Close reading and analysis of films and works of, modern literature. Establishing parallels between, literary and cinematic arts, we will reflect on, the adaptation by film directors and screenwriters, of works of fiction: the movement or transition, from page to screen. Examination of how models of, criticism are shaped by formal features integral, to the art of the cinema (cinematography, editing,, performance, special effects, etc.). Recurring, topics will include genre, spectatorship,, narrative, identification, and intertextuality. A, central aim will be to specify the conventions of, a variety of literary and cinematic genres: the, thriller, crime fiction and film noir/neo-noir,, the Gothic or horror story, science fiction, and, meta-cinema or critical cinema (films about other, films). Special emphasis will be placed on "free", or "distant" adaptations of works of fiction, on, films that creatively rethink the very concept of, "adaptation."