Recently I read this book and liked it a lot. Then, last night, I watched the movie (the Swedish version) because I wanted to see how they’d translate it onto the screen, since so much of the book was about mood, and the effects were so subtle and delicate. In a few days I’m going to watch the American version, for the same reason, except now it will be even more interesting because I can see not only how this American version translates the book, but how the Swedish and American translations of the book relate to each other.
Anyway, this got me to thinking that I could make a really cool class on this topic, as it’s rife with cognitive science issues that I’ve been thinking about for the last god knows how long. So here’s my question: can anyone suggest other multiply-translated (or, if you prefer the term, multiply-interpreted works) that you think are particularly interesting? Off the top of my head I can imagine examples like Shakespeare plays (the play as he wrote it, the play as performed as play, the play as performed in a movie) or old movies that have been remade a zillion times (King Kong, maybe.) The more media through which the work has been adapted, the better.
(Extra points for dissimilar media, like a translation from music to book to movie.)