美國劇場電影改編

American Theatre on Film

學期

107-1

學分

3 學分

當期課號

1636

永久課號

DFL2251

開課單位

外國語文學系

授課教師

林建國

類別

選修

上課時間表

節	週一
2 09:00–09:50	美國劇場電影改編 F326 3 節連堂
3 10:10–11:00
4 11:10–12:00

* 根據陽明交大上課時間表所列

概述

American theatre has a close-knit relation with film. Many of the successful plays that hit Broadway soon get adapted into films by Hollywood. However, theatre and cinema are two very distinct breeds. In this class, we will study their difference by reading the works of a select group of American playwrights (Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Edward Albee) and watching their film adaptations by some of the best filmmakers of our time (Sidney Lumet, Elia Kazan, Mike Nichols). One of these films, Fences, is directed by the star Denzel Washington. The Hollywood luminaries along with him who star in the films we will watch include Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the more recent Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Emma Thompson, as well as Paul Newman. We will include the following plays in our reading: Our Town (Thornton Wilder, 1938), Long Day's Journey into Night (Eugene O'Neill, 1941), A Streetcar Named Desire (Tennessee Williams, 1947), The Crucible (Arthur Miller, 1953), A Raisin in the Sun (Lorraine Hansberry, 1959), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Edward Albee, 1962), Fences (August Wilson, 1985), and Angels in America (Tony Kushner, 1991). Each of these plays speaks the zeitgeist of its time. The Crucible, for instance, addresses the political witch hunt of McCarthyism; A Raisin in the Sun and Fences, the plight of African-American life on the eve of the Civil Rights movements; and Angels in America, life and death of the young gay people. Other plays either praise the rosy side of small town America (Our Town) or depict its darker side (The Crucible). In still others, marriage holds on or can hardly hold (Long Day's Journey and Virginia Woolf). Romantic love is both poison and the cure (A Streetcar and Angels). Three of the playwrights we read are gay (Williams, Albee, and Kushner), while two of them Black (Wilson and Hansberry, who is also a woman). Together they piece together a huge mosaic known otherwise as the American life.

先修科目

All activities including discussions and homework will be conducted in English.

評分方式

Class participation 10 points Film logs (on all 8 films) 15 points Online responses (on all 8 films and plays, plus a reading) 15 points Quizzes (16 on all 8 plays) 30 points Term paper 30 points Student with paper planning waiver Paper planning 5 points Final paper 25 points Other students Paper planning 15 points Final paper 15 points Total 100 points

週次計畫

週次	主題
第 1 週	Play 1, Film 1 PLAY Our Town (Thornton Wilder, 1938). Read: Act 1 (pp. 21-49). FILM Our Town (Dir. James Naughton, 2005). 120 minutes. ACTIVITY: Film Log 1 due.
第 2 週	Play 1 cont. PLAY Our Town (Thornton Wilder, 1938). Read: Acts 2 & 3 (pp. 50-91). OPTIONAL: “Our Town, Thornton Wilder, 1938.” Drama for Students, vol. 1, pp. 222-237. ACTIVITIES: Quizzes 1a & 1b (entire play). Online Response 1a (on Play 1 and Film 1).
第 3 週	Mid-Autumn Festival No class. Read: Andre Bazin, “Theater and Cinema, Part Two” (pp. 95-124). ACTIVITY: Online Response 1b (on Bazin).
第 4 週	Play 2, Film 2 PLAY The Crucible (Arthur Miller, 1953). Read: Acts 1 & 2 (pp. 3-76), “Appendix: Act Two, Scene 2” (pp. 139-143). [Lengthy descriptions not in italics about the characters, such as the one on pages 3-7, can be skipped.] FILM The Crucible (Dir. Nicholas Hytner, 1996). 124 minutes. OPTIONAL: “The Crucible, Arthur Miller, 1953,” by Joanne Woolway. Drama for Students, vol. 3, pp. 120-140. ACTIVITIES: Quiz 2a on play. Film Log 2 due. PAPER PLANNING 1: Preparing the “Works Cited” list for books, book chapters, and essays from a print journal.
第 5 週	Play 2 cont. PLAY The Crucible (Arthur Miller, 1953). Read: Acts 3 & 4 (pp. 77-135). OPTIONAL: “The Crucible, 1996,” by Claire Robinson. Drama for Students, vol. 27, pp. 25-48. ACTIVITIES: Quiz 2b on play. Online Response 2 (on Play 2 and Film 2). PAPER PLANNING 2: Preparing the “Works Cited” list for the cross-reference.
第 6 週	Play 3, Film 3 PLAY A Streetcar Named Desire (Tennessee Williams, 1947). Read: Scenes 1-5 (pp. 1116-1149). FILM A Streetcar Named Desire (Dir. Elia Kazan, 1951). 122 minutes. OPTIONAL: “A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams, 1947.” Drama for Students, vol. 1, pp. 281-297. ACTIVITIES: Quiz 3a on play. Film Log 3 due. PAPER PLANNING 3: Preparing the “Works Cited” list for online journals and websites.
第 7 週	Play 3 cont. PLAY A Streetcar Named Desire (Tennessee Williams, 1947). Read: Scenes 6-7 (pp. 1149-1177). OPTIONAL: “A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951,” by Bryan Aubrey. Drama for Students, vol. 27, pp. 209-230. ACTIVITIES: Quiz 3b on play. Online Response 3 (on Play 3 and Film 3). PAPER PLANNING 4: From a print journal, photocopying an essay related to film and/or drama and preparing its “Works Cited” entry.
第 8 週	Play 4, Film 4 PLAY Long Day's Journey into Night (Eugene O'Neill, 1941, 1956). Read: Acts 1 & 2 (pp. 849-886). FILM Long Day's Journey into Night (Dir. Sidney Lumet, 1962). 170 minutes. OPTIONAL: “Long Day's Journey into Night, Eugene O'Neill, 1956.” Drama for Students, vol. 2, pp. 68-80 (up to “Critical Overview”). ACTIVITIES: Quiz 4a on play. Film Log 4 due. PAPER PLANNING 5: Preparing the “Works Cited” list for recordings, films, DVDs, and Blu-rays.
第 9 週	Play 4 cont. PLAY Long Day's Journey into Night (Eugene O'Neill, 1941, 1956). Read: Acts 3 & 4 (pp. 886-925). OPTIONAL: “Long Day's Journey into Night, Eugene O'Neill, 1956.” Drama for Students, vol. 2, pp. 80-87 (continued from “Critical Overview”). ACTIVITIES: Quiz 4b on play. Online Response 4 (on Play 4 and Film 4). PAPER PLANNING 6: Submitting a “Works Cited” list of 5 other works, reference materials, films, and/or websites related to our course.
第 10 週	Play 5, Film 5 PLAY A Raisin in the Sun (Lorraine Hansberry, 1959). Read: Act I to Act II, Scene 1 (pp. 23-95). FILM A Raisin in the Sun (Dir. Daniel Petrie, 1961). 128 minutes. OPTIONAL: “A Raisin in the Sun, 1961,” by Sheri Metzger Karmiol. Drama for Students, vol. 29, pp. 131-144 (up to “Critical Overview”). ACTIVITIES: Quiz 5a on play. Film Log 5 due. PAPER PLANNING 7: Quoting words from an essay (in less than 4 lines and more).
第 11 週	Play 5 cont. PLAY A Raisin in the Sun (Lorraine Hansberry, 1959). Read: Act II, Scene 2 to Act III (pp. 96-151). OPTIONAL: “A Raisin in the Sun, 1961,” by Sheri Metzger Karmiol. Drama for Students, vol. 29, pp. 144-155 (continued from “Critical Overview”). ACTIVITIES: Quiz 5b on play. Online Response 5 (on Play 5 and Film 5). PAPER PLANNING 8: Paraphrasing words from an essay or chapter.
第 12 週	Play 6, Film 6 PLAY Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Edward Albee, 1962). Read: Acts 1 & 2 (pp. 1-121). FILM Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Dir. Mike Nichols, 1966). 131 minutes. OPTIONAL: “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee, 1962,” by Christopher Busiel. Drama for Students, vol. 3, pp. 361-372 (up to “Critical Overview”). ACTIVITIES: Quiz 6a on play. Film Log 6 due. PAPER PLANNING 9: Writing a thesis statement and an outline for an essay in no more than two A4-pages.
第 13 週	Play 6 cont. PLAY Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Edward Albee, 1962). Read: Acts 2 & 3 (pp. 121-242). OPTIONAL: “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee, 1962,” by Christopher Busiel. Drama for Students, vol. 3, pp. 372-383 (continued from “Critical Overview”). ACTIVITIES: Quiz 6b on play. Online Response 6 (on Play 6 and Film 6). PAPER PLANNING 10: Typing the first two pages and the “Works Cited” list for an essay according to the MLA format.
第 14 週	Play 7, Film 7 PLAY Fences (August Wilson, 1983). Read: Act 1 (pp. 1-58). FILM Fences (Dir. Denzel Washington, 2016). 138 minutes. OPTIONAL: “Fences, August Wilson, 1983,” by Sheri Metzger. Drama for Students, vol. 3, pp. 180-190 (up to “Critical Overview”). ACTIVITIES: Quiz 7a on play. Film Log 7 due. PAPER PLANNING 11: Handing in your paper outline, which should include the paper title and thesis statement, in no more than two A4-pages.
第 15 週	Play 7 cont. PLAY Fences (August Wilson, 1983). Read: Act 2 (pp. 59-101). OPTIONAL: “Fences, August Wilson, 1983,” by Sheri Metzger. Drama for Students, vol. 3, pp. 190-197 (continued from “Critical Overview”). ACTIVITIES: Quiz 7b on play. Online Response 7 (on Play 7 and Film 7). PAPER PLANNING 12: Submitting your “Works Cited” list comprising the items you expect to use in your paper.
第 16 週	Play 8, Film 8 PLAY Angels in America (Tony Kushner, 1991). Read: Act 1 (pp. 15-52). FILM Angels in America. Part 1. (Dir. Mike Nichols, 2004). 176 minutes. OPTIONAL: “Angels in America, Tony Kushner, 1991.” By Lane A. Glenn. Drama for Students, vol. 5, pp. 1-17 (up to “Style”). ACTIVITIES: Quiz 8a on play. Film Log 8 due. PAPER PLANNING 13: Discussing your paper outline with the instructor.
第 17 週	New Year Holiday No class.
第 18 週	Play 8 cont. PLAY Angels in America (Tony Kushner, 1991). Read: Acts 2 & 3 (pp. 52-125). OPTIONAL: “Angels in America, Tony Kushner, 1991.” By Lane A. Glenn. Drama for Students, vol. 5, pp. 17-33 (continued from “Style”). ACTIVITIES: Quiz 8b on play. Online Response 8 (on Play 8 and Film 8). PAPER PLANNING 14: Submitting your revised paper outline.
第 19 週	Term project due today (Monday) by noon.

教科書

The Course Reader and MLA Handbook. 8th edition. MLA, 2016.

Office Hours

地點: HC 414 (Tel: 03-573-1792, or campus extension 3-1792)
時間: Tuesday, 3:30-5:30 PM, and by appointment
聯絡方式: E-mail of the instructor, Prof. Kien Ket Lim: limk728@g2.nctu.edu.tw. Teaching Assistant: Angela 游師晴 (angelayu0207@gmail.com)