ENGL3700

Novel Into Film

10 Units 3000 Level Course

Not available in 2014

Previously offered in 2013, 2011

Examines the aesthetics of adaptation, closely studying a small selection of films alongside the novels on which they are based.

Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate

(1) an understanding of the interpretative decisions involved in the adaptation of particular novels to the screen;

(2) an understanding of the way in which the process of adaptation reveals the distinct formal resources of film and prose fiction; and

(3) an understanding of the aesthetics of adaptation as revealed in specific films.
Content This course will examine the literary adaptation as film genre, closely studying a small selection of films based on novels from Jane Austen through to the present. The films will be compared with the novels on which they are based in order to illuminate the process of adaptation and the specific natures of the different media.
Replacing Course(s) n/a
Transition n/a
Industrial Experience 0
Assumed Knowledge Assumed knowledge for ENGL3700 is 20 credit points of English or Film Studies at the 1000 level.
Modes of Delivery Internal Mode
Teaching Methods Seminar
Assessment Items
Essays / Written Assignments A 2000-word essay, worth 40%. (Comparison of two films studied in terms of the aesthetics of adaptation).
Essays / Written Assignments A 1000-word essay, worth 30%. (Detailed comparison of a particular scene from a novel and the corresponding scene from the film adaptation).
Journal A reading and viewing diary, worth 30%. (Students will be required to write a 150-word entry on each of the novels studied, outlining a specific interpretive decision that would have to be confronted in adapting it to film, and on each of the films, discussing the approach actually taken to that decision.
Other: (please specify) Students must submit all assessment items in order to complete the course.
Contact Hours Seminar: for 2 hour(s) per Week for Full Term