Russian Literature on the Screen

The course will investigate the relationship between two arts: literature and film. Literary works have always attracted filmmakers. The recent popularity of TV miniseries based on classical works of Russian literature has led to heated debates on issues of fidelity and the supposed inferiority of film to literature. We will discuss the limits of artistic freedom in adapting a literary original to the screen, cinematic means of transforming text into visual narrative, and different approaches to film adaptation analysis. We will examine attempts of Russian filmmakers throughout the history of Russian/Soviet cinema to adapt various literary genres to the screen: poems, short stories, novels, and drama. The course will incorporate readings of the original works of literature and detailed analysis of the cinematic adaptation. In addition to class meetings, weekly screenings will be required. Counts as a course in literature or history, culture, and politics.