No blog post this week

No blog post this week.

Complete reading The Devil Wears Prada by November 9.

The class has partially redeemed itself in terms of bringing the book to class. Make sure you all bring books to class on November 9 as well.

Again, turnitin will not accept essay submissions even one minute past the deadline of Oct 31, 5pm. Avoid turning in essays at the last minute or even on the last day, and you will not fall prey to this problem.

Notes on a Scandal

Reminder: I expect to see everyone with the book in front of them in class this Monday. Coming to class unprepared affects your participation grade.

Blog post assignment for the week

Answer one of the following questions with a post of about 200 words.

Due Oct 24

1. Barbara’s character is obviously radically changed in the film, but what about Sheba? Contrast the two Shebas. One possible area of focus could be the degree to which the film/book seem to encourage sympathy for her. Another focus could be as to whether the book and film differ in their theory as to why she did it (what she “was thinking”).
2. What techniques does the book use to “clue the reader in” to the idea that Barbara is troubled and unreliable as a narrator? What techniques does the film use?
3. The film made many changes to reinforce its notion of Barbara has dangerously and cruelly manipulative, and these changes arguably distort the book’s original vision of her. Discuss some other changes the film made to the book (NOT related to the villainizing of Barbara) that DO seem successful and necessary (for whatever reason). Explain in what way the change enabled the film to show more effectively or succinctly an aspect of the novel, even while changing it.

No blog post this week

There is no blog post due for Oct 17. Begin reading Notes on a Scandal.

I forgot to reprimand the class earlier tonight and will do so now. When I see a classroom in which 7 people have brought the book to class, I conclude that 7 people have read the book and that the rest are attempting to obtain credit for participating in a discussion about a book that they have never read. This is not always a fair assumption, but it's one that you can easily do something about by always bringing the book under discussion to class.

Please note that although the last date to turn in Essay 1 is October 31, it is in your best interest to complete it earlier since Essay 2 is due the week immediately afterward. October 31 probably was not my original intention, but having published it I will stick with it.

Dead Man Walking

This blog post is separate from and in addition to the 1000-word assignment that is also due next Monday. However, the 1000-word assignment can be an expansion of any blog post you have written previously, including this week's.

Choose one of the following and respond with a post of about 200 words to the forum on turnitin.com. Read posts made before yours and do not duplicate them!

Due 10/10/2011

1. Where in the book is Prejean most convincing in her arguments against death penalty? Is this scene or moment conveyed successfully in the film? If so, how is it done? If not, what is the problem?

2. Where in the book is Prejean least convincing in her arguments against death penalty? Is this improved upon  in the film? If so, how?

3. Choose one scene in the film that has no origin in the book and discuss why it was added, how it furthered or detracted from the film's ideas. Are these ideas that don't exist in the book, or are they new ways of presenting the book's ideas?

4. What is the contrast between Prejean's two advisees, and which aspects of them was the film most interested in preserving to create the hybrid character of Matthew Poncelet?

5. Defend the following statement with specific examples: The film version of Dead Man Walking took an undramatic book that meandered and lapsed into speeches and transformed it into a movie with dramatic appeal, but also filled  with Hollywood cliches and overly familiar tropes.

6. What differences are there in the religious views of book-Helen and movie-Helen?

No blog post this week

Please read at least half of Dead Man Walking before the next class, and finish it before the Oct 10 class. Remember that the first major writing assignment is due and start planning.

Also remember that the weekly posts are a required component and are not accepted late.

That said, we will skip the weekly post this week and return to the routine on the following week.

Wizard of Oz

Choose one of the following and respond with about 200 words. Read messages posted before yours and do not duplicate!

1. Is the film’s Dorothy stronger or more passive than the book’s version? Defend both points of view.
2. In what way does the movie convey a different attitude toward the world (which you can take in any sense: gender roles, politics, human nature, economics, home, family, friendship, etc.), than the book did?
3. This film has always had people trying to come up with a ‘master interpretation’ that argues what the film is really (or secretly) about. It’s said that the makers of the film put all sorts of things into it that weren’t in the book to advance this “secret agenda.” If it’s true that the film is trying to teach or advocate something through symbolism and allegory, what do you think it is? What elements of the plot or of the characterizations that differ from the book can you use to help defend that idea?

 We will also discuss the following in class (but these are not writing options)...

1. Who are the good and bad mother figures in this film, and what scenes convince you to regard them this way? Keep the emphasis on qualities that define them as mothers, not just good or bad women.  What kind of theory can we form about Dorothy’s attitudes toward mothers when we look at their role in her life and in her dream?
2. How is Dorothy’s quest a “feminine quest,” markedly different from the standard masculine quest? Begin by deciding what you think constitutes a masculine quest, thinking in terms of ultimate goal, steps along the way, techniques used to achieve, side characters encountered. Look to blockbuster movies or famous stories as examples.
3. If the Wicked Witch is The Outsider in this movie, what minority groups is she being associated with to help the audience identify against her? That is, what popular prejudices does the film take advantage of to mark her as different/wrong?  How do they accomplish this, specifically?

Muriel's Wedding

Reminder: you should begin reading The Wizard of Oz.

Now for the online questions...post a comment to this entry of about 150-250 words. You don't need the elaborate introduction of an essay; just jump right into your concise answer.

Answer any ONE of the following (and please make it clear in your first sentence which question you're answering). Feel free to reply with disagreements or additions to other student comments.


1) What specific moments show marriage being parodied. Think in literary terms (actions, dialogue, characterizations, plot outcomes) but also film terms (camerawork, lighting, music, and sequencing).

2) Discuss Muriel’s more peculiar lies to see if you can find any plausible, psychological reason for them (either a deliberate reason on her part, or more likely an explanation of why her subconscious prompts her to come up with them): 1) her lie that her mom has cancer (instead of Rhonda); 2) her lie that her husband’s name is Bill (her dad)

3) Why does Muriel decide to find a husband through the classifieds in precisely the moment that Rhonda is diagnosed with cancer?

4) Is Muriel’s father portrayed as the source of all trouble in the family or a victim of them? Are there things going on in the family that the father clearly can’t be blamed for?

5) Discuss the specific moments in which the “traditional” role of women is parodied. This role includes behavior, personality, appearance, expectations, and sexuality among other things. Think in terms of actions, dialogue, characterizations, plot outcomes, the implied messages conveyed by camerawork, lighting, music, and sequencing. Also remember to pay attention to things that are not said, shown, or done (that are conspicuous in their absence).

6) Muriel’s Wedding can be viewed as a (very) twisted variation of the Cinderella myth. Explain what plot elements, character traits, and patterns correspond to elements of Cinderella. Also, these variations were presumably made for a reason, to critique the moral message of Cinderella. Give your best theory as to what purpose the makers of Muriel’s Wedding had in rewriting the Cinderella story in this way. That is, what’s their response to the moral message of Cinderella?