SFE21317 British literature adapted into films (Autumn 2020)
Facts about the course
- ECTS Credits:
- 10
- Responsible department:
- Faculty of Teacher Education and Languages
- Campus:
- Halden or web based.
- Course Leader:
- Britt Wenche Svenhard
- Teaching language:
- English
- Duration:
- ½ year
The course is connected to the following study programs
Compulsory course within the 90 study credits English Extension Course.
May be taken as part of the bachelor programme in Society, Language and Culture.
Lecture Semester
English Extension Course: 1st Semester (Autumn)
Bachelor in Society, Language and Culture: 5th Semester (Autumn)
The student's learning outcomes after completing the course
Knowledge
The student has
- knowledge of film language, film theory and film history
- knowledge of key works in British literature and film adaptations of these works
- insight into how film adaptations can help to rework classical literature
Skills
The student is capable of
- applying concepts and theory covered in the course in his or her own comparative analyses of film and fiction
- discussing how different types of film adaptations problematise our attitudes towards topics such as gender, ethnicity, class, history and identity
- selecting relevant specialist literature for an oral presentation on a film adaptation of a literary work chosen by the student
General competence
The student has
- insight into the various storytelling methods used in film and how film continues narrative traditions
- knowledge of the forms of expression used in film and literature in different cultural and historical contexts
- improved his or her oral proficiency in the English language and in multimodal presentation methods
Content
The course provides an introduction to adaptation theory and adaptation history, with emphasis on film adaptations of British literary classics. Through lectures and seminars, students will examine the relationship between literature and film, discuss the film medium's influence on the development of new literary genres and techniques, and show how this contributes to the continued relevance and popularity of literature. The study material is composed of a selection of film adaptations and the literature on which they are based, as well as relevant theory. The selection illustrates the development of and different trends in fiction and film.
Forms of teaching and learning
The teaching methods used are lectures, seminars and supervision.
Workload
Approx. 280 hours
Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam
The student must give an oral presentation based on a film adaptation of a literary work chosen by the student. In this presentation, the student will use analytical tools and theory learned in the course to elucidate aspects of both the literary work and the adaptation. The presentation must be multimodal in accordance with specified criteria. A written bibliography of sources must be submitted.
Required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam.
Examination
A five-hour individual written exam
Permitted aids: English dictionary. Grade scale A-F.
Examiners
External and internal examiner or two internal examiners.
Course evaluation
Feedback from our students is vital in order for us to be able to offer the best possible courses and study programmes. The following forms of evaluation are used for this course:
- mid-term evaluation
- continuous/final evaluation
The results are considered by:
- lecturer groups
- the programme coordinator
- the local programme committee
Literature
The reading list is last updated 2nd of March 2020. The reading list may be subject to change until the start of the semester.
Films:
Apocalypse Now (1979) Francis Ford Coppola
Jude (1996) Michael Winterbottom
Hamlet (2000) Michael Almereyda
A Cock and Bull Story (2006) Michael Winterbottom
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders
Alice in Wonderland (2010) Tim Burton
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) James Bobin
Novels:
Hamlet (1601) William Shakespeare
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1759- 1769) Laurence Sterne (utdrag)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) Lewis Carroll
Jude the Obscure (1895) Thomas Hardy
Heart of Darkness (1899/1902) Joseph Conrad
How to Train Your Dragon (2003) Cressida Cowell
Theoretical texts:
Andrew, Dudley. 'Adaptation' [1984], in Film Theory and Criticism, ed. Gerald Mast, Marshall Cohen and Leo Braudy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992, pp. 420-28.
Mulvey, Laura. 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' [1975], in Film Theory and Criticism, eds. L. Braudy, M. Cohen and G. Mast. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992, pp. 746-757.
Material handed out in lectures or posted on the learning platform is also obligatory reading.
Recommended litterature: Lothe, Jakob. Narrative in Fiction and Film: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, pp.1-101, 157-196.