Cinematic adaptations of novels have dominated the box office and film industry awards for some decades, often provoking fierce debate about their fidelity, or otherwise, to the original; discussions about how the text has been transformed, cut and downright ruined, or, conversely, how the film has 'rescued' the novel, making it seem interesting and worth reading in a new context.
This course examines a series of novels together with their film adaptations, in order to understand the differences between films and novels as modes of storytelling; examine the way the novel and its adaptation participate in debates unique to their own historical contexts; and analyse the anxieties about literary and cultural value exposed by adaptations of novels. We will ask: how do film adaptations generate new meanings from novels today? Should a film seek only to imitate the novel or can it also transform, reconceptualise and critique it? What role do the market and the audience play in generating new meanings from texts? And can the relationship between novel and film adaptation be understood as mutually dependent?
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Analyse, discuss and write critically about a range of novels and the key cultural debates in which they participate.
- Analyse, discuss and write critically about a range of film and/or television adaptations of novels and the key cultural debates in which they participate.
- Recognise, interpret and critically evaluate the ways in which literary texts and their visual adaptations both emerge from and contribute to their literary, historical and cultural contexts.
- Understand and critically evaluate influential theories of adaptation and utilise these in analyses of adaptations.
- Understand and successfully deploy a range of terms and concepts integral to literary studies.
Indicative Assessment
2,000 word essay (30%) [LO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]2,500 word essay (40%).%).[LO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
1,000 word critical analysis (20%) [LO 2, 5]
Tutorial participation (10%) [LO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
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Workload
One 1.5 hour lecture and one 1 hour tutorial per week for 13 weeks. Students are expected to commit a further 7.5 hours of independent study each teaching week of the semester (total 130 hours).Requisite and Incompatibility
Preliminary Reading
Prescribed texts may include:
Ian McEwan, Atonement
Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
E. M. Forster, A Room with a View
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Bram Stoker, Dracula
Annie Proulx, 'Brokeback Mountain'
The following films will be screened during the semester and are available in the Chifley library. Students may want to obtain copies of those on which they intend to write essays, but this is not essential:
Joe Wright (dir), Atonement (2007).
Julien Duvivier (dir.), Anna Karenina (1948).
Bernard Rose (dir.), Leo Tolstoi’s Anna Karenina (1997).
Joe Wright (dir.), Anna Karenina (2012).
James Ivory (dir.), A Room with a View (1986).
Oliver Parker (dir.), Dorian Gray (2009).
Ang Lee (dir.), Brokeback Mountain (2005).
Francis Ford Coppola (dir.) Bram Stoker's Dracula
There will also be a reading brick on Wattle containing critical material.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $3054 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $4368 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.