English 220: Fiction into Film
22 Oct (F):
25 Oct (M): Come to class having read Chapters 1-3 of Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five (pp. 1-90 in the trade paperback edition, pp. 1-71 in the mass pb edition).
[Throughout the week you should be consulting the Study Guide (link above) to this novel. Be sure you've printed out the list of motifs in the novel, and that you mark them (and others that occur to you) as they turn up. (Devise an abbreviation system to make this quick and easy.]
2:30-4:20 in King 4: Showing of George Roy Hill's 1972 film Slaughterhouse Five
27 Oct (W): Come to class having read Chapters 4-5 of S5 (pp. 91-172 in the tpb ed., pp. 72-135 in the mpb ed.)
29 Oct (F): Come to class having read Chapters 6-7 of S5 (pp. 173-205 in the tpb ed., pp. 136-161 in the mpb ed.)
[31 Oct (Sunday): Set your clock back 1 hour. (Switch from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time.)]
1 Nov (M): Come to class having finished the novel S5 (Chs. 8-10 pp. 206-275 in the tpb ed., pp. 162-215 in the mpb ed.)
2:30-4:20 in King 4: Optional re-showing of George Roy Hill's 1972 film Slaughterhouse Five. (Refreshing your acquaintance with the film in the light of your completed reading of the novel will enhance the short writing you'll be doing for Monday. This will also be useful if you decide to write upon this novel in the out-of-class essay for the final exam.)
3 Nov (W):
(1) Bring to class the short writing assignment over the novel and film adaptation of Slaughterhouse 5.
(2) For today you should have read the first 7 chapters of Jane Austen's novel Emma (i.e., pp. 23-62 in our Bedford/St. Martin's edition, ed. by Alistair M. Duckworth).
(3) I strongly recommend that you read Duckworth's "Introduction: Biographical and Cultural Contexts" (pp. 3-19). (You may wish to piece this out over the week.)
5 Nov (F): Come to class having read Chapters VIII-XII (in Volume I) of Emma. (This section comprises pp. 62-101 in our edition.)
8 Nov (M): Quiz over Volume I of Austen's Emma. So you'll need to come to class having finished Volume I of Emma. (This reading comprises Chapters XIII-XVII, i.e., pp. 101-122 in our edition.)
2:30-4:20 in King 4: Showing of Alicia Silverstone's film Clueless (1995) -- a translation of Emma to the mid-90s Beverley Hills High School scene.
10 Nov (W): Come to class having read the first 7 chapters of Volume II of Emma (i.e., pp. 133-176 in our edition.)
12 Nov (F): Come to class having read Chapters VIII-XII of Volume II of Emma (i.e., pp. 176-214 in our edition.)
15 Nov (M): Quiz over Volume II of Austen's Emma. So you'll need to come to class having finished Volume II of Emma. (This reading comprises Chapters XIII-XVIII of Volume II, i.e., pp. 215-252 in our edition.)
2:30-4:20 in King 4: Showing of the first half of Douglas McGrath's 1996 film adaptation Emma, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, James Cosmo, Greta Scacchi, Alan Cumming, and Denys Hawthorne. (Let's call this "the Paltrow version," for short.)
17 Nov (W): Come to class having read the first 6 chapters of Volume III of Emma (i.e., pp. 253-293 in our edition.)
19 Nov (F): Come to class having read the Chapters VII-XII of Volume III of Emma (i.e., pp. 293-335 in our edition.)
22 Nov (M): Quiz over Volume III of Austen's Emma. So you'll need to come to class having finished Emma. (This reading comprises Chapters XIII-XIX of Volume III, i.e., pp. 335-381 in our edition.)
2:30-4:20 in King 4: Showing of the second half of Douglas McGrath's 1996 film adaptation Emma (starring Gwyneth Paltrow).
24 Nov (W): NO CLASS: UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY
26 Nov (F): NO CLASS: UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY
29 Nov (M):
The episode for today consists of these scenes: Be sure to come to class having reviewed these passages from Volume III of Emma: The scene in which Harriet is frightened by gypsies Chapter 3 (p. 266-69)
Let me stress again: in order to be prepared to watch with a sharp eye, you should review the following passages from the novel before you come to class!
The two versions we'll be comparing to the McGrath/Paltrow 1997 version you've already seen will be
2:30-4:20 in King 4: Optional re-showing of George Roy Hill's adaptation of Slaughterhouse Five (recommended for those who write their final out-of-class essay on Vonnegut's novel).
1 Dec (W): In class today we'll take a look at the way the Paltrow, A&E, and BBC adaptations of Austen's novel handle a second key episode. You'll want to take notes in case this is the one that you end up writing upon in the in-class portion of the final exam.
The episode for today consists of these scenes: Be sure to come to class having reviewed these passages from Volume III of Emma: Emma's cruel remark at the Box Hill picnic Chapter 8 (p. 296) Mr. Knightley's remonstrance Chapter 8 (pp. 299-300) Emma's taking stock of what Knightley said Chapter 9 (pp. 300; 301-306)
3 Dec (F): In class today we'll take a look at the way the Paltrow, A&E, and BBC adaptations of Austen's novel handle a third key episode. You'll want to take notes in case this is the one that you end up writing upon in the in-class portion of the final exam.
The episode for today consists of these scenes: Be sure to come to class having reviewed these passages from Volume III of Emma: Harriet's revelation to E that it is not Frank Churchill but rather Mr. Knightley that she has attached her affections to, and her explanation of the reasons she has for believing that these are returned Chapter 11 (pp. 323-326) Mr. Knightley's remonstrance Chapters 11-12 (pp. 326-330)
[Next week is Dead Week:]
6 Dec (M): In class today we'll take a look at the way the Paltrow, A&E, and BBC adaptations of Austen's novel handle a fourth key episode. You'll want to take notes in case this is the one that you end up writing upon in the in-class portion of the final exam.
The episode for today consists of these scenes: Be sure to come to class having reviewed these passages from Volume III of Emma: Knightley's declaration to Emma of his feelings for her & his proposal of marriage
Chapter 15 (pp. 353-54) Emma's reaction to this Chapter 15 (p. 355)
2:30-4:20 in King 4: Optional re-showing of Nicholas Roeg's adaptation of Heart of Darkness (recommended for those who write their final out-of-class essay on Conrad's novella).
8 Dec (W): Attendance at the last two sessions of our class is optional. (Students may attend one or the other or both, as they wish.) I invite those of you who are interested to discuss a couple of articles in our anthology. Both have to do with some issues that we will have touched on at least in passing in our discussions so far: What are we to make of Austen's attitudes towards the British class system of her day?
- To what degree does Austen endorse it?
- In what respects, if any does she criticize it?
- How do our agreements and disagreements with her on these matters affect our appreciation of the novel?
Students who attend today should try to have read the following. (If you're not able to get through all of the main article, please feel free to attend anyway. If you've been reading Emma in an addition different from the one ordered for the course, see me and I'll provide you with a copy.)
- Ross C Murfin's summary (pp. 467-470 in our edition of Emma) of what Beth Fowkes Tobin is up to in her essay (next item);
- Beth Fowkes Tobin: "Aiding Impoverished Gentlewomen: Power and Class in Emma” (pp. 473-486 in our edition).
10 Dec (F): Today we'll continue our discussion of Austen's stance towards aspects of the class system of the society in which she lived. Again, attendance is optional. Students who attend today should try to have read the following. (If you're not able to get through all of the main article, please feel free to attend anyway. If you've been reading Emma in an addition different from the one ordered for the course, see me and I'll provide you with a copy.)
- Ross C Murfin's summary (pp. 500-502 in our edition of Emma) of what Paul Delany is up to in his essay (next item);
- Paul Delany: "'A Sort of Notch in the Donwell Estate': Intersections of Status and Class in Emma" (pp. 508-521 in our edition).
Final Examination:
The final examination consists of 2 parts -- an out-of-class essay and an in-class final. The latter is designed to be able to be completed in one hour, but you will have the entire hour and 50 minutes of the scheduled exam period to complete it. Also: students who need to make up a quiz over Austen's Emma may do this during the second half of the exam period. See
- Topic options and directions for the out-of-class portion of the final exam.
- Prep sheet for the in-class portion of the final exam.
The in-class portion of the final exam is scheduled as follows:
- 15 Dec (W): Final Exam for Section A (the 8:30 MWF section), in ECS 017, 11:50 am - 8:40 pm.
- 16 Dec (Th): Final Exam for Section B (the 10:30 MWF section), in ECS 017, 11:50 am - 10:40 pm.