ENGL1041: Adaptation: Literature into Film

Do you refuse to see a film until you've first read the book on which it is based, so it doesn't affect how you imagine the characters? Or does a film inspire you to go back and read the original book, to see what the filmmakers changed or left out? Either way, if you love book covers that say "Now a major motion picture," this is the class for you. "Adaptation: Literature to Film" explores the historical, cultural, and aesthetic contexts in which both literary and cinematic texts are produced and received. We will ask such questions as: When we read a book or a play and then watch an adaptation of it, are we in any sense encountering the "same" text? Does the intention of the author necessarily define the meaning of a text, as readers see it? What other elements enter into the formulation of meaning(s)? How are elements of an inter-textual system always, in some sense, "in dialogue" with each other, and how do different media affect us differently -- whether emotionally, aesthetically, or intellectually? In this class you will learn skills related to interpreting and writing about both literature and moving image media (i.e., film, television, animation, etc.), including concepts and vocabulary specific to each, and your written assignments will include close readings of both books and films.

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