We will be viewing, reading about, and analyzing the
contemporary phenomenon of multiple narratives in film, which has morphed into
several kinds of complex narratives, such as group or ensemble narratives,
mosaic or network narratives, multiple drafts or forking path narratives, and
multiple narratives set in parallel worlds. In addition to looking at
narrative, stylistic, and genre elements, we will discuss the thematic
associations across the stories and their characters, and we will also discuss
the ideological implications within the narratives and how they are presented.
Attendance required
Assignments:
2 medium papers; a research paper; oral reports on the
readings; worksheets for the viewing of the films; and a final examination.
Texts:
A Course Reader will be available for purchase from CRDG printing services.
A tentative list of films:
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986,
Allen); The Double Life of Veronique
(1991, Kieslowski); Pulp Fiction
(1994, Tarantino); Sliding Doors
(1998, Howitt); Magnolia (1999, Anderson); The Town Is Quiet
(2000, Guediguian); Gosford Park
(2001, Altman); Crash(2004, Haggis);
Nine Lives (2004, Garcia); Amores Perros (2000, Iñárritu); Code Unknown (2000, Haneke); Babel(2006, Iñárritu), The Edge of Heaven (2008, Akin).