The Routledge Concise History of Literature and Film is a comprehensive introduction to the interrelated subjects of Literature and Film. Taking a historical perspective, this book is not a simple story about adaptation, but about the ways in which the two media have adapted to each other: how film altered the kinds of stories writers told, and how they told them, and how literature provided film with a rich source of stories and storytelling techniques. Using examples from much-loved classics like Hamlet and Batman to little known stories by Kipling and Wim Wenders, and from art-house movies like Orlando to blockbusters like Alien, the book illuminates not just the well-charted but the often surprising connections between films and literatures.

Author Biography

Karin Littau is a Senior Lecturer in the department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex. Her main interests are in literature and film, adaptations and translations and new media and has published widely on these topics.