(Cross listed with FILMS_VS 4935/7935 and THEATR 4935/7935)

Adapting Books in the Age of Netflix

Which books are getting adapted these days, and why? Who is doing a better job of adapting them, film or TV (or can we even make that distinction anymore?)? How did Netflix suddenly get so damn good at adapting books? And how has the practice of adaptation changed since streaming became a Thing? These are just some of the (many) questions we’ll ask in this course as we study a cluster of novels and their translation to screen. Possible books include The Woman in the Window, Dune, Enola Holmes, Bridgerton, Nightmare Alley, Death on the Nile, The White Tiger, News of the World, Mothering Sunday, Crazy Rich Asians, Around the World in 80 Days, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. (Students who enroll in the course before 11/19 can vote on which books and adaptations we should cover).   

What are the goals of the course? We'll create those together, but three goals are crucial: To have you understand what makes a "good" adaptation; to appreciate the choices that go into adapting books; and to identify the challenges people face when adapting literature. 

Assignments include 3 short essays (4-5pp each.) and the choice of either a longer critical essay (7-8pp) OR a “treatment” of your own adaptation of one book studied in the course.