Write an essay comparing the film and the novel versions of The Joke

When a literary work is adapted into a film, the common question that arises is which of the two versions is better. Each medium, written or film has its own unique qualities: a film capitalizes on visual imaging to captivate its audience, while a novel delves into the mental aspects of a plot sparking our creative imaginations. When observing both the novel, The Joke, by Milan Kundera and the film version, done by Jaromil Jires, …

…to ever be in film form. The beauty in the literary techniques, the eloquence of the words, the wry humor, is all lost in the film. In the novel, one is able to conger up images with their imaginations. The reader is a painter that is left alone to paint an empty canvass that is the brain. It is only under these circumstances that a true work of art can be created and truly enjoyed.