What are authors doing when they change the original details of a story to reflect their own culture while still retaining overall theme?

When authors change the original details of a story to reflect their own culture while still retaining the overall theme, they are engaging in cultural adaptation or transcreation. This process involves incorporating elements of the author's own cultural heritage and context into the narrative while preserving the essence and core messages of the original story.

Here's a closer look at what authors are doing when they engage in cultural adaptation:

1. Preserving the Overall Theme:

Authors ensure that the central theme, plot, and character arcs of the original story remain intact. The underlying messages, moral lessons, or emotional journeys of the characters should be preserved, even if the setting and details change.

2. Cultural Contextualization:

They modify the setting, characters, and specific events to match their own cultural context. This means changing the geographical locations, names, customs, and language to make the story more relatable to their audience.

3. Maintaining Character Development:

Despite the cultural changes, the development and motivations of the characters should stay true to the original story. The characters' personalities, relationships, and conflicts should be consistent with the original, albeit reimagined in a different cultural landscape.

4. Integrating Cultural Elements:

Authors incorporate details that reflect their own culture, such as:

- Traditional clothing, food, architecture, and customs

- Local folklore, mythology, and legends

- Language nuances and idioms

- Social norms and societal dynamics

5. Balancing Authenticity and Creativity:

It's important to strike a balance between staying faithful to the original story and adding unique elements that enrich the narrative. Authors must respect the source material while also injecting their own creativity to engage their audience in a fresh way.

6. Fostering Cultural Exchange:

Cultural adaptation allows for the exchange of ideas, perspectives, and values between cultures. It introduces readers to new cultural contexts, promoting cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.

7. Reaching a Wider Audience:

By adapting a story to their own culture, authors can make it more accessible and appealing to a broader readership. This allows the story to resonate with people who may not be familiar with the original cultural context.

In summary, authors who adapt stories to reflect their own culture are engaged in a creative process of cultural translation. They preserve the core themes and essence of the original story while infusing it with elements that resonate with their own cultural perspectives and experiences. This practice enables stories to transcend cultural barriers and connect with diverse audiences, enriching the literary landscape and fostering cultural understanding.