The history of British literature on film, 1895-2015
By: Greg M. Colón Semenza and Bob Hasenfratz
Contributors: Hasenfratz, Robert J., 1957-
Series: The history of world literatures on film
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Published: 2015
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 474
ISBN-13: 9781623560430
Subjects: Motion pictures; British literature; LITERARY CRITICISM / General; Motion pictures and literature; History; Film adaptations; PERFORMING ARTS / Film & Video / History & Criticism
Description: "From The Death of Nancy Sykes (1897) to The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) and beyond, cinematic adaptations of British literature participate in a complex and fascinating history. The History of British Literature on Film, 1895-2015 is the only comprehensive narration of cinema's 100-year-old love affair with British literature. Unlike previous studies of literature and film, which tend to privilege particular authors such as Shakespeare and Jane Austen, or particular texts such as Frankenstein, or particular literary periods such as Medieval, this volume considers the multiple functions of filmed British literature as a cinematic subject in its own right-one reflecting the specific political and aesthetic priorities of different national and historical cinemas. In what ways has the British literary canon authorized and influenced the history and aesthetics of film, and in what ways has filmed British literature both affirmed and challenged the very idea of literary canonicity? Seeking to answer these and other key questions, this indispensable study shows how these adaptations emerged from and continue to shape the social, artistic, and commercial aspects of film history"--

"A comprehensive history of British literature on film, analyzing the changing cinematic art and politics of adaptation between the years 1896 and 2010"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 419-436) and index.