as a more successful adaptation than On the Road in terms of loyalty to the spirit of the original work and creating visual equivalence of the letter. On the basis of the results of this research, it can be concluded that "a restoration of the essence of the letter and the spirit'' was the most efficient element in adaptation of Beat Novels.