From Anthropocentrism to Ecocentrism: An Adaptation Study from Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty into Movie by Ashley Avis

Abstract

This research is an adaptation analysis that analyzes two objects, namely Anna Sewell's Black Beauty (1877) and its movie adaptation by Ashley Avis (2020). This research focuses on the main ideological changes, namely anthropocentrism in the novel and eco-centrism in the movie. Mythology by Roland Barthes is a theory used to reveal the issue of anthropocentrism in the novel and eco-centrism in the movie. Anthropocentrism by Timothy Clark and Ecocentrism by Haydn Washington will help and strengthen the main ideological changes that will be revealed. After these ideologies are revealed, the adaptation theory by Linda Hutcheon is used to determine the adapter’s motives in making the movie adaptation. This study uses qualitative research in which primary data is taken from the novel and the movie. The novel's data will be in the form of quotes, conversations, and related narratives regarding the ideology of anthropocentrism as expressed through the character, characterization, and plot. The data in the movie will be in the form of several screenshots of related scenes about the ideology of ecocentrism through the transformations of character, characterization and plot. Secondary data in this study is also needed to strengthen all arguments to make this research valid. Secondary data is taken from books, journal articles, theses, and other references. There are two goals in this research that have to be revealed. The first one is to find the transformations in Sewell's Black Beauty and the movie by Avis that reveal the issues of anthropocentrism and eco-centrism. The second one is to find the motive beyond the adaptation. Comparative method is used to compare and find out the transformation between written text and audio-visual. After the transformation is understood, Barthes’s Mythology is used to analyze the ideologies of anthropocentrism and eco-centrism. Ideologies will be analyzed by reading signs in the data, both data from the novel and movie. After reading the sign in the data, the data will be correlated to the contextual background of the issue and categorized according to the anthropocentrism by Clark (for the novel) and ecocentrism by Washington (for the movie). After the ideologies of anthropocentrism and ecocentrism are analyzed, the last step is to look for motives beyond the adaptation by using the adaptation theory by Hutcheon. Anthropocentrism in the novel can be proven through the appearance of animal exploitation felt by some of the characters in the novel. In her work, Sewell narrates the problem faced by horses in the Victorian era, which at that time are working horse. Meanwhile, Avis decides to adapt Black Beauty with a modern twist. Avis also wants to tell the problems faced by American horses today to be told in the movie adaptation. Avis wants to voice her voice by promoting the ecocentrism values presented by the character of Joe Green as a representation of Avis. Avis has personal and political motives in adapting Sewell's work. Avis has a background that involves her love and concern for horses. Avis focuses her movie adaptation on today's modern problems. Avis's work is intended to criticize the government's performance in suppressing the wild horse population in America. Avis promotes an ecocentrism perspective in her movie adaptation which must be considered in dealing with environmental issues.