ENGL 2048 - Adaptation

This course is designed to give students an understanding of issues involved in adaptation of literary works (narrative, dramatic, poetic) for the cinematic screen. Students will be introduced to specific knowledge about the cultural, industrial, political, social, historic and technological circumstances surrounding the production and reception of the texts, plays and films featured on the course. The course will offer students an opportunity to reflect on questions of fidelity, textual authority and cultural prestige. Students will be introduced to key concepts and practices in the semiotic analysis of verbal and visual media. They will engage with theoretical debates informing the development of adaptation studies as a scholarly field. They may also discuss issues in narratology and writing practice. The course will be structured as a sequence of blocks allowing students to work in detail with a combination of literary and cinematic materials, critical materials, and theoretical readings, all focussed on a particular instance of adaptation.