Brian T. Murphy LIT 218-01: Literature and Film
609-894-9311, Ext. 1318 Tuesday & Thursday, 12:30-1:50, Acad 114
www.Brian-T-Murphy.com/Lit218.htm
Office Hours: Mon/Fri 8:20-9:20, Laurel 108; Tue/Thu 11:20-12:20, Parker 319-V; Wed 11:00-12:00, Laurel 108
DESCRIPTION: This course explores the complex interplay between film and literature. Selected novels, short stories and plays are analyzed in relation to film versions of the same works in order to gain an understanding of the possibilities—and problems—involved in the transposition to film.
As this is an introductory course in literature and film analysis, students do not need to have taken other Cinema courses before taking this course. However, it is assumed that students have successfully completed the prerequisites for this course, English 101 and English 102 (or their equivalent). Therefore, students are expected to have the necessary background and experience in analyzing, discussing, and responding to literature, as well as the ability to conduct independent research and to write correctly documented research essays using MLA format.
Students are cautioned that this course requires extensive reading and writing in addition to viewing films and taking part in class discussions. Students not prepared to read (up to 150 pages/week) and to write on a regular basis and to take an active part in class discussions should not consider taking this course.
OBJECTIVES: Students will
· Enhance their ability to understand, appreciate, and discuss works of literature through extensive reading and discussion of short stories, novels and plays.
· Analyze works of fiction and drama for plot structure, setting, characterization, theme, and narrative point of view.
· Develop an understanding of critical analysis of film through careful examination of cinematic adaptations of literary texts, focusing on character development, dramatic structure, and performance.
· Learn and utilize the terminology of film analysis, both those terms shared with literary discussion (character, plot, theme, setting) and those specific to cinema (lighting, montage, special effects, etc.).
· Demonstrate an understanding of the possibilities and problems involved in the transposition of literature to film, applying terminology and critical skills acquired during the semester to analyze a cinematic adaptation of a text not discussed in class.
TEXTS:
Required:
All of the following texts will be available at the Burlington County College bookstore. Although I have ordered specific editions, these texts are all widely available in several different mass market editions; almost any edition that you find will be acceptable, so check school or public libraries and used bookstores. (Slightly more expensive, but highly recommended, are the Norton Critical Editions, which include authoritative texts as well as intellectual backgrounds and both contemporary and modern critical responses.) In addition, several are available as free online texts.
Austen, Jane. Emma.
Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies.
Orwell, George. 1984.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.
Shakespeare, William. Othello.
Additional readings will also be assigned and made available as photocopies or as links, including:
Brown, Frederic. “Arena”: possible source for Star Trek Episode 19: “Arena”
Feldman, Gail M. “Adapting Shakespeare to Film.” Inside Film Magazine Online.
Ferriss, Suzanne. “Emma Becomes Clueless.” Jane Austen in Hollywood. Eds. Linda Troost and Sayre Greenfield. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 1998. 122-129. (reprinted in Parrish, Stephen M., ed. Emma: A Norton Critical Edition. New York: Norton, 2000. 435-444)
Recommended:
Giannetti, Louis. Understanding Movies, 10 ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005.
Kirzner and Mandell. The Concise Wadsworth Handbook; Maimon and Peritz. A Writer’s Resource: A Handbook for Writing and Research; or another handbook covering grammar, writing, and MLA documentation.
A good college-level dictionary
Additional Recommended readings, predominantly critical essays or background information, are indicated on the schedule with an asterisk (*); most should be available (to diligent researchers) through the BCC Library.
POLICIES:
Attendance: Students must not only attend every class, but also be on time, be prepared (all reading or writing assignments complete), and take an active part in class. According to the College Catalog, “Students are expected to attend all class, clinical, laboratory, and studio sessions for the full duration of each instructional session.” Moreover, once you get to class you are expected to stay in the classroom until the class is over. Leaving class early or getting up in the middle of class is considered disruptive behavior and should happen only in extreme emergencies. Students may be required to sign in each class session to verify their attendance. Students unable to attend class should contact the instructor regarding their absence in advance or as soon as they return to school. Excessive absences or repeated tardiness will result in a lowered grade and may result in failure of the course at the instructor’s discretion.
Plagiarism and Cheating: Plagiarism includes copying or paraphrasing another’s words, ideas, or facts without crediting the source; submitting a paper written by someone else, either in whole or in part, as one’s own work; or submitting work previously submitted for another course or instructor. Plagiarism, cheating, or other forms of academic dishonesty on any assignment will result in failure (a grade of zero) for that assignment and may result in further disciplinary action, including but not limited to failure for the course and expulsion from the College. Please refer to the Burlington County College Student Code of Conduct in your Student Handbook for additional information regarding plagiarism and College regulations.
Homework/Essay Submission: All writing assignments must be received by the instructor on or before the due date, by the beginning of the class period, as indicated on the schedule, below. In the event of an unavoidable absence the day an assignment is due, the work may be emailed. Only work submitted as an email attachment, in MS Word format, and received before the end of the normal class period will be accepted.
Make-up Exams/Late Work: All assignment deadlines and scheduled exam dates are provided at the beginning of the semester; therefore, late papers will not be accepted nor will make-up exams be offered, except under extraordinary circumstances with appropriate documentation. Excuses such as “crashed computers,” “lost disks,” or “empty printer ink cartridges” will not be accepted. It is suggested that all computer work be saved both on your computer’s hard drive and again on disk or removable storage device.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Attendance and Participation (10 points): As this class will combine both lecture and discussion, students are expected both to attend every session and to take an active part in class—joining in discussions and raising questions. Discussion is one of the best ways to clarify your understandings and to test your conclusions. Open discussion always involves personal exposure, and thus the taking of risks: your ideas may not be the same as your fellow students’ or even the instructor’s. Yet as long as your points are honest and supportable, they will be respected by all of us in the classroom. Questions, discussion, disagreement, and laughter are all encouraged in this class. (However, ridicule or scoffing is never tolerated.)
Quizzes (20 points): With the exception of the first day, class may begin with a short (five- to ten-minute) quiz or writing assignment on the reading(s) for the day, at the instructor’s discretion. Quizzes cannot be made up; if you miss a quiz due to absence or lateness, that grade will be regarded as a 0. At the end of the semester, the lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Total number of quizzes during the semester will determine the point value of each; that is, if 11 quizzes are given (lowest quiz grade will be dropped), each quiz is worth up to two full points.
Weekly Response Papers (5 @ 8 points): Students will complete at least five short essays during the semester, on topics to be assigned (see Response Paper Topics, below). Essays must be at least 2-3 pages long (500-750 words), typed, double-spaced, grammatically correct, and submitted on or before the due date indicated on the schedule, below. Essays will be evaluated according to the Model for Evaluation of Student Writing (attached).
Research Paper (20 points) Students will complete a research paper of at least 7 to 12 pages, utilizing a minimum of five sources, correctly documented utilizing MLA format. Topics should be selected from a list of suggestions provided (see Research Paper Topics, below), or developed in consultation with the instructor.
Final Exam (10 points): Students will complete a final exam during the official final exam period, evaluating students’ recognition and comprehension of material studied during the previous weeks. This exam will cover specific texts and films, as well as the principles of cinematic adaptation and critical analysis, and will combine objective questions and short essay answers. Students may be entitled to use notes or textbooks for the essay portion of the exams only.
GRADING:
Final grades will be determined as follows:
Attendance and Participation / 10 points
Quizzes / 20 points
Response Papers / 40 points
Research Paper / 20 points
Final Exam / 10 points
Extra Credit (if any) will
be added to the final total.
Total Points earned (Final Average) will determine the grade received for the course, as follows:
Points / Final Percentage / Final Grade
90-100+ / 90-100 / A
85-89 / 85-89 / B+
80-84 / 80-84 / B
75-79 / 75-79 / C+
70-74 / 70-74 / C
60-69 / 60-69 / D
0-59 / 0-59 / F
The standards for the above numerical/letter grades are as follows:
A: Meeting course goals by demonstrating perceptive understanding of readings and course concepts; excellence and originality in compositions; superior scores on exams and other assigned work; active participation in class discussion and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.
B: Meeting course goals by demonstrating mastery of subject and concepts; above average quality in compositions and exams; good participation in class and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.
C: Meeting course goals by demonstrating a satisfactory level of understanding of subject material and concepts; acceptable quality in compositions and exams (see #2 of course goals); adequate participation in class and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.
D: Not meeting all of the course goals; minimal knowledge of subject material and concepts; marginal quality in compositions (poor quality of development, support, or grammar); poor performance on exams; passivity in class and small groups; non-compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.
F: Not meeting course goals; unsatisfactory progress in understanding and applying subject material and concepts; incomplete or unacceptable work in compositions (gross grammatical, developmental, and structural errors); failure of exams; non-compliance of attendance and assignment requirements.
SCHEDULE:
Projected Schedule of Readings, Movies, and Assignments (This schedule is subject to revision)
Note: All readings below are required, and must be completed by the day indicated; the only exceptions are those indicated with an asterisk (*), which are recommended additional readings.
Session 2: / Problems and Possibilities of Cinematic Adaptation
Read Brown’s “Arena” (online/handout); Viewing: Star Trek Episode 19: “Arena” (1967)
Session 3: / Literature into Film: Filming the Text
Read Orwell’s 1984; Response Paper 1 Due
Session 4: / Read Orwell’s 1984; Viewing: selections from Radford’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, a.k.a. 1984 (1984)
Session 5: / Viewing: selections from Radford’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, a.k.a. 1984 (1984)
Session 6: / Read Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange; Response Paper 2 Due
Session 7: / Viewing: selections from Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Session 8: / Viewing: selections from Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Session 9: / Recreating a Classic: Multiple Visions
Read Golding’s Lord of the Flies; Response Paper 3 Due
Session 10: / Read Golding’s Lord of the Flies; Response Paper 4 Due
Session 11: / Viewing: selections from Brook’s Lord of the Flies (1963) and Hook’s Lord of the Flies (1990)
Session 12: / Viewing: selections from Brook’s Lord of the Flies (1963) and Hook’s Lord of the Flies (1990)
Session 13: / Read Shelley’s Frankenstein; Response Paper 5 Due
* LaValley, Albert J. “The Stage and Film Children of Frankenstein: A Survey.” The Endurance of Frankenstein. Eds. George Levine and U. C. Knoepflmacher. Berkeley: U of California P, 1979. 243-248.
* Gould, Stephen Jay. “The Monster’s Human Nature.” Dinosaur in a Haystack: Reflections in Natural History. New York: Harmony, 1995. 53-62.
Session 14: / Read Shelley’s Frankenstein; Response Paper 6 Due
* Zakharieva, Bouriana. “Frankenstein of the Nineties: The Composite Body.” Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, 2 ed. Ed. Johanna M. Smith. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 416-431.
Session 15: / Viewing: selections from Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) and Branagh’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
Session 16: / Viewing: selections from Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) and Branagh’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
Session 17: / Read Shakespeare’s Hamlet; Response Paper 7 Due
* Boose, Lynda E. and Richard Burt. “Totally Clueless? Shakespeare Goes Hollywood in the 1990s” from Shakespeare, The Movie: Popularizing the Plays on Film, TV, and Video. London and New York: Routledge, 1997. 8-21. (reprinted in Film and Literature: An Introduction and Reader. Ed. Timothy Corrigan. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. 340-356)
* Cohen, Paula Marantz. “Shakespeare Goes to the Movies.” DOJ: The Drexel Online Journal.
* Kliman, Bernice W. Hamlet: Film, Television, and Audio Performance. Rutherford, NJ: 1988.
* Feldman, Gail M. “Adapting Shakespeare to Film.” Inside Film Magazine Online.
Session 18: / Read Shakespeare’s Hamlet; Response Paper 8 Due
Session 19: / Viewing: selections from Olivier’s Hamlet (1948); Zeffirelli’s Hamlet (1990); Branagh’s Hamlet (1996)
Session 20: / Adapting the Text: Modernizing the Story
Viewing: selections from Almereyda’s Hamlet (2000)
Session 21: / Read Austen’s Emma; Response Paper 9 Due
Session 22: / Read Austen’s Emma; Response Paper 10 Due
* Ferriss, Suzanne. “Emma Becomes Clueless.” Jane Austen in Hollywood. Eds. Linda Troost and Sayre Greenfield. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 1998. 122-129. (reprinted in Parrish, Stephen M., ed. Emma: A Norton Critical Edition. New York: Norton, 2000. 435-444)
* Kaplan, Deborah. “Mass Marketing in Jane Austen: Women and Courtship in Two Film Adaptations.” Jane Austen in Hollywood. Eds. Linda Troost and Sayre Greenfield. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 1998. 77-186.
Session 23: / Viewing: selections from McGrath’s Emma (1996) and Heckerling’s Clueless (1995)
Session 24: / Viewing: selections from McGrath’s Emma (1996) and Heckerling’s Clueless (1995)
Research Paper Due
Session 25: / Read Shakespeare’s Othello; Response Paper 11 Due
Session 26: / Read Shakespeare’s Othello; Response Paper 12 Due
Session 27: / Viewing: selections from Parker’s Othello (1995) and Nelson’s O (2000)
Session 28: / Viewing: selections from Parker’s Othello (1995) and Nelson’s O (2000)
Final Exam (to be scheduled)
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: