Adaptation Analysis Paper

CTVA 309—Film as Literature
Spring 2017
Adaptation Analysis Paper
Length: 5-7 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font
Preliminary Assignment Due: Wednesday, April 19th
Final Draft Due: Wednesday, May 10th
You will be writing a detailed critical analysis of ONE of the following novels and corresponding
film adaptations: Devil in a Blue Dress; or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner);
or Gone Girl.
Step One:
Choose one of the case-study adaptations and develop a topic thesis that you can discuss and illustrate in a
close analysis of the chosen adaptation. Your thesis can involve an historical question, an aesthetic or
stylistic comparison, or a thematic or ideological discussion. Ask yourself what you found interesting or
problematic about the adaptation and develop your thesis statement/question from there.
Step Two:
Pick ONE important scene (not a sequence—which is longer—a scene usually equals one location) that you
will use for your primary analysis and compare and contrast that scene in the literary source with that scene
in the film. Though they may differ significantly, you must obviously pick a scene that is represented in
some way in both the literary source and the film. You will provide an introductory background on the
context of the scene in the literary work, describing the narrative situation and events, setting, characters,
and any other relevant information about the scene. In addition, you will also do a supplemental shot list of
the corresponding scene from the film (NOT counted toward the required 5-7 page total). See the sample
posted on Moodle for specific directions on the shot list.
Step Three:
Next, provide a comparative analysis that considers the various narrative elements in both the literary text
and film scene, including story and plot structure, point-of-view/subjectivity, elements of literary and visual
design, characterization and enactment, and issues of genre and ideology where relevant. Use the
transformation strategies discussed in class to provide specific comparisons of elements within the
corresponding scenes. Of course, not all of the elements noted above will be applicable to your analysis
and, if there is anything else that does not fit in the above categories that you wish to note, please do so.
Step Four:
Propose reasons for the changes in the adaptation. Do they indicate practical considerations on the part of
the adapter in making the film, her or his interpretive insights into the literary text, or some other outside
factors? At this point, research on both the literary text and the film can be useful. This research may carry
you into considerations of biographical, historical, industrial, and production contexts. Even so, you may
not be able to determine a reason for every change and may find it necessary to suggest a plausible reason
for a change based on your own observations of both the book and the film adaptation and on your own
general knowledge of literature and film.
Step Five:
Finally, you will expand your discussion into a macrocosmic analysis of the complete literary text and its
film adaptation. You will write up your conclusions of this comparative analysis noting any important
thematic shifts in meaning in the adaptation from the literary source to the film. The focus of this
discussion should address your original topic thesis and will be determined by your own thoughts,
perceptions, and critical analysis of the adaptation. Remember, we are not interested in whether “the book
was better,” or any other value judgments for that matter. Instead our goal is to discern how “meaning” is
constructed, and possibly shifted or changed, in relation to the two media forms.
Notes:
Outside research and citation of at least three (3) critical sources is required for the final draft of this
assignment. These must include at least one book source, at least one scholarly or academic resource, and
at least one popular review (magazine, newspaper, or website). These three sources MUST be in addition to
the articles assigned for each of the adaptations. Look for critical analyses of your chosen book and film
that support or compliment your analysis and interpretation of the works. However, do not simply repeat
the analysis as presented in the sources—develop your own critical response using your own observations
and examples. Proper citation and bibliographic form (MLA or Chicago, but be consistent) is required.
A well-written paper has a strong, clear, well thought-out thesis or main idea that is presented succinctly in
the opening paragraph and then developed in an orderly fashion throughout the body of the paper. All
significant main ideas included within the body of the paper should be included in the order in which they
appear in the opening paragraph. Finally, a well-written paper is free from grammatical errors,
misspellings, and typos.
Please note that if you have difficulty writing papers, or have never written an analytical type paper before,
there are a multitude of resources on campus to help you in this endeavor. Search them out and utilize them
if necessary. Of course, I will always be personally available to assist you with any questions or problems
that you may have. Get started immediately and finish early if you would like me to review your draft.
Once again, a note on plagiarism. Plagiarism is more than simply taking the words of others and presenting
them as your own; it is also taking the ideas of others and presenting them as your own. If you use another
author’s words or ideas, you must cite them properly. Please refer to the Corrigan text or another
appropriate style manual for guidelines on how and when to properly cite another author’s work.
Plagiarism or academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. All suspected cases are automatically
turned over to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.
Due Dates:
The final paper due date is Wednesday, May 10th, but you will also be required to submit a
preliminary assignment that will include: a confirmation of your novel and film adaptation
choice, a scene selection (if decided), and a preliminary bibliography citing at least 10 (ten)
potential sources for the final paper. Include brief annotations to the sources explaining their
potential usefulness to your project. This assignment is required and will count towards the final
grade of the assignment. It will be due on April 19th.
These due dates are firm and non-negotiable. Submission of the preliminary assignment on the
due date is mandatory and it will not be accepted late. The final draft of the paper is required to
pass the class; failure to do so will result in the assignment of a non-passing grade for the course.
Late papers will be graded down one whole grade EACH DAY that they are late (i.e. and “A”
becomes a “B” etc.). Absolutely no papers will be accepted after the final day of class.
Finally, the only way to NOT do well on this paper is by submitting work that is not your own.
Copies of papers from any of my classes where these case-study adaptations were assigned in the
past have been kept on file and will be spot checked against your submissions. Additionally, a
random selection of students from the class will be instructed to further submit their papers
electronically via TurnItIn for closer scrutiny. Plagiarizing or submitting “acquired” work is
not worth the potential consequences.
Preliminary Assignment Due: Wednesday, April 19th, at the beginning of class
Final Papers are due Wednesday, May 10th, at the beginning of class.