Over
the weekend, I have been more focused on my other subjects as I have had
coursework deadlines for them, however by the end of the next two weeks all of
my coursework for this year will be complete so will no longer be a distraction
or affect my time that can be spent working on my EPQ.
Today
I came up with two working titles for my extended project, they being ‘How are modern films influenced by classic
literature? How has aspects of gothic literature influence and inspire our
modern perceptions of literature and modern day media adaptations?’ I have
sent these to my supervisor to see if she has any opinion on how to improve
these titles so to be able to come to a conclusive title for my project by the
end of this term.
Monday, 30 November 2015
Friday, 27 November 2015
24-11-2015
I
intended to begin starting to construct a series of questions over the past few
days however I became ill and was unable to, this puts me slightly behind in
terms of the personal timeline I am trying to keep to, so therefore I am going
to catch up in the next few days as when planning an idea of when I wanted
stuff done.
However I did take into consideration the fact that something could prevent me from doing tasks in the timeframe such as illness therefore overall in the whole scheme of things I am not behind.
During this time however where I was unable to work, I took the time to watch the movies; the women in black, the prestige and began to watch the Jekyll and Hyde series as they all link to my investigation, my next step is to read/re-read these books.
However I did take into consideration the fact that something could prevent me from doing tasks in the timeframe such as illness therefore overall in the whole scheme of things I am not behind.
During this time however where I was unable to work, I took the time to watch the movies; the women in black, the prestige and began to watch the Jekyll and Hyde series as they all link to my investigation, my next step is to read/re-read these books.
19-11-2015
Over
the last two days, I have re-read Wuthering Heights and I am now beginning to
make a list of important quotations I can potentially link to my investigation
all quotations include a brief explanation of what they mean and some describe
why I believe them to be beneficial, I am going to try and do this with all the
other books I read.
I am also beginning to come up with a series of questions so that in the next few weeks I have a complete and succinct question title to work towards in my investigation.
I am also beginning to come up with a series of questions so that in the next few weeks I have a complete and succinct question title to work towards in my investigation.
17-11-2015
I
have now came up with a list of books which I believe I will need for this
investigation some of which have changed since the beginning of my
investigation, some of the books I originally thought I would need I no longer
believe I do. I am first going to borrow them from my local library to see how
crucial they are to my investigation and so I have material to work from before
I order them. I will need the following classic novels; Wuthering Heights,
Rebecca, The Little Stranger and the Women in Black. I am also going to try and
get a hold of the following two books; Why Read the Classics and A Companion to
Literature, Film and Adaptation. To begin with I took Wuthering Heights out of
the library to re-read as well as my supervisor’s suggestion of The Little
Stranger.
16-11-2015 - Supervisor Meeting
I am continuing to annotate all of my articles
so I can take the most information possible from it.
Today I had my first EPQ meeting with my supervisor to discuss my initial ideas and the current direction of my work. In this meeting we discussed my ideas and came to a relative conclusion on what way I should now take my investigation. Furthermore we decided the next steps for me, the most important being that I begin to come up with a question so that I can start to direct my research towards that specific subject area. Here is a brief summary of the conclusions and conversations which occurred in this meeting: we first discussed the beneficial research I had accumulated on the topics of; classic literature, film adaptations, theorists, the debate of novel-film and the stigmas attached to the above. We then talked about what the next stage would be for me to take in my investigation. I am now going to do further research into the classics looking at specific examples, I am going to start with Emily Bronte’s ‘Wuthering Heights’. Then due to the strong connections that can I be drawn I am going to look at a modern classic Rebecca which follows similar themes and so discuss the links between the pair. I am also going to further define ‘classic’ specifically in reference to these examples. My supervisor suggested I look into two books which follow similar concepts to the ones I was already interested in; the little stranger and the women in black. I am also going to look into how society is influenced by books and films and how one is restricted whereas the other is more open. I am then going to look for character inspirations in my chosen examples compared to other modern day characters; my supervisor suggested I look at the concept of the child who dies young. At this point, my investigation is taking a more gothic turn and so the idea of ghosts and haunting comes into play, the idea that there is an external being that controls us as well as the idea we are controlled by our own human nature such as seen in Jekyll and Hyde and the idea of dual personality and identity. I will also be looking at the idea of escapism, society and human nature and how they link to one another. I will also look at the threads of fascination and how this is successful. I will also be looking at the idea of audience differences /preferences as a different audience takes in books compared to film etc… as well as the other obvious audience differences generally. The overall idea of the conversation with my supervisor was how literary theory about the idea is all influenced and that because of this there are several adaptations across a variety of mediums. My next step is to now research and create a list of books which will help support and further my investigation and direction so to hopefully help me to create a question.
Today I had my first EPQ meeting with my supervisor to discuss my initial ideas and the current direction of my work. In this meeting we discussed my ideas and came to a relative conclusion on what way I should now take my investigation. Furthermore we decided the next steps for me, the most important being that I begin to come up with a question so that I can start to direct my research towards that specific subject area. Here is a brief summary of the conclusions and conversations which occurred in this meeting: we first discussed the beneficial research I had accumulated on the topics of; classic literature, film adaptations, theorists, the debate of novel-film and the stigmas attached to the above. We then talked about what the next stage would be for me to take in my investigation. I am now going to do further research into the classics looking at specific examples, I am going to start with Emily Bronte’s ‘Wuthering Heights’. Then due to the strong connections that can I be drawn I am going to look at a modern classic Rebecca which follows similar themes and so discuss the links between the pair. I am also going to further define ‘classic’ specifically in reference to these examples. My supervisor suggested I look into two books which follow similar concepts to the ones I was already interested in; the little stranger and the women in black. I am also going to look into how society is influenced by books and films and how one is restricted whereas the other is more open. I am then going to look for character inspirations in my chosen examples compared to other modern day characters; my supervisor suggested I look at the concept of the child who dies young. At this point, my investigation is taking a more gothic turn and so the idea of ghosts and haunting comes into play, the idea that there is an external being that controls us as well as the idea we are controlled by our own human nature such as seen in Jekyll and Hyde and the idea of dual personality and identity. I will also be looking at the idea of escapism, society and human nature and how they link to one another. I will also look at the threads of fascination and how this is successful. I will also be looking at the idea of audience differences /preferences as a different audience takes in books compared to film etc… as well as the other obvious audience differences generally. The overall idea of the conversation with my supervisor was how literary theory about the idea is all influenced and that because of this there are several adaptations across a variety of mediums. My next step is to now research and create a list of books which will help support and further my investigation and direction so to hopefully help me to create a question.
13-11-2015
I
have made the decision to look further into the idea of social media, to begin
this, I have created a picture mind map including my own drawn images of my
ideas regarding social media such as the like, tweet and share buttons as well
as the idea of flagging emails using the red flag symbol. I also created a
small diagram showing a computer with different branches coming from it to
display the kind of media related items that can be found on the computer. I
finished this page with the idea that media is not a singular thing instead it
has lots of branches as shown by the diagram. This piece has helped to show me
in a more visual sense the idea of media, more specifically the social aspect
of it.
12-11-2015
I
have created a two page piece briefly talking about the difference between
books and films. These pages included a definition of adaptations and how
adaptations vary, how it is an interpretation produced by the directors and
writers. I also talked briefly about the film makers roles. I then made a list
of the ‘apparent’ top ten popular movie adaptations of classics.
I made a brief explanation on the Disney adaptation ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and how Disney films are inspired by literature, I decided to leave this idea so not to waste time and spend it on something more productive by simply annotating an article entitled ‘Animated Disney Films inspired by English Literature’
I made a brief explanation on the Disney adaptation ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and how Disney films are inspired by literature, I decided to leave this idea so not to waste time and spend it on something more productive by simply annotating an article entitled ‘Animated Disney Films inspired by English Literature’
10-11-2015
I
have decided to create a mind map which displays my ideas for this unit and the
directions I am considering going in. I
have also researched the idea of a symbiotic and parasitic relationship
specifically in reference to movies and books as to start a directional idea
that books and films are consistently related to one another.
05-11-2015
I
am in the process of ordering a book called ‘A companion to literature, film
and adaptation’ which is a collection of original essays that explore a range
of theoretical approaches in my chosen field. It contains new, leading research
into the film and adaptation field.
03-11-2015
I found a theorist called Kamilla Elliot who
explores the idea of the novel film debate in her novel made up of her
theoretical essays entitled ‘ Rethinking the novel/film debate’ the book was
over 500 pages long so I decided instead of purchasing the book I found a
variety of extracts to look through and analyse to see what would be important
and beneficial to my investigation.
I decided that I would find a more up to date piece on the most popular book to film adaptations, even though the website is not as credible as the other websites used, the content of the article is more up to date than most, showing the best adaptations from last year. This was on the website stuff NZ which is a New Zealand based website.
When searching for the most successful film adaptations I came across an opinion piece by freelance entertainment journalist ‘Alanna Bennett’ on why book to film adaptations should no longer carry the same stigma that they used to, I believe this opinion to be beneficial even if it is bias due to being written by one individual.
I decided that because I had looked at the best book to film adaptations I should look for adaptations that people believed to be unsuccessful, I found an article entitled ‘book to film adaptation travesties’ which named a variety of adaptations they viewed unsuccessful and a brief description of why, this helped me to see why people view some adaptations negatively, at a later date I intend to find more film adaptations which were negatively received and why.
I decided that I would find a more up to date piece on the most popular book to film adaptations, even though the website is not as credible as the other websites used, the content of the article is more up to date than most, showing the best adaptations from last year. This was on the website stuff NZ which is a New Zealand based website.
When searching for the most successful film adaptations I came across an opinion piece by freelance entertainment journalist ‘Alanna Bennett’ on why book to film adaptations should no longer carry the same stigma that they used to, I believe this opinion to be beneficial even if it is bias due to being written by one individual.
I decided that because I had looked at the best book to film adaptations I should look for adaptations that people believed to be unsuccessful, I found an article entitled ‘book to film adaptation travesties’ which named a variety of adaptations they viewed unsuccessful and a brief description of why, this helped me to see why people view some adaptations negatively, at a later date I intend to find more film adaptations which were negatively received and why.
07-10-2015
I found several small extracts from different
articles and combined them together, one of these being briefly synopsising the
work of Italo Cavino after reading this I have decided to research his work
further so I am going to purchase his book when the next opportunity arises
called ‘Why Read the Classics’ . I also found the definitions of a classic in
the broader sense and in terms of literature finding multiple ideas so to have
a greater understanding of what it takes for something to be defined as a
classic. I also found the definitions of literature, film and media so to use
them to support my findings by defining the subject areas. As well as this I found synonyms for the
words so that I can use them in my work so not the use the same word
repeatedly.
30-09-2015
Telegraph
– 25 best book to film adaptations – before reading this I didn’t know which
adaptations were most popular and now afterwards I am aware of which
adaptations were positively received, however even though this article was from
a credible source which is checked and regulated, it can be argued that the
information is biased because it is primarily based on one person’s opinion. I
also took into consideration the fact that the article was written in September
of 2009 so the opinions may have changed now that new adaptations have been
released.
The Guardian – Top 10 movie adaptations – I found this article so to have an opposing opinion to the first article so to see what different people’s opinions of the best adaptations were. The piece is credible due to the reputation of the company however the fact that it is an opinion piece has to be considered. The piece shows that a group of critics made the decision rather than one individual person so the piece is less bias than the first.
Den of Geek – Animated Disney movies inspired by English Literature – I found this piece by searching for films adapted from books to have an idea of which ones have been adapted, finding one based only on Disney movies. This article shows a series of films inspired by literature several which I did not know before reading this. This article is however over 5 years old so there are probably more literature inspired Disney films.
Great Movies: Popular Movies Based on Classic Novels – this is a very short article which showed four films adapted from classic literature with brief descriptions, it then has a short list of other classic adaptations. I found this article helpful as it helped me find other film adaptations which existed from classic literature.
The Guardian – Top 10 movie adaptations – I found this article so to have an opposing opinion to the first article so to see what different people’s opinions of the best adaptations were. The piece is credible due to the reputation of the company however the fact that it is an opinion piece has to be considered. The piece shows that a group of critics made the decision rather than one individual person so the piece is less bias than the first.
Den of Geek – Animated Disney movies inspired by English Literature – I found this piece by searching for films adapted from books to have an idea of which ones have been adapted, finding one based only on Disney movies. This article shows a series of films inspired by literature several which I did not know before reading this. This article is however over 5 years old so there are probably more literature inspired Disney films.
Great Movies: Popular Movies Based on Classic Novels – this is a very short article which showed four films adapted from classic literature with brief descriptions, it then has a short list of other classic adaptations. I found this article helpful as it helped me find other film adaptations which existed from classic literature.
My EPQ Logbook
As part of my A-levels, I am completing an EPQ in English Literature and Media Studies.
I am still in the early stages of my EPQ and I have currently been researching, I have previously been creating my logbook on a simple word document but I believe that it would be more beneficial to create my logbook on something more media oriented such as blogger.
The first set of posts will all be posted on the same day but after that they will coincide with the dates completed. This is because I am in the midst of transferring all of my data from the word document on to this blog.
This blog serves to show my train of thoughts and ideas and the research I undertake to come to conclusive ending.
I am still in the early stages of my EPQ and I have currently been researching, I have previously been creating my logbook on a simple word document but I believe that it would be more beneficial to create my logbook on something more media oriented such as blogger.
The first set of posts will all be posted on the same day but after that they will coincide with the dates completed. This is because I am in the midst of transferring all of my data from the word document on to this blog.
This blog serves to show my train of thoughts and ideas and the research I undertake to come to conclusive ending.
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