How often have you done this and do you think it slightly 'impedes' your own experience with the text? For example, I watched Forman's adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest before reading the novel. Despite the book being a favourite of mine, it was rather difficult for me to envision the setting, the characters, the environment, and the overall world of the work without thinking of the adaptation. I couldn't get Jack Nicholson's depiction out of my head when I was trying to imagine who this McMurphy character was. Similarly, the same can be applied with Nurse Ratched, the Chief and the overall layout of the unit these patients were residing in.
I literally just had a conversation about this subject with a close friend of mine. He said he liked to read the book after watching the on-screen adaptation because he knows he generally would enjoy the book more. So, rather than ruin the movie-going experience, he enhances his reading experience. Good topic! – Jemarc Axinto10 years ago
I'm really interested in reading about this, and I agree that it is probably more beneficial to see the film adaptation before reading the novel, but I'd like to point out one stipulation that would benefit being looked into: What happens if the novel has already been read, or has been out for a long time before an adaptation discussion began. Just some food for thought, but great idea for an article. – Matt Collazo10 years ago
My friend and I were talking about this recently. It would be great to see some diverse examples of films that couldn't live up to the source material, as well as movies that exceeded expectations. – Amena Banu10 years ago
Awesome topic. Maybe, point out some of the adaptations you should read the books for BEFORE seeing it and which one you shouldn't read. For example, Inherent Vice - Before. Gone Girl - After. – Thomas Munday10 years ago
I really like this idea! Maybe have a sort of pro/con list for reading the book after watching the movie. I also like the idea of including examples of movies that exceeded expectations set by the book as a couple people have mentioned already. – ekeating10 years ago
Intriguing. We often complain about a film adaptation of a book , as it can never recreate our private images, it'd be interesting to read about the effects vice-versa, and whether doing it in the other order can enrich the book? – Aliya Gulamani10 years ago
I am very stubborn when it comes to this topic. I don't think I've ever watched a movie if it was adapted from a book I haven't read. It would definitely be a cool topic to read about if it were structured by title of book/movie and what the outcome of watching the movie before reading the book was. This could even be done as a collaborative piece with one author watching the movie before reading the book and the other other doing the opposite. – AlexandraRose9 years ago
This is a very personal and subjective experience. Some people may find difficult not to recreate the movie's images in their heads when reading the book. Some people may be able to read the book without any "interference" from the impact the movie has left in them. – T. Palomino2 years ago
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