Adaptation: Filming Fiction (P5049)

15 credits, Level 5

Autumn teaching

This module examines film adaptations of various forms of print fiction. A diverse range of literary and film texts will be considered, along with critical and theoretical perspectives on adaptation. The module focuses on film adaptations of short stories, literary and popular novels, and children’s illustrated fiction, including picture books.

The adaptations themselves represent a variety of film modes, from mainstream cinema to experimental and avant-garde film. The module will approach adaptation as both an industrial mode of commercial production and a creative mode of critical interpretation. We will consider the significance of the idea of fidelity for the reception and theorization of film adaptation. Cinematic strategies deployed to reproduce literary devices (as well as the word-image relations of illustrated texts) will be analysed in order to think about adaptation’s value for theories of medium specificity.

Teaching

60%: Lecture (Film)
40%: Seminar

Assessment

100%: Coursework (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 55 hours of contact time and about 95 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses: