Literature and cinema: British and North American Literature on the Screen
Code
711111114
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Línguas, Culturas e Literaturas Modernas, Secção de Estudos Ingleses e Norte-Americanos
Credits
6
Teacher in charge
Maria Conceição Castel-Branco
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
a) To understand key concepts, language theories, themes, as part of literature and film studies, by discussing a range of British and North American novels or short stories and their adaptation from text to film.
b) To acquire and improve critical skills to define the balance between the film and its literary source in an interdisciplinary way.
c) To develop a critical awareness of the qualities shared by narrative literature and narrative film, as well as the distinctive characteristics of each medium, relevant to the study of adaptation.
Prerequisites
Good knowledge of the Portuguese and the English language.
Subject matter
British and North American Literature on the Screen.
1. Literature and Cinema.
Influences and interaction between literature and cinema.
2. Narrative in Literature and Film.
Introduction to narrative theory.
Narrative literature and narrative film.
3. Adaptation Studies.
The aesthetics of adaptation: limits and scope of two modes of presentation and other specific features.
Historical/cultural contexts in which adaptations take place.
Transferable and non-transferable elements.
4. Case Studies.
Literary genres and film genres.
Discussion of genre in literature and cinema.
Bibliography
Cartmell, Deborah and Whelehan, Imelda (Eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Literature on Screen. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Cartmell, Deborah and Whelehan, Imelda (Eds.). Adaptations. From text to screen, screen to text. London and New York: Routledge, 2006 (1999).
Stam, Robert and Raengo, Alessandra (Eds.). Literature and Film. A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Film Adaptation. USA, UK, Australia: Blackwell Publishing, 2005.
Braudy, Leo, Cohen, Marshall, (eds.). Film theory and criticism: introductory readings. 6th rev. ed. Oxford University Press, 2004 (1974).
Lothe, Jakob. Narrative in Fiction and Film: An Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2000.
Mcfarlane, Brian. Novel to Film: An Introduction to the Theory of Adaptation. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.
Teaching method
Communicative methods which seek to stimulate interaction and promote increasingly autonomous learning. Stimulating individual bibliographical research and critical reading of theoretical texts. Discussing the process of transforming a work of literature into film, considering that literary works and films have previously been read and watched. Presentation of representative excerpts of films and documentaries.
Evaluation method
Students will be asked to make:
a) A written assignment (min.10 pages) about a particular theme related to the cases studied in class, with a previous oral presentation.
b) A final written test.
c) Active participation in the class.