Hey all!
So the other day, I was watching TV with some friends, and just so happens that the “Great Expectations” episode of South Park comes on. Coincidentally, I had just read the book in my last honors class, and was very surprised that despite the crudeness and obvious changes in script, it was a good translation! It got the point across, and represented the characters well.
For this weeks blog, I'd like you to watch the first couple of minutes of the show:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s04e05-pip
and tell me what you think. Is this an acceptable for of translation? From a classical novel to...South Park? I know that children watch this show, so how would the translation affect them? What are your thoughts on it? The language, the accents, the characters? If you need a refresher on Great Expectations, or haven't read it, this website has the novel online, and reading the first one or two chapters should be enough!
http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/greatexpectations/1/
10 comments:
I have never read Great Expectations. I don't think its unacceptable to have South Park do a translation of a popular novel because like it was said in class, everyone should have the artistic right to go on and adapt something if the rights are given. I think that South Park may be vulgar and crude but they were able to make a successful adaptation by maintaining the plot of the story while adding humor. I think that most children who watch the show may not have read Great Expectations so they may not really appreciate the original work or the adaptation. Watching the show first may skew someone's thoughts of the the novel if they read it after. Humor is something that is very powerful and can easily be stored as memorable moments to us, if we relate Great Expectations to South Park, the integrity of the actual novel may not be the same.
I agree with Candace that the integrity of the book may be compromised by viewing the South Park version, but in some ways, the comedic elements helped to enhance the overarching themes and emotions of the original, therefore making them more memorable. I laughed not a few times at lines that were clearly over-dramatized, yet still maintained the themes and emotions of the book.
My one major complaint is that I think that show's version was rather misogynistic, since it showed all of the female characters as hateful/dumb/etc. In contrast, Dickens took care to balance the number of good and bad characters at least semi-equally between both genders. The most notable positive female character in the original was Biddy, who of course for time reasons was left out of the South Park version. Also the show failed to pursue the redemption that was experienced by more than just Pip and Estella but also of the Miss Havisham and the criminal Magwitch. I felt that Dickens would not have liked the rendition since was both biased against women as well as lacking in the redemptive theme so prevalent in his version. I might be over-analyzing this a bit, but that is what I noticed.
I read Great Expectations in my English class junior year of highschool. I think the South Park adaptation was great because it not only included all of the major events of the book which refreshed my memory of the story plot, but it also dialed into the humor of the story which is typical of South Park. While they did deviate in some ways for humor such as the modern elements (genesis device, robot monkeys, cars), crude humor (pip dining at the table), and dramatizations of the actual plot such as Ms. Havisham's revenge against the entire male sex by locking them up for their tears, the actual plot was preserved.
Viewing the South Park version made me view Great Expectations as a ridiculous story because those are the elements it drew humor from. When reading the book it is indeed about a boy who frees a convict, plays with Estella, goes to the city to become a gentlemen, meets a friend, and then comes back all the while thinking he was sent by an old lady who has stopped her clocks and still dresses in her wedding gown. The plot is somewhat bizarre and the South Park animators saw potential in this. The accents were ridiculous as even the female characters were played with harsh british male accents. Overall, the episode was extremely entertaining while still keeping the main story line crammed into 24 minutes.
It's been a couple years since I've read great expectations, but from what I remember, the South Park interpretation is more accurate than I would have expected. And concise. It included most of the important plot elements and characters, while being pretty funny. It may seem strange, but I think all vulgar humor actually added to the interpretation, particularly when viewed in a contemporary context. Estella was essentially insulting him at every turn and South Park captured that in a relatively succinct and humorous manner. While I think it might insult strict fans classical literature, for the South Park audience it's perfectly acceptable, though I think it would be hard to appreciate it without having read great expectations.
I've often been struck by how insightful the South Park creators are into a lot of issues, and while they are very crude and dirty, it seems like they are good at hitting the nail on the head.
Sometimes, children's shows reworking classical literature can give people a jumping off point to dive into the literature itself. Of course South Park is always looking for humor, often at the expense of other people, and may twist plots to suit their purposes, but it may be enough to push kids to read the books for themselves. I can't tell you guys how much classical literature was first introduced to me by that show Wishbone.
I think it’s a great idea for shows like South Park to translate great classical novels like Great Expectations. It gives viewers who wouldn’t read the novel the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Charles Dickens’ work. Of course, the information taken from the show isn’t necessarily exactly like the novel but the main idea is present. From reading some of the comments, it’s easy to see that a lot you who have read the novel appreciate it more than the show itself. I haven’t read it myself, but after watching the South Park version I am probably going to go ahead and read it.
Something to keep in mind when watching a translation from a classical novel, like Great Expectations, to a cartoon, like South Park is that South Park is a very crude cartoon. Most of the things that they show are made to be rude and grotesque but harshly comical. I guess, that’s something to keep in mind when watching any type of translation. The new work has been translated into a different type of art and some of its aspects will change mainly due to the category the new kind of work belongs to, tv show, live performance, movie, picture, etc.
I read exactly one half of Great Expectations a few years ago. I recall very little of it, but this did have its moments. It feels somewhat surprisingly close to what I actually do remember. As a rule, I don’t watch shows like South Park. Crude humor and I are somewhat uncomfortable in each others presence. In general though, I tend to like it when television shows attempt to mimic classics. It makes me feel good if I am able to recognize the content and it makes me feel even better if I can recognize it well enough to pass any level of judgment on how well it was done. I pretty much find it entertaining no matter how well or poorly it was done. I like to look at them and see what has been inflicted upon the originals. I am always curious to see what will be deemed important enough to keep and what will be thrown out.
I love it when cartoons translate literature. Family guy often does it too. It is funny when they add vulgar humor to a Charles Dickens piece because it is shocking. The fact that there is a Great Expectations translation in South Park inquires that the makers of South Park are actually well read and quite clever. I do not think it is possible for this translation to skew someone's idea of the novel (if they had not read it) because it is obvious that Dickens did not add robot monkeys to his novel, or use words like "cunt" or "homeless mans urine." I do not think the integrity of the novel is the most important thing in this case, but to make Great Expectations humorous, or "take the piss."
I haven't had the change to read the novel, but I certainly have seen South Park. I was never allowed to watch it growing up and never acquired the want to even. I have seen some episodes, but only because my friends sometimes watch it. I would, WITHOUT A DOUBT, say that South Park should never do a translation of a classic. I don''t appreciate South Parks crude humor.
But let's say that I did like South Park and still haven't read Great Expectations. I'm sure that my viewing this episode wouldn't make me want to read the book anymore than I do now. Unfortunately, this is sometimes how people are exposed to the "originals." South Park then only creates a distorted view.
I have mixed feelings about south park and their crude humor. I think that some of the things that they come up with is entertaining but for the most part I am not a south park fan.
In the end though everyone is entitled to their own creative expression and who are we to censor them. Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion but when does that opinion go to far or get taken out of context?
I have read great expectations several times and i don't think that i can really fully appreciate what south park did in the translation.
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