CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE DEPARTMENT OF CINEMA AND TELEVISION ARTS. CTVA 309: Film as Literature Spring units #11438

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1 CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE DEPARTMENT OF CINEMA AND TELEVISION ARTS CTVA 309: Film as Literature Spring units #11438 Classroom: Manzanita Hall 103 Fridays 11am - 1:45 pm Class Website Professor: María Elena de las Carreras, Ph.D. Office: Manzanita Hall 194 Office Hour: Fridays, 2pm Main Office Phone for messages: (818) delascarreras@csun.edu Focus of the Course This course approaches film analysis through the lens of literary adaptations. Particular attention will be paid to narrative elements and strategies and their translation from literature to cinematic expression. All the literary works, including plays, novels, short stories and graphic novels, and films will be examined against their historical and aesthetic background. Course Requirements The class meets once a week for three hours of lecture, discussion and screenings. Attendance is obligatory. There will be four graded assignments: a library-based research paper; a midterm; a film analysis paper; and a final exam. Each week there will be an obligatory short essay or research project, examining issues discussed in the textbook, in specific articles and in the films screened during that day. These weekly assignments will be part of your attendance and participation portion of the grade. They are due at the beginning of each class meeting, but collected the day of the midterm, March 16, 2018 (weeks 2-7), and the last day of class, handed in with the Final Exam, May 18, 2018 (weeks 11-16). A play has been scheduled as part of the course: The African Company Presents Richard III, by Carlyle Brown. It will be staged at the Little Theatre, in Nordhoff Hall, on Friday, March 9; Saturday, March 10; Sunday March 11; Wednesday March 14; Thursday March 15; Friday March 16; Saturday March 17; and Sunday March 18. Performance times are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30pm, and 2pm on Sunday. 1

2 Your ticket will be proof of attendance. For tickets and information, call (818) Also, information online available at Other screenings may be scheduled during the semester, to take advantage of events at the CSUN Cinematheque and elsewhere on campus. They will be announced with due notice, and provisions will be made for students who cannot attend them. Papers are due at the beginning of class of the day indicated. Papers submitted after that time, but before the next scheduled meeting, will be lowered by two thirds of a grade. Papers submitted after the next meeting, but before two weeks have passed will be reduced one full grade. Papers later than two weeks will not be accepted. There will be separate handouts on the papers, posted in the class website. Assignments Dates Library-based Paper 20% Due: March 9, 2018 Midterm 20% March 16, 2018 Film Analysis Paper 20% Due: April 20, 2018 Final Exam 20% May 18, 2018 Attendance, Participation 20% Required Textbook Timothy Corrigan, Ed. Film and Literature. An Introduction and Reader. 2 nd edition. London and New York: The 1 st edition can be used, with due note taken on changes and updates, listed in the syllabus. This book is available at the campus bookstore Recommended Textbooks David Bordwell & Kristin Thompson, Film Art. An Introduction. 9 th edition. New York: McGraw Hill, William Harmon & Hugh Holman, A Handbook to Literature. 11 th edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Assigned readings have been put on electronic reserve at Oviatt Libray; they can be accessed through the library website, under the course title and number. Some readings are also posted on the class website as well as the Dropbox folder of this class, whose link will be made available as the semester unfolds. Reading List The following books will be read for this course. They will be the subject of the film analysis paper, and included in the final exam. They are on reserve in Oviatt Library. 2

3 The Age of Innocence (1920) by Edith Wharton The French Lieutenant s Woman (1969) by John Fowles Into the Wild (1996) by Jon Krakauer Persepolis (2004, English translation) by Marjane Satrapi Viewing List The following films, to be viewed in their entirety outside of class when not scheduled during the class period, will be the subject of the film analysis paper, and included in the final exam: The Age of Innocence (1993, dir. Martin Scorsese) The Birds (1963, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) The French Lieutenant s Woman (1981, Great Britain, Karel Reisz) 3:10 to Yuma (1957, dir. Delmer Daves) Persepolis (2007, dir. Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud) These films are on reserve at the Music & Media Library, located on the second floor, East Wing, of Oviatt Library. You can also rent them through an online service like Netflix, or from the following video stores: CINEFILE Santa Monica Blvd [next to the Nuart Theater] West Los Angeles (310) EDDIE BRANDT S SATURDAY MATINEÉ Vineland Avenue North Hollywood (818) VIDÉOTHÈQUE Mission Street, Suite J South Pasadena, CA (626) Writing Lab The Learning Resource Center s Writing Center is available to all students (and it s free). The Center helps students with academic, professional and personal writing. You should make an appointment a week in advance. Call or stop by Bayramian Hall 408 for more information. Course Objectives Upon successful completion of the course, the student should: Understand the process involved in adapting literary works into film. Demonstrate knowledge of the formal esthetic elements of motion pictures and how they are used to create cinematic art. Demonstrate familiarity with the nature of film as a cultural product, entertainment medium and an art form. Student Learning Outcomes By the end of the course, the student should be able to: Analyze, interpret and reflect critically upon ideas of value, meaning, discourse and expression from a variety of perspectives. Describe and explain the historical and cultural context within which a body of work was created or a tradition emerged. Use appropriate critical vocabulary to describe and analyze specific works of artistic expression, in film and literature. Develop an understanding of information retrieval tools, primarily databases available through the university library. 3

4 Class Accommodations If you have a disability and need accommodations, please register with the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) office or the National Center on Deafness (NCOD). The DRES office is located in Bayramian Hall 110 and can be reached at (818) NCOD is located on Bertrand Street in Jeanne Chisholm Hall and can be reached at (818) If you would like to discuss your need for accommodations, please contact me to set up an appointment. Plagiarism Plagiarism (from a Latin word for kidnapper ) is more than simply taking the words of others and presenting them as your own; it is also taking the ideas of others and presenting them as your own. If you use another author s words or ideas, you must cite them in a proper format. Plagiarism and dishonesty will not be tolerated in any form. All suspected cases will be automatically turned over to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action. 4

5 TOPICS, READINGS AND SCREENINGS * DATE TOPIC READINGS SCREENINGS 1. January 26 Introduction to the course Doc: From Book to Script (Appendix, The Lord of the Rings Extended version, 2001) February 2 Elements of literary analysis Chapter 35 (7 in 1 st edition) & 36 (8 in 1 st edition) Dekalog 5 (Poland, 1989, dir. Krzystof Kieslowski) 57 The Ten Commandments 3. February 9 Elements of film analysis Chapter 18 (not in 1 st edition) HBO miniseries Band of Brothers: Episode 9 (2001) February16 Library workshop (in class) Martin Scorsese, The Persisting Vision: Reading the Language of Cinema. The New York Review of Books, August 15, February 23 No class this day Replaced by attending the performance of The African Company Presents Richard III March 9-18, March 2 Shakespeare in film Chapter 22 - A. Bazin, Theater and Cinema (9 in 1 st edition) Little Theater at Nordhoff Hall Tickets & Info: (818) Caesar Must Die (2012, dir. Paolo & Vittorio Taviani) 76 Chapter 23 - L. Braudy, Acting: stage vs. screen (10 in 1 st ed.) 5

6 7. March 9 Shakespeare in film -continued Library-based Research Paper Chapter 13 K. Thompson, Novel, Short Story, Drama (10 in 1 st edition) Clips of Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet adaptations 8. March 16 Midterm The short story Ambrose Bierce, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1891) An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1962, France Robert Enrico) March 23 Spring break 10. March 30 César Chávez Holiday No class this day 11. April 6 The short story - continued Elmore Leonard, Three-ten to Yuma (1953) Daphne du Maurier, The Birds (1952) Chapter 20 P. Wollen, The auteur theory 3:10 to Yuma (1957, Delmer Daves) 92 The Birds (1963, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) 119 Complete viewing of these films outside of class 12. April 13 The graphic novel Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis (2004) Chapter 8 D. Andrew, Adaptation (10 in 1 st edition) Persepolis (2007, France, Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud) 96 Complete viewing outside of class 13. April 20 The graphic novel - continued Film Analysis Paper 6

7 14. April 27 The non-fiction book Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild (1996) Into the Wild (2007, Sean Penn) 148 Complete viewing outside of class 15. May 4 The non-fiction book - continued Chapter 21 - J. Boozer, The screenplay & authorship in adaptation (not in 1 st edition) 16. May 11 The novel Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence (1920) Chapter 24 - G. Bluestone, The Limits of the Novel and the Limits of the Film (9 in 1 st edition) The Age of Innocence (1993, Martin Scorsese) 139 Complete viewing outside of class May 18 Final Exam Manzanita Hall :15 am - 12:15 pm * Other screenings, events and assignments may be scheduled during the semester, with notice, and provisions made for those who cannot attend them. 7