AJ15075 Literature in Performance

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2014
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 12:30–14:05 G31
Prerequisites (in Czech)
( AJ09999 Qualifying Examination || AJ01002 Practical English II ) && AJ07002 Intro. to American Studies II
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives (in Czech)
From ancient bardic poetry, through the long history of drama, to contemporary cinema, television and online videos, much of the world’s literature has been designed for performance. Even prose fiction originally published in books or magazines has often been performed (for instance, in the authors’ tours popular during the 19th century), and of course is frequently adapted for the stage or films. This course will examine the opportunities and constraints that writers, producers and filmmakers encounter when developing work intended for performance. By closely comparing works of various types from many traditions, students will learn how to assess differences in works constructed to be performed rather than read privately, how works are transformed when translated from one medium to another, and how awareness of practical issues arising in performance can strengthen our critical understanding of a given work.
Syllabus
  • 18 February: INTRODUCTION
  • Examples/discussion, The War of the Worlds
  • 25 February: BARDIC POETRY
  • READ: Scholes, The Nature of Narrative, posted excerpts; Willis and Bingham, selections on orality and literacy; Beowulf, posted excerpts )
  • 4 March: SHAKESPEAREAN THEATER I
  • READ: C. & M. Lamb, Tales from Shakespeare, Prefaces and “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “As You Like It,” and “Hamlet”
  • 11 March: SHAKESPEAREAN THEATER II
  • READ: Meagher, Shakespeare’s Shakespeare, posted excerpts
  • 18 March: LATER THEATER
  • READ/VIEW: Taylor, Our American Cousin (text and live performance, as announced)
  • 25 March: READING AS PERFORMANCE
  • READ: Kivy, The Performance of Reading, posted excerpts; Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Raven,” “The Balloon Hoax”
  • 1 April: POPULAR LITERATURE AND FILM
  • READ: Dickens, A Christmas Carol (summary and chapter 3); Eisenstein, “Dickens, Griffith, and the Film Today”; Twain, Dickens on Tour
  • 8 April: FILMS AND PLAYS
  • VIEW: Singin’ in the Rain (film); READ: Sontag, “Film and Theater"
  • 15 April: FILMS AND NOVELS
  • VIEW: 2001: A Space Odyssey (film); READ: Clarke, 2001 (novel), posted excerpts
  • 22 April: BROADCAST MEDIA
  • READ: Bobbitt, “Understanding 'Understanding Media'”; Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death, chapter 5: “The Peek-a-Boo World”
  • 29 April: DIGITAL MEDIA
  • Rauch, “Sex, Lies, and Video Games”; Schäfer, “Looking Behind the ‘Façade’”
  • 6 MAY: NO CLASS MEETING: "READING WEEK"
  • 13 May: FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
  • READ: Alexander, “Augmented Reality,” and others as posted; review and conclusion
  • Assigned READings and VIEWings to be done outside class will normally be posted online (currently on “Google Drive” at:
  • https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByITdoqGbUYXU3JfWU8zb1R2VkE&usp=sharing).
  • These assignments are subject to changes or additions up to a week in advance of the dates indicated. Watch for announcements of other schedule changes in class or by e-mail.
Literature
    required literature
  • The nature of narrative. Online. Edited by Robert Scholes - James Phelan - Robert L. Kellogg. Fortieth anniversary ed., re. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. xv, 388 p. ISBN 9780199837823. [citováno 2024-04-24] info
  • LAMB, Charles, Mary LAMB and William SHAKESPEARE. Tales from Shakespeare. Online. London: Penguin Books, 1995. 313 s. ISBN 0-14-062159-8. [citováno 2024-04-24] info
  • Film theory and criticism : introductory readings. Online. Edited by Gerald Mast - Matt Cohen. Third edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. xxi, 852. ISBN 0195035739. [citováno 2024-04-24] info
  • MCLUHAN, Marshall. Understanding media : the extensions of man. Online. New York: New American Library, 1966. xi, 318. [citováno 2024-04-24] info
  • Books: Ringler (transl.), Beowulf; Meagher, Shakespeare's Shakespeare; Taylor, Our American Cousin (play); Levinson, New New Media; Films: Singin' in the Rain, 2001: A Space Odyssey; see syllabus for further details
Teaching methods (in Czech)
Lectures, class discussions, outside reading and film/video viewing
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Final exam, 100%, given during exam period (with “re-sits”) and having two parts, an “objective” section (multiple-choice, fill-in-the blank, list-matching, etc.) and a take-home essay section. Exam questions will be drawn from all assigned readings and viewings and all class lectures and discussions.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByITdoqGbUYXU3JfWU8zb1R2VkE&usp=sharing
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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