No blog post this week

No blog post this week. After viewing Changeling next week, we will have just one more blog posting.

Macbeth and Scotland PA

Due November 28...approx. 200 words on one of the following:

1. Support the following assertion: when compared with Macbeth's crime, it is far less clear that Joe Mcbeth had the intent to cause his victim's death or that he was the direct cause of it?

2. Do the three hippies perform the same function and operate in the same manner as the witches in Macbeth?

3. Joe Mcbeth is obviously the corresponding character to Macbeth, but what is one important way in which their psychologies differ from one another? Is he more or less of a villain?

4. Pat Mcbeth is obviously the corresponding character to Lady Macbeth, but what is one important way in which their psychologies differ from one another? Is she more or less of a villain?

5. Have changes in gender roles caused the Joe/Pat relationship to function differently from the Macbeth/Lady Macbeth relationship, or is the dynamic between the couples essentially unchanged?

6. In what way(s) does Scotland, PA transmit a different moral message or view of the world than does Macbeth?

7. What is one of the less obvious parallel moments between Macbeth and Scotland PA?

Macbeth and other announcements

• Remember to investigate your current grade on turnitin.com and report it to me next week in class.
• Due date for Essay 2 is moved to November 28, 5pm.
• I will be posting a link on the right side of the page that allows you to sign up for times over the next few weeks (last hour of class or office hours) to review your completed Essay 2. The point is not to allow you to rewrite it, but rather to give you some insight on how to write Essay 3.
• Essay 3 is described in the syllabus as a comparison of Changeling to the real-life events upon which it is based. However, I am also giving you the option to write the same assignment but based on the film Heavenly Creatures (which you would have to rent yourself.
• Remember to bring Macbeth to class next week.
• Instead of a blog post, your simple assignment for this week is to identify at least one passage that you find either a) difficult to understand or b) interestingly ambiguous. You don't need to write or post anything this week, but be ready to mention your passage in class if asked.

The Devil Wears Prada

I know this is appearing late, but then nobody ever posts this early anyway....

Choose just ONE of the following questions and post a comment supported by specific textual details. Aim for about 100 words.

Due Nov 7

1. For me, one of the film's flaws is that it attempts to show that Andrea has sold her soul to the devil (who wears Prada), but I don't get the sense that she ever did anything all that morally wrong. Has the film successfully showed moral errors on Andrea's part, or did they come up short on that count? Justify your answer by examining one (or more) of the choices that Andrea makes and how it is presented. How does this contrast to the book version of Andrea?

2. Obviously, Miranda has been given vulnerability in the film. But even before that, I would argue that she isn't truly diabolical (though admittedly rude and unpleasant to work with). Let's assess the depth of her alleged evil. ASIDE FROM the ending in which she betrays Nigel, what is the worst (most morally problematic) thing that Miranda does? Is there any excuse for it? Does the film imply or show that it was anything more than pure sadism/devilry? How does this compare with the book version?

3. I said that the film doesn't make clear its position about the fashion world. What would be some reasons for either feeling that a) the film endorses the values of the fashion world; or b) it satirizes/rejects them? How does this compare with the book version?

4. We've talked about the concept of compressed sequences in film that convey much meaning in the smallest time possible by taking advantage of as many audiovisual cues as possible. Write about a brief (60 seconds or less) segment of the film that is richly packed with meaning and discuss what allows it to convey so much meaning in so little time. How was this meaning conveyed differently (better/worse) in the book?

5. What easy formulas or cliches that are familiar to Hollywoodized scripts does the movie use? Does it do anything inventive to those formulas to make them more acceptable and less tiresome than they usually are? What parts of the book, if any are these cliches based on?

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.