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Course Prerequisite:

English 110 is a prerequisite for all literature (and film!) courses in the English department.

Course Description:

At a fundamental level, narrative literature and narrative film do the same thing: tell stories. How each medium does this is, of course, vastly different: literature through printed words, film through images and sound. In English 486, we will explore the differences between telling a story on the page and telling it on the screen. One of the fundamental assumptions of the course is that film adaptations are not merely pale imitations of the novels or stories from which they are derived; rather, we will look at fiction and film as two different modes of representing—and thus transforming—common story material.

During the first half of the course, we will work on developing a vocabulary to describe narrative in general; to help us do so, we will read some recent theoretical work on the nature of narrative form and structure. The novels and films of the first part of the course will offer "test cases" to illustrate some of the theoretical concepts we’ll be studying. The second half of the course will look more closely at the adaptation of novels into films. We’ll look at two (vastly different) adaptations of Jane Austen’s novel Emma and the film adaptation of the widely acclaimed and controversial Scottish novel, Trainspotting. We’ll finish by looking at a short story that is "adapted" from a film—Robert Coover’s "You Must Remember This," which takes place "between the frames" of the classic Hollywood romance, Casablanca.

Although you will have reading and viewing assignments for each week, the structure of the course will remain somewhat loose. I would like the course to evolve according to your interests and input, taking on the form of a "workshop" rather than a weekly lecture with occasional discussion (this doesn’t mean that I won’t lecture on some days, particularly if we are behind schedule or dealing with especially difficult material). For this to work, you need to come to class prepared: you need to have done the reading carefully, you need to have seen the films under consideration at least once, and most importantly, you should expect to contribute every week to class discussion with ideas and questions (there will be one class day where you will be required to contribute both verbally and in writing—more below).

Since this is a 400-level course (i.e. seniors and M.A. students), my standards for both classroom discussion and written work will be very high. While I sincerely hope that the course will be fun, I can promise you that the course will not be easy. The reading, while manageable, will frequently be time-consuming and intellectually demanding. The paper assignments will require you to apply sophisticated theoretical concepts in a clear and cogent way. The final project will demand creative and original thought on your part. Your reward for all of this hard work? A deepened, sophisticated awareness of narrative that you’ll continue to draw on as long as you read books and go to the movies—that is, I hope, for the rest of your life.

Required Texts:

Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway
Jane Austen, Emma
Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting
Robert Coover, A Night at the Movies
Course Reader available at The Other Bookstore

• Two analytical papers. These will each be 4-5 pages long, with topics to be announced well before the due dates.

• Discussion opener: At the beginning of the semester, you will sign up for a specific class day. At least 48 hours prior to class (i.e. Monday), you will submit to me a brief paper (as an e-mail attachment) that interprets a specific passage or scene from the novel or film under consideration. I will post this on the website, so that everyone will have a chance to read it before that day’s class. During that class, you will be responsible for presenting your ideas to the class and opening a discussion on the day’s reading.

• Final project: For this, you will have one of two options: 1) an 8-10 page research paper on a topic of your own choosing and development, or 2) a project in another medium (video, film, screenplay, webpage) that explores a specific aspect of the relationship between literature and film. If you choose this option, you are still required to turn in a 5 page paper explaining the rationale of your project. The last class will be devoted to the presentation of these papers/projects.

• Class participation: As mentioned above, I expect you to participate regularly in class. "Participation" means that you have done all of the reading assignments carefully, you have brought your text(s) to class, and you are prepared to contribute to class discussion with questions and responses. You will not receive credit for participation simply by attending class.

Attendance in this class is required. If you miss more than two classes, your course grade will decline for each absence thereafter. If you miss more than five classes, you will not pass the course. As mentioned above, you will be responsible for material covered in lecture, including any films or film clips shown in class. Because this class meets only once a week, every missed class will hurt your performance in the course. If you do miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what you have missed and locate any films that were screened. You should always seek this information out from a classmate before you ask me.