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By Markéta Šonková

It is no news that famous writings and cultural pieces have been, and continue to be used or interpreted differently than might have been their original literary purpose, often as a means to legitimize or explain actions of certain individual(s). This has been the case no matter what ideology or movement was holding the reins. However, not all kinds of content manipulation necessarily serve as a support of totalitarian regimes: they can also serve as a means to boost the morale of a war-tested nation, as is to be seen in Laurence Olivier’s 1944 Henry V movie adaptation or to send a political message in Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 film version. Truth be told, Henry V is an ambiguous text in today’s terms, allowing for various readings, which has been used several times by movie makers to pass on various messages while adapting one of the most famous pieces of British drama. Keep Reading

By Barbara Ocsovayová

You have read the books, you have seen the films, but have you heard about the musical?  A Very Potter Musical is a parodic adaptation of Harry Potter that pays tribute to the story of the boy-who-lived whilst being fresh with original jokes. Keep Reading

By Tereza Walsbergerová

Have you ever wondered where Elizabeth Bennet might work if she lived in the 21st century? What would Anne Shirley think of poetry slams if she was a college student in 2013 Canada? What would Dr. Frankenstein look like as a modern young woman? The internet has you covered. From all-time classics, such as Pride and Prejudice or Little Women, to slightly more obscure works, such as The Secret Garden, or even some tales from Greek mythology, people have decided to give their favourite heroes and heroines a makeover. This article attempts to get down to the nitty-gritty of modern adaptations of classic literary works on YouTube, focusing on their originality, interactivity, and contemporariness. Keep Reading

By Martina Krénová

Are you a bookworm and a passionate baker? Have you ever wondered if the food in literary works carries a deeper meaning? If so, there is no one to stop you from exploring the world of adapting literature into meals, biscuits, cakes… You might discover hidden treasures you would not necessarily find otherwise, and in addition you will enjoy the fruits of your labor. If you need inspiration, creators of the Literary Kitchen blog, Nicoletta Asciutto and Amy Smith, provide you with great recipes and insightful analyses of literary works of different genres and periods from the fourteenth century onwards.

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By Silke Jandl

Introduction

YouTube vlogger is the new dream job among teenagers (see for example here and here); in fact, over the past decade YouTubers have rapidly become prominent role models and their highly subjective advice is avidly sought after. The fan communities that have evolved around YouTube vloggers have proven not only to be eager consumers of audio-visual material but also dedicated readers of print books. Starting in late 2014 numerous books published by YouTubers have flooded the bestseller lists across the globe. The CEO of Simon & Schuster, Carolyn Reidy, has commented on this trend in Publisher’s Weekly: “YouTube authors draw [sic] new reader who, having seen the personalities on the web, want to own a small piece of them. Online videos are, by their nature, intangible; a printed book, on the other hand, is anything but.”  Accordingly, I will explore the role of materiality and mediality in the interrelationship between YouTube videos and books. I will argue that the books YouTubers publish can be analyzed as adaptations, as well as transmedial expansions. I will be using Werner Wolf’s theory of intermediality in order to shed some light on certain specific adaptation processes. I will furthermore outline the relationship between YouTubers and their viewers, which will aid in the understanding the wide-spread trend of self-help books and videos. I will lastly provide a brief intermedial analysis focusing primarily on the audiobook versions of two such books. Keep Reading

Written by Radka Michaláková, Barbara Ocsovayová, Šárka Panochová

Edited by Šárka Panochová, Tereza Pavlíková

This year is Barack Obama’s last year in the office of President of the United States. It is also his eighth year as President which means that he cannot run for the office again. And this year, more than in the last few election cycles, some surprising faces have appeared in the race and are swinging the American political scene. The media have been covering the Presidential race for more than a year now. The discussion has penetrated everywhere, it seems almost impossible to avoid it. Re:Views brings you a series of articles about the candidates, the election process, and the campaigns as they unfold in the Spring of 2016. Keep Reading

By Barbora Orlická and Tomáš Varga

It all began in 1965 in a small village called Cikháj when a nice lady from Scotland got an idea. She was none other than Jessie Kocmanová.  Jessie arrived in Czechoslovakia after 1945 with her husband, a Czech airman Vincenc Kocman. She became a member of the Department of English and American Studies and she was also involved in a theatre production at the British Council in Brno in 1947. After it closed down in 1948, she turned her attention elsewhere. Eventually, her interest in theatre found its practical outlet during one of the intensive English weeks in Cikháj where she decided to chase away boredom with the very first production of the Gypsywood Players (although the name was adopted only a year later). “So on the spot she just decided let’s do a play. So she picked out a five or six actors and found a text of some kind and they put on this play there,” recalls Don Sparling. As it turned out, it was the most remarkable thing she could have done.  Keep Reading

By Tereza Pavlíková and Blanka Šustrová

The Department of English and American Studies (KAA) has been here for more than 95 years. Following the establishment of the university in 1919, it was one of the founding departments of the Faculty of Arts. However, finding out the precise day of the founding of the English Department has proven to be a task more complicated than we imagined. There are no official records accessible. This we learned after checking a number of webpages, the whole Faculty of Arts library, and underneath the KAA couch. Failing in this task miserably, we decided to pay a visit to Don Sparling, who became a member of staff in 1977, to interview him in the hope that he would tell us where we could access the information we were so desperately seeking. Keep Reading

By Tereza Pavlíková, Martina Krénová, Markéta Šonková, Blanka Šustrová

As we are writing these articles, almost 4 months have passed since Scotland’s independence referendum (or Indyref, as it is sometimes adoringly nicknamed) took place. The heated discussion and strong emotions have cooled down and it has become possible to look at the referendum from a bigger distance. Which we did, and doing this, were trying to see the bigger picture. How was the situation leading up to it? How was the voting and what was it that swinged the scales in favour of Better Together? What are the outcomes? Are the promises being fulfilled and are Scottish people still interested in getting more independent? These were just some of the questions we asked ourselves and attempted to find answers for. Keep Reading