Screen adaptations of novels, short stories and plays have dominated the box office and film industry awards for some decades, often provoking fierce debate about their fidelity to the original source, and about how the text has been wrecked or rescued by the adaptation. The proliferation of interactive media and multimodal adaptations in recent years enriches these discussions.
This course examines a series of texts together with their adaptations, in order to: understand the differences between novels, short stories, plays, film and other visual media as modes of storytelling; examine the way the written text and its adaptation participate in debates unique to their own historical contexts; and analyse the anxieties about literary and cultural value exposed by adaptations. We will ask: how do adaptations generate new meanings from literary texts? Should an adaptation seek to imitate, transform, extend, or critique its source text? What role do the market and the audience play in generating new meanings from texts? And can the relationship between text and adaptation be understood as mutually dependent?
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- analyse, discuss, and write critically about a range of adaptations of texts;
- evaluate and communicate (in written and spoken form) the ways in which texts and their adaptations emerge from, and contribute to, their literary, historical and cultural contexts;
- understand influential theories of adaptation and use these in analyses and creation of adaptations; and
- participate in and contribute shared learning about adaptation through.
Indicative Assessment
- In-class scene analysis quiz (10) [LO 1]
- Panel discussion (5 minutes) and reflection (500 words) (30) [LO 1,2,3]
- Creative project: pitch (5 mins), product (2000 words or equiv), and exegesis (500 words) OR Exam (50) [LO 1,2,3]
- Participation (10) [LO 2,4]
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures, 12 hours of tutorials
b) 94 hours of independent student film viewing, research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Not applicable
Preliminary Reading
Linda Hutcheon, A Theory of Adaptation.
A range of novels/short stories/plays.
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2027 | $4620 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2027 | $6000 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10453 | 26 Jul 2027 | 02 Aug 2027 | 31 Aug 2027 | 29 Oct 2027 | In Person | N/A |