Fundamentals of Narrative 1

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Subject guarantor

Petra DOMINKOVÁ

Name of lecturer(s)

Petra DOMINKOVÁ

Learning outcomes of the course unit

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Mode of study

Lectures.

Prerequisites and co-requisites

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Course contents

The course, “Fundamentals of Narrative” will not teach you how to write the script per se, however, it may significantly help you to do so. We will discuss various facets of narratology, that is the study of narrative and narrative structure, and the ways that these affect human perception. We will become familiar with the terms such as story, plot, narrative, narration, focalization, etc. that are widely used in the literature and their understanding is crucial for comprehending how the script works and what may influence the spectators’ perception. We will try to dig deep into the seemingly simple concepts of time, space, and character. We will discuss few approaches to the analysis of the texts (feminist, semiotic), as well as few theories based on the archetypes (Campbell, Hudson, Propp), and chronotope (Bakhtin). We will devote few lectures to TV series and the specific narrative techniques they are using. We will also discuss adaptation between various media and talk about how the change of the medium may influence the story. All in all, we will try to understand as much as possible how the narratives work, which is necessary for being able to create one.

Classes will be discussion-based, I assume we will mostly discuss various themes together, instead of me delivering the lectures. I expect students will work regularly for the class, there will be reading for each week, and occasionally students may be required to watch the film or episode of TV series. There will be also assignments, even if some of them will be not written, rather would require students to come up with some ideas, think about various ways how the story may be manipulated, come up with their own plot for one particular story, etc.

The lecture will be taught in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023.

Recommended or required reading

Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. Film Art. An Introduction. (11th Edition.) McGraw-Hill, 2017.

Dancyger, Ken, and Jeff Rush. Alternative Scriptwriting: Successfully Breaking the Rules. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Focal Press, 2007.

Propp. Vladimir. Morphology of the Folktale. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2009 (20th Edition).

Assessment methods and criteria

The final grade will be calculated as follows: Class Attendance and Participation (20 %); midterm essay (20%); 6 assignments (each for 10 %)

Course web page

https://classroom.google.com/c/Mzk3MzQ1NzI1Mzg5?cjc=ip6debp

Note

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Schedule for winter semester 2022/2023:

• Week view
• List

Schedule for summer semester 2022/2023:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

The subject is a part of the following study plans

• Academy Preparation Program - Screenwriting (required subject)