RUSN 2043 | ENGL 2043 | THEA 2043 | FILM 2043 Professor Yuri Leving
HOW iREAD THE EYE-BOOKS: FILM AND MULTIMEDIA ADAPTATIONS OF WORLD LITERATURE
Fall 2017
Lecture, discussion, film screenings: Thursday, 2:35-5:25 pm Location: MONA CAMPBELL, 2107 E-mail: [email protected], Drop Box in McCain Arts: 106. Office Hours: Tuesday, 1:30-2:30 pm, and by appointment. McCain, Room 3016, Tel.: 494-1082 Web: http://www.dal.ca/faculty/arts/russian-studies.html
Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster in “The Killers” (1946), Robert Siodmak’s adaptation based on Ernest Hemingway’s 1927 short story
The course outline:
We treat an adaptation “as an intertext designed to be looked through, like a window on the source text” (T. Leitch). How many windows are out there and what patterns can we discern through a glass, darkly? Increasingly in contemporary media practice, texts are deployed across a range of different platforms, often simultaneously. From analyzing the art of comic strips and e-books designed for iPads and Android mobile devices, in this course we will be both reading and watching the adaptations of world literary classics and popular contemporary works. We will examine how Hollywood (and not only!) attempts to turn supposedly ‘unfilmable’ short stories and novels into blockbusters.
Learning objectives for the course:
During the semester, students will learn to appreciate both the text and its visual renderings using theoretical frameworks of adaptation, textual fidelity, heteroglossia, remediation, rewiring, transmedia, and videogames, as well as will have an opportunity to practice their skills in the art of filmmaking and constructing an iBook. We will also be doing some “close readings” of the primary texts and attempting to “translate” or “adapt” them to a new medium using fundamental montage editing strategies.
Full versions of films will be screened once a week, in addition to a lecture, discussion, and viewing of additional short clips. You will even compose a digital book of your own (“Digital Book Adaptation Project”)! Every week you will be asked to prepare a short creative assignment (I call it a “Think Tank”) on the subject of our upcoming lesson.
Required literature: These two essential books should be purchased through the Dal bookstore:
Adaptations: From Short Story to Big Screen. Stephanie Harrison, Ed. (Three Rivers Press, 2005) Cahir, Linda C. Literature into Film: Theory and Practical Approaches (McFarland, 2006) Academic articles and other reading materials = Assigned below in the syllabus [marked with an asterisk *] they will be provided by an instructor as electronic documents.
Recommended readings:
- Thomas Leitch. Film Adaptation and Its Discontents: From Gone with the Wind to The Passion of the Christ. John Hopkins University Press, 2007. - George Bluestone. Novels into Film. University of California Press, 1968. - Kamilla Elliott. Rethinking the Novel/Film Debate. Cambridge University Press, 2003. - James Naremore. Film Adaptation (Depth of Film Series). Rutgers University Press, 2000. - John M. Desmond, Peter Joseph Hawkes. Adaptation: studying film and literature. McGraw-Hill, 2006. - James Michael Welsh, Peter Lev. The Literature/Film Reader: Issues of Adaptation. Scarecrow Press, 2007. - Mary H. Snyder. Analyzing Literature-to-Film Adaptations: A Novelist's Exploration and Guide. Continuum, 2011. - Christa Albrecht-Crane, Dennis Ray Cutchins. Adaptation Studies: New Approaches. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ. Press, 2010. - Robert Stam, Alessandra Raengo. Literature and Film: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Film Adaptation. Wiley, 2005. - Kathleen L. Brown. Teaching Literary Theory Using Film Adaptations. McFarland, 2009. - Ian Gordon, Mark Jancovich, Matthew P. McAllister. Film and Comic Books. Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2007.
ATTENDANCE AND GRADING POLICIES
Quiz on terms: 5 % [Glossary is found in: Cahir, Literature into Film, pp. 281-296]. In-class written visual analysis: 10 % Midterm exam: 15 % (Short essay -- thematic questions -- and a visual analysis) In-class written visual adaptation of a short episode: 10 % (up to one page, will be excerpted from any fictional work that you have read in this class). Think Tank tasks: 15 % (Due every Tuesday by noon; printed out, in my mailbox # 106 at McCain’s ground floor, or at the secretary’s office of the Department of Russian Studies -- 3rd floor, to your right from the elevator exit) Digital Book Adaptation Project: 15 % [1]Student Presentations: 10 %. In the second half of the semester you will be required to give a brief presentation, with a visual, on a text/film of your choice. The assignment will be discussed in class. Final research project: 20%. A final exam will not be conducted: instead, a final research paper (13 pages + bibliography) seeking comparative analysis of films and books, incorporating material from course readings, will be required. This will be due on the last day of our course. If you require use of multimedia, make sure you add a USB memory stick to your paper (don’t worry, it will be returned to you after I upload your stuff). Attendance and Participation: 10%. If you want to keep up with the material, you need to do the readings and be able to identify and understand the key arguments of the essays. To this end, you will be asked to participate in the discussion of the readings and I will call upon you to answer or ask questions as I lecture. Attendance will be taken at every class meeting, and you will be marked absent if you are late. To attend classes, to be awake, to participate, to absolutely not talk on your phone or read the paper and solve crossword puzzles during class — all these are crucial requirements for your participation in class.
TRY NOT TO WALK OUT OF THE CLASSROOM DURING THE LECTURE. SINCE THIS IS A LONG, THREE-HOUR CLASS I WILL ALLOW A 5-MINUTE BREAK BEFORE OR AFTER THE SCREENING OF THE MOVIE. You should attend all classes and screenings. Your overall grade will drop by half a letter grade if you have more than 1 unexcused absence. (An excused absence is when you submit a written excuse such as a doctor's report or a letter about a family emergency. An unexcused absence is when you just decide to not show up). It is your responsibility to make up any (excused or unexcused) classes missed. Absence is not an excuse for ignorance about the material covered on that day. The in-class writing assignments cannot be made up later, so attendance is critical to keep up with that area of your grade.
Conversion of numerical grades to Final Letter Grades follows the Dalhousie Common Grade Scale
A+ (90-100) B+ (77-79) C+ (65-69) D (50-54) A (85-89) B (73-76) C (60-64) F (<50) A- (80-84) B- (70-72) C- (55-59)
Policy on Electronic Devices:
You can use laptops and iPads on an honor system that presumes you will not use your screen for email, Google, Facebook and so on. I can easily notice if your mind is “absent” and roaming elsewhere even if you are present in class; your grade will suffer accordingly, and public humiliation might ensue.
THREE KEYS TO YOUR SUCCESS IN THIS COURSE:
Attendance and attentive watching Regular reading Participation in Think Tank tasks Follow these symbols for easy navigation below
SCHEDULE
Topic I: WHAT IS A FILM ADAPTATION?: ORIGINALITY, DERIVATION, AND ISSUES OF FIDELITY
September 7: “In the beginningGod created…”: From Genesis to Comics
Introduction Re-creating the Bible’s vision of human and divine history for modern audiences SCREENING: D. Aronofsky’s Noah (2013) and excerpts from various media Excerpt from the Bible’s story of flood (distributed in class).
Think Tank # 1 for next class, due on Tuesday
Open the Bible [Old Testament]; choose any plot – the episode might be very short (as most of the stories in the Book of Books are narrated in a condense, economic style) – and exercise a one-page remake: re-write any selected scene into modernity (i.e. Cain and Abel live in Manhattan, New York; one day brothers quarrel over Caramel Macchiato in Starbucks; what happens next?…), ensuring that you retain the original characters and, desirably, the story’s morale.
IMPORTANT: Here and elsewhere by a page I mean one typed page; font: Times New Roman; size: 12; single-spaced]
Topic II: INTERPRETATION AS ADAPTATION: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS OF READING AND WATCHING
September 14: Violence and Psychological Thriller on screen
SCREENING: Robert Siodmak’s The Killers (1946, 102 min.), Andrei Tarkovsky’s short film (1956, 19 min.), and the crime film directed by Don Siegel (1964, 94 min.). 1) Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers (1927), in Adaptations, pp. 421-429. 2) Cahir, Literature into Film, Chapter 1, pp. 13-43. Think over the questions on: p. 17, 43, and, in particular, a question on p. 223.
Think Tank # 2 for next class
Write a short story in which you are dreaming of: (1) an escape; (2) pursuit of someone/something. [Note: choose one subject; half a page]. Research any of the following three topics: What is suspense? Detective as a genre in cinema A brief history of detective story in literature [another half a page].
September 21: Adapting Detective Story
SCREENING: Rear Window (1954), 112 min. 1) Cornell Woolrich, “It Had to Be Murder,” In Adaptations, pp. 67-94. 2) Cahir, Literature into Film, Chapter 2, pp. 44-71; also in Chapter 6, pp. 202-203, on Rear Window. Think over the questions on: p. 60, 64.
Think Tank # 3 for next class, due by Tuesday Write a short story in which you are dreaming of: (1) transformation; or (2) entrapment {inability to escape from somewhere or something}. [Note: choose one subject; one page].
! Today: IN-CLASS VISUAL ANALYSIS NOTE: Please, bring your laptop to class – you’ll be asked to type your answers.
* * Digital Book Adaptation Project – Your script/storyboard is due today! I want to read about your ideas regarding this assignment in progress.
Topic II: STAGE ADAPTATION AND DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING AS A FORM OF ADAPTING REALITY
September 28: Dancing with Kafka and Looking for Kafka ! Today:Quiz on terms: 5 % [Glossary is found in: Cahir, Literature into Film, pp. 281-296]. 15 minutes in the beginning of class. You will be quizzed on 10 random terms in total. SCREENING: The Metamorphosis by Royal Ballet (2013) & Kafka’s Last Story (Dir. Sago Bornstein, Israel/Germany, 2011)
Excerpts from the adaptations of The Metamorphosis: http://metamorphosisonfilm.com/#hello http://www.imdb.com/video/withoutabox/vi1470471449 + on DVD from the Russian version starring Eugene Mironov (compare all three in class)
1) F. Kafka, “The Metamorphosis” [freely available online or supplied by the instructor]. 2) Cahir, Literature into Film, Chapter 3, pp. 72-96. Think over the questions on: p. 81, 85.
Think Tank # 4 for next class (October 17) Fake art or exquisite homage? Pretend to be a scholar who wishes to make a prank – you want your peers to believe you’ve just discovered an unknown title by a classical author in the private archive. Write a short story in which you are imitating the style of a famous writer of your choice. Select a specific passage (for instance, from Molly’s monologue form Ulysses, from Shakespeare or Mark Twain or Robert Frost – these are mere examples). Don’t forget to copy the original portion next to your own piece for comparison (you may shift the plot or chronology, but try to make an impression that the author is that very classical writer – not you). An alternative assignment: If you wish to try to produce a painting instead that would imitate / forge some famous work of art, please do so using whatever materials you might need (from a canvas to Photoshop). Topic III: HELLO, HOLLYWOOD! THE ART OF CINEMA AND FRANCHISING
October 5: Anna Karenina: How Do they Kill Her?
SCREENING: Anna Karenina: versions from USSR [Dir. Alexander Zarkhi, 1967], France [Dir. Bernard Rose, 1997] and the USA (Kira Knightley, 2012) 1) Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina – I will supply you with the copy of a relevant excerpt. 2) Cahir, Literature into Film, Chapter 4, pp. 97-143.
! Today: IN-CLASS VISUAL ANALYSIS
Think Tank # 5 for next class
Read Vasily Grossman’s “In the Town of Berditchev” and assume an imaginary role of a cameraman on set for its film adaptation. Pick up some vivid sequence from the story and present it in a series of a storyboard images (note: your drawings will be assessed on their originality and not the technical execution). In particular, try to use some unusual camera angles, play with the distance of objects, etc. (1 page as always, please!)
October 12: SCREENING: Commissar (1967, Dir. A. Askoldov), 110 min (In collaboration with the Dalhousie Art Gallery and our joint Russian film series) Vasily Grossman, “In the Town of Berditchev” [to be supplied as PDF file]
No special assignment for the next class, but I encourage you to prepare for the Midterm and individual presentations of the Digital Book Adaptation Project.
Topic V: LITERARY ADAPTATIONS: READINGS AND SCREENINGS OF THE SELECTED INTERNATIONAL MASTERPIECES
October 19:
We will begin our IN-CLASS PRESENTATIONS OF the Digital Book Adaptation Project – 1
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Note:Midterm will take half of the allocated class time. ! Please, bring your laptop to class – you’ll be asked to type your answers.
1) Cahir, Literature into Film, Chapter 6, pp. 186-234 2) Your final essay is looming. At this point I highly recommend reading “RESEARCHING MOVIES,” a *chapter from Timothy Corrigan’s A Short Guide to Writing about Film [* PDF file will be supplied to you].
Think Tank # 6 for next class Take any famous story/novel and rewrite its chronological sequence backwards (so its ending becomes a new beginning, but the narrative should still make sense, even though appearing inverted).
Study Break: November 6-13
Topic V: FROM BOOK TO AN iBOOK: A WORKSHOP IN CREATING, FILMING AND CONSTRUCTING LITERARY HYBRIDS
October 26: Suspense = Style?
SCREENING: Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000), 113 min.
1) Jonathan Nolan’s “Memento Mori,” in Adaptations, pp. 451-461. 2) Cahir, Literature into Film, Chapter 7, pp. 235-261.
Think Tank # 7 for next class
Compare A. C. Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel” (Adaptations, pp. 104-111) with the screenplay titled “2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY” by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clark. Write one page summary of your impressions about the way the story has been adapted to the screen. [* The screenplay will be supplied as an e-doc].
November 2: Adapting Sci-Fi
SCREENING: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 160 min.
A. C. Clarke, “The Sentinel,” in Adaptations, pp. 104-111. -- Cahir, Literature into Film, Chapter 6, pp. 228-234. Think over the question on: p. 230.
Think Tank # 8 for next class
Write a short story in which you are acting as a Super Hero (whether Spiderman or Batman – and, by the way, if you haven’t watched the “Birdman” yet [Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu (USA, 2014)] – I highly recommend. It is also about an adaptation – and much more…).
November 9: Mythopoetic Appeal of Larger-than-Life Figures: The Agent 007 / James Bond – Franchise
SCREENING: From Russia With Love (Dir. Terence Young, USA, 1964) From Russia With Love, the novel by Ian Flemming [* Text to be supplied]
-- Cahir, Literature into Film, Chapter 6, pp. 186-227 [stop before “the Sentinel” discussion].
Think Tank # 9 for next class
Today you have a short study in visual aesthetics [no writing is required]:
Fantasize of preventive crime measures and as if you were to have a power to change something in the future of the world!
I want you to take a photograph – of either a person (he/or she shouldn’t necessarily pose to you!) or a locale (house, entrance to a café, library, etc) – and make up a story: what is so suspicious about your chosen object or subject? Make a convincing case by explaining the possible motives behind the crime about to happen and characteristics inherent in the image that make you believe there can be a connection established.
Send me ONE picture in the attachment and be ready to explain it in class.
NOTE: send your picture in JPEG format to my email at least 24 hours before this class along with a short explanation. The photograph will be projected on a big screen.
November 16: Sci-Fi: Adapting the Future (for the Present)
SCREENING: Minority Report (Dir. S. Spielberg, 2002, 145 min.). 1) Philip K. Dick, “The Minority Report,” in Adaptations, pp. 119-151. 2) Cahir, Literature into Film, Chapter 5, pp. 144-185.
November 23:Mysterious Books We Cannot Decipher (The Voynich Manuscript[2] enigma) and the future of iPads
STUDENT FINAL PRESENTATIONS
November 30:Shakespeare on Screen
Reading and watching the classics SCREENING: Excerpts King Lear (Dir. Grigori Kozintsev, USSR, 1964); Ran (Dir. A. Kurosawa, Japan, 1985) Read King Lear, original text.
STUDENT FINAL PRESENTATIONS
December 6 (Tuesday): STUDENT FINAL PRESENTATIONS continued Conclusion.
Watching a film to critically analyze it is a different process than watching it in a cinema theater, so here are some ways in which you can train yourself to view a film. These are general guidelines; adapt it to suit your viewing, reading, and analytic skills and interests.
SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS: 1. It is absolutely crucial to take notes when you watch a film. Do not make the mistake of transcribing the whole film; you'll miss the film that way! But jot down that which strikes you, that which you may want to think about later—an image, a sound, a reference to a scene or sequence, a character's role in a specific scene etc. 2. We'll be watching the film in the dark, so you may either bring a small flashlight or get used to reading your scribbles in the dark... 3. It is always good to know the characters names in a film. If you can't catch it or remember it from the screening, look it up on the web (e.g. on <imdb.com>) 4. Write down your thoughts on the film briefly, immediately after you see it. That way your ideas remain fresh and return when you need them to. 5. I will set the films up briefly, but also think of the film when you do the next week's theme. Look for parts of the reading that resonate in a direct or indirect way with any aspect of the film you have seen. Write down specific page numbers and mark relevant sections to talk about in class.
SOME WAYS OF DIRECTING YOUR ATTENTION:
Like a written sentence that is composed of words, put together grammatically to mean something, a film sequence has its syntax. To convey meaning, instead of nouns, verbs, adjectives and pronouns, it uses a combination of the following elements, and you need to develop a sensitivity to them all, as they work individually and in conjunction with each other:
How are the images composed? Do they have a realism, an abstract quality, a surrealism? How are these effects created and to what end? Are the image-compositions largely symmetrical or asymmetrical? What is the mise-en-scene of the image (i.e. how is the action staged, with elements like lighting, costuming, acting)? How is the image presented—from what point-of-view? When are high-angled shots or low-angled shots used? Is there a preponderance of close-ups or medium-shots or long-shots? Does this have any impact on your viewing of the film, on the points of identification you may find or don't find as a viewer? What are the conjunctions or connections between the images? The images are most likely to produce, in their sequencing, a certain narrative or some form of synthesis. Consider how the images are sequenced to produce this narrative. How are connections and associations between images created? What juxtapositions are created by the edits? What is the temporal connection between the images (does it move forwards in time, backward, in a circular manner)? How is temporality constructed?
What is the story these series of images tell you? What is (are) the theme (themes) of the film? Does every sequence and image of the film contribute to the theme or does it complicate the theme? Does the film have a singular narrator or multiple narrators? Is the film aligned to any one narrator? Or is the film's perspective alienated from all the characters in the film? Is anyone given omniscience? Can you relate it to any genre?
Please Note: * Tuesday, December 5, 2017 - Monday classes will be held ** Monday, April 9, 2018 - Friday classes will be held ** Tuesday, April 10, 2018 – Friday classes will be held
Last Day to Drop without “W” Last Day to Drop with “W” Fall Term October 2, 2017 October 31, 2017 X/Y October 31, 2017 February 5, 2018
EXAMINATIONS & TESTS Tests are normally scheduled during class time. Tests scheduled outside class time should not conflict with regularly selected courses. Dates and times must be included in the course syllabus. There shall not be any written tests or examinations, with the exception of project presentations and major papers, worth more than 25% of the final grade held in the last two weeks of a term, without the explicit approval of the appropriate faculty, school or college. As well, there shall not be any tests held between the end of classes and the beginning of the official examination period with the exception of those activity modules and laboratory classes in Health Professions in which special facilities are required.
Students should contact the Dean’s/Director’s Office of the appropriate faculty/school/college for assistance if they are scheduled for more than two examinations on the same day. _____________________________________________________________________________
UNIVERSITY POLICIES, STATEMENTS, GUIDELINES and RESOURCES for SUPPORT
This course is governed by the academic rules and regulations set forth in the University Calendar and the Senate.
University Statements
Academic Integrity At Dalhousie University, we are guided in all of our work by the values of academic integrity: honesty, trust, fairness, responsibility and respect (The Center for Academic Integrity, Duke University, 1999). As a student, you are required to demonstrate these values in all of the work you do. The University provides policies and procedures that every member of the university community is required to follow to ensure academic integrity. Click here to read more.
Accessibility The Advising and Access Services Centre is Dalhousie's centre of expertise for student accessibility and accommodation. The advising team works with students who request accommodation as a result of: a disability, religious obligation, or any barrier related to any other characteristic protected under Human Rights legislation (NS, NB, PEI, NFLD). Click here to read more.
Student Code of Conduct Everyone at Dalhousie is expected to treat others with dignity and respect. The Code of Student Conduct allows Dalhousie to take disciplinary action if students don’t follow this community expectation. When appropriate, violations of the code can be resolved in a reasonable and informal manner—perhaps through a restorative justice process. If an informal resolution can’t be reached, or would be inappropriate, procedures exist for formal dispute resolution. Click here to read more.
Diversity and Inclusion – Culture of Respect Every person at Dalhousie has a right to be respected and safe. We believe inclusiveness is fundamental to education. We stand for equality. Dalhousie is strengthened in our diversity. We are a respectful and inclusive community. We are committed to being a place where everyone feels welcome and supported, which is why our Strategic Direction prioritizes fostering a culture of diversity and inclusiveness (Strategic Priority 5.2). Click here to read more.
Recognition of Mi’kmaq Territory Dalhousie University would like to acknowledge that the University is on Traditional Mi’kmaq Territory. The Elders in Residence program provides students with access to First Nations elders for guidance, counsel and support. Visit the office in the McCain Building (room 3037) or contact the programs at [email protected] or 902‐494‐6803 (leave a message).
[1] The Digital Book Adaptation Project is your chance to showcase your creative powers, but this time by creating an iBook, using the application on your Mac computer or iPad. If you are using PC (Windows, Android), you’ll select another suitable program. I’ll ask you to make a short book, adapting either an existing literary piece or the one that you have composed yourself (this can be a poem, a song, or a short story) to the E-BOOK format, using variety of techniques and mediums (such as your own drawings and visual materials downloaded from the Internet – provided, of course, that you don’t infringe anyone’s copyright and properly document your sources). Size: Apprx. 15 pages. Purpose: To learn appreciate the visual style and concepts of the digital book adaptation. Bring your own computer and/or a USB memory stick at the time of your presentation – it will be returned to you later.
[2] The Voynich manuscript is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. The vellum on which it is written has been carbon-dated to the early 15th century (1404–1438), and it may have been composed in Northern Italy during the Italian Renaissance. The manuscript is named after Wilfrid Voynich, a Polish book dealer who purchased it in 1912.