SECOND YEAR: Unit Briefing (Fiction Adaptation)

We were given, today, our unit briefs for the second unit, Fiction Adaptation, of which I've attached the content of our assignment:

FICTION ADAPTATION UNIT:

When Helen first talked about this unit, I got really excited as I love reading poetry and have studied a lot of it back at school when I was doing the International Baccalaureate (IB). Part of the IB, I studied HL English Literature (A): My studies were mostly focused on poetry by Sylvia Plath and the depiction of her autobiographical work in the form of linguistically dense poetry, filled with symbolism and powerful imagery, and had a strong impact to me, on how to present ideas and experiences through ambiguities and abstract concepts.

So being presented with this unit, was an absolute delight as to analyse and present a WWI piece of poetry, in to a 3-5mins short film, is something I'm really looking forward to working on. 

WWI Poetry Adaptation:

As part of this unit, we were given to choose one poem from five pieces of poetry, written during or after the First World War, to adapt in to a 3-5mins short film, which will act as an episode in a series under the title, "TBC".

The film, has to be produced individually meaning we will have to produce, direct and edit it on our own, which I'm totally happy with, but we can seek help from other individuals on our course for casting, camerawork, sound, etc.

The collection of poems we had to choose one of them, to adapt are:

1. Anthem for a Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen (1917)
2. The Death Bed by Siegfried Sassoon (1916)
3. The Cenotaph by Charlotte Mew (1919)
4. Recalling War by Robert Graves (1938)
5. Summer in England by Alice Meynell (1914)

I choose the poem 'Recalling War' by Robert Graves, as it was the only poem that whilst I was reading it, ideas would instantly form in my head and made me jot down, almost immediately, ideas on the page the poem was printed on. However, I'm going to discuss my research and my ideas on my following posts, as it would impossible to write a short description of my work.

Our next task on this unit is to write another essay, 2000-2500 words long, that has to answer one of the following essay questions.

1. Discuss the view that "with a successful adaptation, the original work is transformed into something new and different, although retaining many traces of what it was formerly" with reference to at least one text adapted for broadcast on television.
2. To what extent is it true that "Adaptation of classic texts enable contemporary audiences to re-visit the past; as such they can be situated within the boarder context of postmodern appropriations of history"? Examine the reference to at least one text adapted for broadcast on television.
3. In adapting a novel the adaptor inevitably infringes the integrity of the original text- discuss the reference to at least one text adapted for broadcast on television.

Thanks for reading (once again). Quite frankly, I haven't decided on which essay question I'm going to write an essay for, but once I do, you'll be the first to know.

Yours,

I.