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ENGL 332.101

LITERATURE AND FILM

NOTE: This is representative of the syllabi for this course. It is not necessarily the syllabus being used in any one semester.

OBJECTIVES:

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

ƒ¶ list and define key film language terms;

ƒ¶ analyze and discuss films by means of those terms;

ƒ¶ analyze and discuss films in terms of traditional literary criteria;

ƒ¶ explain ways that varying means of film exhibition affects a viewer's perception of that film;

ƒ¶ discuss differences between print and film;

ƒ¶ discuss issues relating to the adaptation of print to film.

TEXTBOOKS:

[The Literature Part of] Literature & Film

[Maybe a few handouts...]

[one novel or play]

GRADES:

Final grades in this course will be determined as follows:

ƒ¶ Reading Quizzes...................................30%

ƒ¶ Film Response Papers (any three)........30%

ƒ¶ Book-Film Comparison paper #1*.......15%

ƒ¶ Book-Film Comparison paper #2*.......15%

ƒ¶ Final Exam...........................................10%

ƒ¶ Attendance, Participation, etc................[borderline determiner]

*You'll find an explanation of this assignment at the end of the class schedule.

NOTE: You must turn in the book-film comparison papers in order to pass the course.

ATTENDANCE:

ƒ¶ Much of the course material will come from class viewing and discussions. You may NOT make up missed class work. If you miss a quiz, you get a "0". If you miss seeing a film and cannot write the related assignment, you get a "0". (Some films are available from video stores; others are not.)

ƒ¶ I will not accept late papers.

PLAGIARISM

It is illegal and unethical to use someone else's work without properly crediting the source, whether online, print, or other. If you are not sure whether to credit a source, or to quote or paraphrase, or to use original language, please ask me in advance—or err on the side of citing the source you are using. If I discover that you've plagiarized material for this class, I will follow the university's policy for violations of academic integrity. (See the UB Student Handbook for this policy). Under that policy, the consequences of plagiarism can include failing this course and being expelled from the university.

OTHER

1. Please turn off beeper and cell phone ringers, and do not use such devices in class.

2. My classroom manner tends to be rather casual and easygoing. My expectations and grading, however, are not. Don't be misled: I will grade accordingly anything short of excellent work.

CLASS SCHEDULE

WEEK 1

Course Overview

View: "Skater Dater"

WEEK 2

Read: "Terms" 3-10; Chopin: "Story of an Hour"

View: "The Bolero" and "Five Stories of an Hour"

WEEK 3

Read: Hawthorne: "Young Goodman Brown" and Bierce: "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

View: "Young Goodman Brown"

I.D. BOOK/FILM PAPER TITLE

WEEK 4

Read: Hood: "Flying a Red Kite" and Woolrich: "Rear Window"

View: "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and "The Red Kite"

WEEK 5

View: Rear Window (1954)

WEEK 6

Read: Jackson: "The Lottery"

View: Rear Window (1998)

DUE: "Owl Creek Bridge" and "Red Kite" papers

WEEK 7

Read: Cunningham: "The Tin Star"

View: The Lottery

WEEK 8

View: High Noon

DUE: Rear Window and The Lottery papers

WEEK 9

Read: Oates: "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?"

View: "The Game"

DUE: Book/Film paper, Pt. I

WEEK 10

View: Smooth Talk

DUE: High Noon paper

WEEK 11

Read Cortazar: "Blow-Up"

DUE: Smooth Talk paper

WEEK 12

View: Blow-Up

DUE: Book/Film paper, Pt. II

WEEK 13

DUE: Blow-Up paper

WEEK 14

FINAL EXAM

Book/Film Comparison

1. Read one of the novels or plays from the following list (title to be submitted at Class #3). Please choose a book that you have not previously read and especially one whose film adaptation you have not seen.

2. Write a paper (about three pages, due at Class #9) which includes the following parts:

a. Summary Üno more than one page

b. Discussion of the one element that you think is the most important in the novel: plot, characterization, theme, writing style, etc.—about one page

c. Discussion of elements in the novel that you think would be difficult to translate to film—e.g., narrative style, characters' thoughts, complex/interwoven plots and subplots, etc.—about one page.

3. Write a paper (about three pages, due at Class #12) which compares and contrasts the novel and the film.

a. Talk about differences (especially significant differences) more than similarities.

b. Concentrate especially on those potentially difficult areas that you identified in the first paper. How did the filmmaker deal with those and other elements?

c. Was either the novel or the film better than the other? Was each superior in certain ways? Etc.

As with all writing assignments, support whatever you say with specific examples and details.

Plays

Jean Anouillh Becket

Robert Bolt A Man for All Seasons

Mary Chase Harvey

William Inge Picnic

Edmund Rostand Cyrano de Bergerac/ Roxanne

Peter Shaffer Equus

Neil Simon The Odd Couple

Novels

Sherman Alexie Smoke Signals

J.G. Ballard Crash

Russell Banks Affliction

Russell Banks The Sweet Hereafter

William Peter Blatty The Exorcist

Pierre Boulle The Bridge Over the River Kwai

Anthony Burgess A Clockwork Orange

James Cain Double Indemnity

Raymond Carver Short Cuts

Raymond Chandler The Big Sleep

Michael Crichton Jurassic Park

Philip K. Dick Do Androids...Dream of Electric Sheep? [Blade Runner]

James Ellroy L.A. Confidential

Fannie Flagg Fried Green Tomatoes∞

Peter George Red Alert/Dr. Strangelove

John Grisham The Firm

Thomas Harris Silence of the Lambs

Joseph Heller Catch 22

Oscar Hijuelos The Mambo Kings

Victor Hugo Les Miserables

Kashuo Ishiguro Remains of the Day

Henry James Wings of the Dove

Nikos Kazanzakis The Last Temptation of Christ

Thomas Keneally SchindlerÍs List

William Kennedy Ironweed

Stephen King Carrie

Stephen King The Shining

Milan Kundera The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Elmore Leonard Out of Sight

Elmore Leonard Rum Punch/Jackie Brown

Bernard Malamud The Natural

William Matheson What Dreams May Come

Cormac McCarthy All the Pretty Horses

Herman Melville Moby Dick

Rick Moody The Ice Storm

Toni Morrison Beloved

Walter Mosely Devil In a Blue Dress

J. O'Brien Leaving Las Vegas

Michael Ondaatje The English Patient

Carl Sagan Contact

Amy Tan The Joy Luck Club

Jim Thompson The Grifters

Kurt Vonnegut Mother Night

Alice Walker The Color Purple

Virginia Woolf Mrs. Dalloway

Virginia Woolf Orlando

Rafael Yglesias Fearless




			ENGL 332.101 LITERATURE AND FILM NOTE: This is representative of the syllabi for this course. It is not necessarily the syllabus being used in any one semester. OBJECTIVES: By the end of the course, you should be able to: ƒ¶ list and define key film language terms; ƒ¶ analyze and discuss films by means of those terms; ƒ¶ analyze and discuss films in terms of traditional literary criteria; ƒ¶ explain ways that varying means of film exhibition affects a viewer's perception of that film; ƒ¶ discuss differences between print and film; ƒ¶ discuss issues relating to the adaptation of print to film. TEXTBOOKS: [The Literature Part of] Literature & Film [Maybe a few handouts...] [one novel or play] GRADES: Final grades in this course will be determined as follows: ƒ¶ Reading Quizzes...................................30% ƒ¶ Film Response Papers (any three)........30% ƒ¶ Book-Film Comparison paper #1.......15% ƒ¶ Book-Film Comparison paper #2.......15% ƒ¶ Final Exam...........................................10% ƒ¶ Attendance, Participation, etc................[borderline determiner] You'll find an explanation of this assignment at the end of the class schedule. NOTE: You must turn in the book-film comparison papers in order to pass the course. ATTENDANCE:* ƒ¶ Much of the course material will come from class viewing and discussions. You may NOT make up missed class work. If you miss a quiz, you get a "0". If you miss seeing a film and cannot write the related assignment, you get a "0". (Some films are available from video stores; others are not.) ƒ¶ I will not accept late papers. PLAGIARISM It is illegal and unethical to use someone else's work without properly crediting the source, whether online, print, or other. If you are not sure whether to credit a source, or to quote or paraphrase, or to use original language, please ask me in advance—or err on the side of citing the source you are using. If I discover that you've plagiarized material for this class, I will follow the university's policy for violations of academic integrity. (See the UB Student Handbook for this policy). Under that policy, the consequences of plagiarism can include failing this course and being expelled from the university. OTHER 1. Please turn off beeper and cell phone ringers, and do not use such devices in class. 2. My classroom manner tends to be rather casual and easygoing. My expectations and grading, however, are not. Don't be misled: I will grade accordingly anything short of excellent work. CLASS SCHEDULE WEEK 1 Course Overview View: "Skater Dater" WEEK 2 Read: "Terms" 3-10; Chopin: "Story of an Hour" View: "The Bolero" and "Five Stories of an Hour" WEEK 3 Read: Hawthorne: "Young Goodman Brown" and Bierce: "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" View: "Young Goodman Brown" I.D. BOOK/FILM PAPER TITLE WEEK 4 Read: Hood: "Flying a Red Kite" and Woolrich: "Rear Window" View: "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and "The Red Kite" WEEK 5 View: Rear Window (1954) WEEK 6 Read: Jackson: "The Lottery" View: Rear Window (1998) DUE: "Owl Creek Bridge" and "Red Kite" papers WEEK 7 Read: Cunningham: "The Tin Star" View: The Lottery WEEK 8 View: High Noon DUE: Rear Window and The Lottery papers WEEK 9 Read: Oates: "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?" View: "The Game" DUE: Book/Film paper, Pt. I WEEK 10 View: Smooth Talk DUE: High Noon paper WEEK 11 Read Cortazar: "Blow-Up" DUE: Smooth Talk paper WEEK 12 View: Blow-Up DUE: Book/Film paper, Pt. II WEEK 13 DUE: Blow-Up paper WEEK 14 FINAL EXAM Book/Film Comparison 1. Read one of the novels or plays from the following list (title to be submitted at Class #3). Please choose a book that you have not previously read and especially one whose film adaptation you have not seen. 2. Write a paper (about three pages, due at Class #9) which includes the following parts: a. Summary Üno more than one page b. Discussion of the one element that you think is the most important in the novel: plot, characterization, theme, writing style, etc.—about one page c. Discussion of elements in the novel that you think would be difficult to translate to film—e.g., narrative style, characters' thoughts, complex/interwoven plots and subplots, etc.—about one page. 3. Write a paper (about three pages, due at Class #12) which compares and contrasts the novel and the film. a. Talk about differences (especially significant differences) more than similarities. b. Concentrate especially on those potentially difficult areas that you identified in the first paper. How did the filmmaker deal with those and other elements? c. Was either the novel or the film better than the other? Was each superior in certain ways? Etc. As with all writing assignments, support whatever you say with specific examples and details. Plays Jean Anouillh Becket Robert Bolt A Man for All Seasons Mary Chase Harvey William Inge Picnic Edmund Rostand Cyrano de Bergerac/ Roxanne Peter Shaffer Equus Neil Simon The Odd Couple Novels Sherman Alexie Smoke Signals J.G. Ballard Crash Russell Banks Affliction Russell Banks The Sweet Hereafter William Peter Blatty The Exorcist Pierre Boulle The Bridge Over the River Kwai Anthony Burgess A Clockwork Orange James Cain Double Indemnity Raymond Carver Short Cuts Raymond Chandler The Big Sleep Michael Crichton Jurassic Park Philip K. Dick Do Androids...Dream of Electric Sheep? [Blade Runner] James Ellroy L.A. Confidential Fannie Flagg Fried Green Tomatoes∞ Peter George Red Alert/Dr. Strangelove John Grisham The Firm Thomas Harris Silence of the Lambs Joseph Heller Catch 22 Oscar Hijuelos The Mambo Kings Victor Hugo Les Miserables Kashuo Ishiguro Remains of the Day Henry James Wings of the Dove Nikos Kazanzakis The Last Temptation of Christ Thomas Keneally SchindlerÍs List William Kennedy Ironweed Stephen King Carrie Stephen King The Shining Milan Kundera The Unbearable Lightness of Being Elmore Leonard Out of Sight Elmore Leonard Rum Punch/Jackie Brown Bernard Malamud The Natural William Matheson What Dreams May Come Cormac McCarthy All the Pretty Horses Herman Melville Moby Dick Rick Moody The Ice Storm Toni Morrison Beloved Walter Mosely Devil In a Blue Dress J. O'Brien Leaving Las Vegas Michael Ondaatje The English Patient Carl Sagan Contact Amy Tan The Joy Luck Club Jim Thompson The Grifters Kurt Vonnegut Mother Night Alice Walker The Color Purple Virginia Woolf Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolf Orlando Rafael Yglesias Fearless home \| bs, corporate communication \| ba, english \| ma, publications design \| mfa, integrated design \| mfa, creative writing & publishing arts \| people \| portfolio \| facilities \| classes \| undergraduate applications \| graduate applications \| contact \| site index \| university of baltimore