Learning objectives
American literature on the big screen. The course aims to provide a general knowledge of the literature of the United States from the analysis of individual texts, the study of the historical and cultural context, and literary trends, through film adaptations of the texts in the program. The course examines aspects of literature and film language with reference to the question of adaptation, the relationship between writing and screenwriting, genres and languages. Through the study of literary works, non-fiction works and films, the course will analyze how literature has been reinterpreted by cinema in adaptations that have translated, renewed or transformed, the narrative source in original ways, sometimes proposing an effective transposition of the modes expressed in the literary text.
Prerequisites
No previous knowledge of American literature is required.
Course unit content
American Literature on Film: from the Novel to the Adaptation
Full programme
The course schedule below might be subjected to change. Changes to the syllabus or course schedule will be announced in class and communicated via email.
NOVELS (mandatory for attending and non-attending students)
•E. WHARTON, The Age of Innocence (1920)
•W. FAULKNER, As I Lay Dying (1930)
•C. WHITEHEAD, The Underground Railroad (2016)
Film
•The Age Of Innocence (Martin Scorsese 1993)
•As I Lay Dying (James Franco 2013)
•Underground Railroad (Barry Jenkins- Prime Video, 2021)
Short Stories
•H.MELVILLE “Bartleby the Scrivener” (1853) pp. 1-30
•E.A POE “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839) pp. 1-22
TESTI CRITICI
•B. MELODIA FESTA, “Emotional Violence from the Page to the Screen: Moral Abuse and Psychological Manipulation in The Age of Innocence from Edith Wharton to Martin Scorsese” Literatura 64.4 (2022): pp. 58-72.
•H.B. PETTEY, “Perception and the Destruction of Being in As I Lay Dying”, The Faulkner Journal 19.1 (2003): pp. 27-46.
Critical texts (mandatory for attending and non-attending students)
•L. HUTCHEON. A Theory of Adaptation. Routledge, 2012, ch. 1.
•B. MELODIA FESTA. William Faulkner sul grande schermo: adattamenti, rivisitazioni, trasposizioni. La Bottega Editoriale, 2023, ch. 1 e ch. 5 solo pp.133-148.
•L. GARA, “The Underground Railroad: Legend or Reality?”, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 105.3 (1961): pp. 334-339.
Bibliography
Most of the texts will be available on Elly.
Teaching methods
The course will combine textual analysis, lectures, classroom discussions and moments of student participation on the topics of the course. After the introduction of the specific text, author and historical context, the analysis of the work will be aimed at examining fundamental thematic and stylistic aspects. Close-reading of specific passages, on the other hand, will serve to understand and interpret the texts. The course will then include an in-depth reading of the texts and the screening of scenes from the films in the program.The course will be held in English.
COURSE ATTENDANCE AND CONSCIOUS USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES:
- Regular class attendance is highly recommended ("non-attending" students are kindly requested to contact the professor via email).
- Please note that audio or video recording of lectures is not allowed.
Assessment methods and criteria
Assessment of acquired knowledge, and understanding of skills is assessed through an oral exam in English.
Other information
Please note that this syllabus is valid until the Spring 2025 exam session.
