Teaching Literary Theory Using Film Adaptations

This volume introduces ways to use film to ease the difficulty of introducing complex literary theories to students. By coupling works of literature with attendant films the author provides instructors with accessible avenues for encouraging classroom discussion. Literary theories covered include psychoanalytic criticism ('The Awakening' and film adaptations 'The End of August' and 'Grand Isle'), cultural criticism ('A Streetcar Named Desire' and the film adaptation of the same name), and thematic criticism ('Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood' and the film adaptation 'Splendor in the Grass'). The work then offers a survey of the image patterns into which film adaptation theories can be grouped and how these theories relate to literary theory.