Penn State Altoona, Spring 2005
French 138: French Culture through Film
Special Topic: The
French Novel on Film
Dr.
Carolyn FAY
Office
Hours:
Eiche
101F
Monday:
10am-12pm
949-5783
&
by appointment.
cmf17@psu.edu
http://www.carolynfay.com/courses/current/Fr138/
This
semester's theme will be: The
French Novel on Film. Some of our most well-known and well-loved
stories come
from the imaginations of French novelists. Why
are these tales so enduring and how have they changed
over time and across media? This
course will read a select group of French novels in translation and
compare
them to various cinematic versions.
In addition to analyzing these adaptations as cultural products
(how did
Disney change the Hunchback and why?) We will also explore the
differing
storytelling devices used by novelists and filmmakers.
All readings will be in English. All
films will be in English or in
French with subtitles in English.
This course satisfies the General Education requirement in the
Humanities (GH).
Please
note that FR 138 meets three days a week (MWF) from 9-9:50am in
Hawthorn
143.
Required
Novels
(available for purchase at the Student Bookstore & on reserve at
Eiche.)
Boulle,
Pierre. The Planet of the Apes.
Trans. Xan Fielding. Del Ray, 2001.
Duras,
Marguerite. The Lover.
Trans. Barbara Bray. Pantheon, 1985.
Hugo,
Victor. The Hunchback of Notre
Dame. Trans. Catherine Liu. Modern Library, 2002.
Electronic
Text at ClassicBookShelf.com
and at Project
Gutenberg
Texts
on Reserve
(available at Eiche Reserve and at http://cat.libraries.psu.edu/)
"Adaptations" ch. 13 from Joseph Boggs & Dennis Petrie. The Art of Watching Films. 6th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2004. 393-432.
"Fictional and Dramatic Elements" ch. 3 from Joseph Boggs & Dennis Petrie.
The Art of Watching Films. 6th ed. McGraw-Hill,
2004. 39-88.
"Film and the Novel" from James Monaco. How to Read a Film. Rev. ed. NY: Oxford UP, 1981. 27-33.
"Narrative as a Formal System." Ch. 4 from David Bordwell & Kristen Thompson. Film Art: An Introduction. 5th ed. McGraw Hill, 1997. 89-110.
Films on Reserve (available at Eiche.)
"Around the world in
80 days" dir:
Frank Coraci, 2004.
"The Hunchback of
Notre Dame" RKO
Radio Pictures; dir: William Dieterle, 1939.
"The Hunchback of
Notre Dame" Walt
Disney Pictures; dir: Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 1996.
"The Lover" dir:
Jean-Jacques
Annaud, 1992.
"Notre Dame de Paris"
dir: Gilles
Amado, 1999.
"Planet of the Apes"
dir: Franklin
Schaffner, 1968.
Course
Program:
January
10:
Introduction
12:
Boggs
& Petrie: "Fictional & Dramatic Elements" pp. 39-69.
14:
Boggs
& Petrie: "Fictional & Dramatic Elements" pp. 69-88;
Monaco: "Film & the Novel"
17:
Hugo:
Author's Preface (pp. xxvii-xxviii); Book I (pp. 5-48). QUESTIONS
19:
Hugo:
Book II (pp. 51-85) QUESTIONS
21:
Hugo:
Book II (pp. 85-94); Quiz 1
24:
Hugo:
Book III (pp. 97-125); Book IV
(pp. 129-150) QUESTIONS
26:
Class
canceled.
28
Hugo:
Book V (pp. 153-173); QUESTIONS
Quiz 2
31:
Hugo:
Book VI (pp. 177-215); QUESTIONS
February
2:
Hugo:
Book VII (pp. 219-253); QUESTIONS presentations: Brooke Davies , Ch. 1
4:
Hugo:
Book VII (pp. 254-276); QUESTIONS Quiz
3
7:
Hugo:
Book VIII (pp. 279-324); QUESTIONS presentations:
Britanny McHale, Ch. 4; Kip
Harrill, Ch. 6
9:
Hugo:
Book IX (pp. 327-356); QUESTIONS
presentations: Nathan Haluszczak, Ch. 1;
Holly Treese, Ch. 4
11:
Hugo:
Book X (pp. 359-393; QUESTIONS
Quiz 4
14:
Hugo:
Book X (pp. 394-424); QUESTIONS presentations:
Kathleen Truant & Mary
Ebauer, Ch. 5
16:
Hugo:
Book XI (pp. 427-end); QUESTIONS presentations:
Devin Mullen, Ch. 2;
Jacquiline Sarfo-Kantanka, Ch. 3&4
18:
"Notre-Dame
de Paris" (Amado 1999): in class; 1st Draft Paper 1
21:
Bordwell & Thompson: "Narrative as a Formal
System." QUESTIONS
23:
"The
Hunchback of N-D" (Dieterle 1939) QUESTIONS
25:
"The
Hunchback of N-D" (Dieterle 1939); Quiz 5
28:
Boggs
& Petrie: "Adaptations." QUESTIONS
March
2:
"The
Hunchback of N-D" (Disney 1996)
4:
"The
Hunchback of N-D" (Disney 1996); Final Draft Paper 1
7-11:
Spring
break
14:
Boulle: pp. 3-43 QUESTIONS
16:
Boulle: pp. 45-86; QUESTIONS presentations:
Johan Erimee, Ch. 8; Typhani Russo, Ch. 9
18:
Boulle: pp. 87-131; QUESTIONS Quiz 6
21:
Boulle: pp. 133-171;
QUESTIONS
presentations: Andy Rupert, Ch. 21; Robin Alford, Ch.
24
23:
Boulle: pp. 173-216;
QUESTIONS presentations: Laura
Krantz, Ch. 26; Ali Morgan, Ch. 30
25:
Boulle: pp. 217-268;
QUESTIONS
Quiz 7
28:
"Planet
of the Apes" (Schaffner 1968)
30:
Class
canceled
April
1:
Class
canceled; 1st Draft
of Paper 2
4:
Duras: pp. 3-35 QUESTIONS
6:
Duras: pp. 36-64; QUESTIONS presentations:
Janet Robbins (on the brothers); Shimin
Feng (on the mother).
8:
Duras: pp. 64-94; QUESTIONS Quiz 8
11:
Duras: pp. 94-end; QUESTIONS presentations:
Katie French (on the photographs); Rebecca Hill (on the boat).
13:
"The
Lover" (Annaud 1992) QUESTIONS
15:
Verne:
pp. 7-48; QUESTIONS Quiz
9
18:
Verne: pp. 48-85
QUESTIONS
20:
Verne: pp. 86-128;
QUESTIONS
presentations: Stephan Tomayko, Ch. 17; Jen Santner, Ch. 23
22:
Verne: pp. 128-164;
QUESTIONS
Quiz 10
25:
Verne: pp. 164-end;
QUESTIONS
presentations: Katie Messner, Ch. 30; Tilnise ZeleeBrewer, Ch.
34
27:
"Around
the World in 80 Days" (Coraci 2004)
29:
Conclusion;
Final Draft Paper 2
Important
Dates
Final
day to add a course or withdrawal without record: Jan. 19
Late
drop deadline: April 8
Final
day to withdrawal from a course with record: April 29
Grade
Breakdown
Grade
Scale
|
Quizzes
(9 of 10): 25% |
A:
93-100; A-: 90-92 |
|
In-class
Presentation: 10% |
B+:
88-89; B: 83-87;
B-: 80-82 |
|
Participation
& Class Prep: 15% |
C+:
78-79; C: 70-77 |
|
Papers
(2): 50% |
D:
60-69; F: 59 and below |
|
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|
|
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|
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Requirements and
Guidelines
1. Readings: All readings must be completed for the date
assigned on the
syllabus. Page numbers are indicated on the syllabus. Readings
will vary
in length, but will generally not exceed 40 pages per class
meeting. Some
days the "reading" will be a film. All films are on reserve at
the library. You are responsible for viewing each film in advance of
the class
discussion.
2. Participation: Regular contributions to class discussion are
vital to
your learning experience. Please do not hesitate to speak up in class,
ask
questions, try out an idea, agree or disagree with the class
discussion. We are
all here to learn and all ideas are worthy of attention. Fr 138 is not
a
lecture class and everyone will be expected to contribute to discussion
as best
as he or she can. You are permitted three (3) no-questions-asked
unexcused
absences during the semester. After the third unexcused absence, your
grade
will be lowered accordingly. Any
student
with excessive absences may earn an F for the course. If you must miss
class
due to illness, family emergency, participation in a varsity sport
(letter from
your coach required), or religious holiday, please notify me as soon as
possible.
3. Weekly Quiz: Nearly every week there will be a short quiz on
the
reading material. Usually these will be administered on Fridays and
they will
always be announced in class the Wednesday before. The purpose of the
quiz is
to ensure that everyone keeps up with the reading and to verify basic
comprehension of the material. You are allowed to drop the lowest quiz
score,
allowing you to miss one. No
makeups of quizzes will be given.
4. Papers: Each student will write two analytical papers
of 5-6
pages. I will provide you with a list of possible topics for the
papers
as well as guidelines for the format. All drafts should be typed
and
double-spaced. The paper grades will reflect your work throughout each
stage of
the writing process. Please note the due dates on the syllabus for all
drafts.
Late assignments will be not be accepted, unless you have been granted
an
extension.
5.
In-class Presentation:
Each student will do one
informal
presentation on some aspect of a novel or film during the course of the
semester. I will assign a specific
topic or question to be treated.
We will sign up for dates in a few weeks. Presentations
should be about 10 minutes long. You will
receive specific guidelines in
a few weeks.
6. Academic
Integrity: You are
responsible for
reviewing and observing University policies governing academic honesty,
as in
explained in The Student Guide to University Policies and Rules.
Any case
of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, cheating, etc.) may result in a
failing
grade on an exam, essay, presentation, or in the course. More
serious
cases may result in permanent expulsion from the University.