I have difficulty understanding the word 'bastardization' in this sentence I took from a vocabulary-builder app:
The movie World War Z is a complete bastardization of the book
with little more in common than zombies and a title.
Not only do I not understand the meaning of it, but also the usage of the word. By the way, the app gives the synonym 'corruption' and according to Wiktionary (the fifth definition), it means:
The creation of an inferior copy or version; corruption, degradation, or debasement.
It hasn't enlightened me about its meaning. If I make a correct guess, is it the same way to say, as if someone adapts the story of a film from a novel, but he changes the story drastically?
If so, can I use it like this:
The Harry Potter franchise is an absolute bastardization of the original
books!
Best Answer
"Bastardization" means a corruption, a poor and distorted copy. The use of the term always indicates a quite negative judgement of the copy or adaptation.
The term is often used for some sort of transformation or derived work, such as a movie from a book, or a modern version from a classic work. The derived work is said to be a bastardization of the original. The term is not used when the derived work is just different, it expresses a negative value judgement.