Jason Featherstone-Wright

Jason is investigating the boundary between adaptation and translation through the example of later re-workings of Plautus’ Amphitruo.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts, Victoria University of Wellington, 2022

Master in Intercultural Communication and Applied Translation (Distinction), Victoria University of Wellington, 2022

Profile

Jason is a PhD candidate in Literary Translation Studies. His research investigates approaches to translation and its boundary with adaptation through the example of a comparison of versions of Plautus’ Amphitruo. The play’s wide range of later re-workings – and the equally wide range of adaptive choices there displayed – provide ample room in which to explore the central translation problem of how to adapt a text written for one audience to the tastes of another. The issue is here further complicated by the practicalities of comedic performance in the face both of altered theatrical conventions and changing attitudes towards humour, particularly with regards to the treatment of adultery, pregnancy, and other controversial themes.

Supervisors