COLL-E 103 15663 Beauty and the Beast (Pao) (A & H) (3 cr.)

This course examines literary classics (novels and plays) and their twentieth-century popular culture adaptations (movies, musicals, animated films, and comic strips). We will explore these remakes in terms of the social and historical contexts in which the originals and the adaptations were made. We will ask ourselves the question “What aesthetic or thematic changes does the alteration in the medium of expression trigger?” Many of the literary “classics” were considered “popular” in their time moreover. So we will also be discussing “what constitutes a classic?” and “what is popular culture?” and attempt to define the relationship between the two.

The works we will study for spring 2007 include the Disney animated version of “Beauty and the Beast” and the 18th-century version of this tale written for a literary salon; William Shakespeare’s Othello, the movie “O”, and a comic book edition of the tragedy; Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables and the Broadway musical popularly known as “Les Miz”; the Greek tragedy The Suppliant Women and an updated adaptation, Big Love.

Requirements: two 4-5 page papers, a midterm exam, and a final essay exam. Regular attendance and participation in class discussion is also a must. There will be separately scheduled screenings of the films. Since there is no published text for Big Love, class members will go see the IU Theatre production.