11 May HOW DO THEY REFLECT THE PERIOD?
The essay should be double-spaced (12 pt fonts, New Roman). If you are providing references, you can choose a bibliography style with which you are comfortable. The essay can be on any topic that we have covered in class. It is due August 15th (you can email it to me but also, please put the hardcopy in my mail box on the third floor 100 McCaul the next day).
Below I make some suggestions on how you can approach it. Whatever you choose, you can employ the 3-step approach to analysis we studied as well as any additional relevant material we have covered (check the ppt for the theme you choose).
You can select to write on comics. Some interesting possibilities are the Dark Knight Trilogy (films by Christopher Nolan), The Dark Knight Returns (graphic novel by Frank Miller), Hancoc (Peter Berg), or the recent Suicide Squad film (David Ayer).
Here you can analyze the film for its significance. You can employ the three step approach we used:
(1) Very briefly outline the plot (here you can also draw on the formal elements of the narrative structure we covered in relation to fairy tales);
(2) Focus on moments of significance (draw on what we learned about the narrative structure, think about the symbols employed, narrative significance, etc…) that help to identify the overall meaning of the film/novel;
(3) Discuss this meaning in the historical and social context (Watchmen could be discussed in the context of 80’s arms race, recession, Vietnam and WWII, and the civil movement) showing how it reflects the social concerns of the time.
In your paper (particularly 3rd step), you talk about ideology of the film/novel generally or how certain key representations have changed over time (e.g. portrayal of the hero/superhero, villains/supervillains, women/men, gender, state, war, news media etc…). You can even make the changing form of representation the focus of your paper (for example, how the meaning of the superhero changes from 1930s to 2000s).
A similar approach can be applied to the analysis of science fiction genre (Vampires, Time Travel, Zombies, Alien Invasion, Artificial Intelligence etc…). You can still employ the 3-step approach. Just as in the case of comics, you can either focus on a single film and its significance or analyze the changing representation (meaning) of alien invasions, vampires, or artificial intelligence.
You can also choose to analyze fairy tales or films based on myth of the seeker, treasure, healing, (etc.), the use of archetypes, and the film’s didactic (instructive) purpose (what is the lesson it is supposed to teach the viewer?) You can ask and answer the question: How is this modern lesson (e.g. Luke Skywalker) differs from the folk representations of heroes and how it stays the same. (Think about how Shrek narrative plays with the narrative structure itself, changing the moral lesson, while fundamentally remaining true to the narrative form).
You can choose to analyze advertising (choose 3-4 advertising images) and employing the 3-step approach uncover their significance and social context. How do they reflect the period? You can think about the impact of the historic period (e.g. Marchand’s discussion of industrialization and urbanization) and how they shape the society ideologically (think about his discussion of the parables didactic impact). What you choose to focus on is open: you can focus on representation of women (e.g. Fly American Air), patriotism, man, beauty, social or domestic norms, consumption, democracy, etc… You can choose to stay with a single marketing campaign (e.g. Levis) or you can focus on various ads that help you build your case.
You can also focus on analyzing Harlequin romance novels or compare them to the more recent development of “chick flicks” like “Devil wears Prada.” Are these fundamentally the same or different from the harlequins? Is there a historic shift in representation of the romance, hero or the heroine? Needless to say you can focus on the analysis of soap-operas or undertake my challenge of determining whether Game of Thrones is indeed is a soap opera (if it is, how has it changed, who does it target, is it a hybrid form and why?).
Finally, you can focus on the meaning and significance of style. Some of the interesting topics here could be Punk style, its connection to music, its ideology, and historical period (same can be said for glam metal). You can choose to focus on more contemporary trends (the Edwardian or lumberjack beards or the green Army surplus jacket). What is their meaning (associations evoked, statement they make, historical context determining their form)? You can select a particular clothing item and examine the change in its meaning historically (suite was commonplace in 1960s but in 1968 there was a dramatic shift towards casual wear—historians argue it had a lot to do with the ideological shift influenced by the Vietnam war).
Generally, I want you to have fun writing—choose what appeals most to you and try to pry into the meaning of what you are examining that lies below the surface. Doing semiotic analysis is not the same as doing history—you work is to bring your insight into the subject that you can at the same time justify.
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