3T&T +
Three Threads and a Thesis Plus
300-word minimum, 500-word maximum
This exercise is designed to provide students with an opportunity to explore very specific, material points in the texts and films we are watching this semester. The films chosen for this class afford endless points ripe for analysis, but this assignment allows the student to move from ambiguous “feelings” regarding the material and pick out three more precise points of entry to these texts.
The Three Threads
The three threads you select can be virtually anything important within the text or film that “catches your eye” while reading or watching. In particular, look for patterns such as (but not limited to):
Unexpected plot twists, unusual actions on behalf of the characters;
Use of language and imagery;
Allegory, symbolism, description, structural features, etc.
The usage of “film language” and how it might impact our interpretation;
Possible conflicts, contradictions, or complexities;
The use of stereotypes or problematic generalizations on the part of the filmmaker (the medieval imaginary/filmic medievalisms!);
The use of soundtrack to manipulate or explain the narrative action;
“Traces” of the adaptation process; this is a comparative endeavor, so paying attention to how the two narratives (text and adaptation) are different, and why, is a good starting point for finding your threads;
And so on.
Avoid truly obvious themes or issues so broad one would not even have to read the text or see the movie to see. Also avoid sweeping generalizations or stereotypes.
A thread should notice something about a text or film, not just regurgitate the plot or explain a fact. Phrase your threads so that we can tell why whatever you write about struck you as interesting, significant, odd, or worthy of attention. I suggest making notes on the texts as you read and films as you watch, perhaps in your class notebook. Draw your threads from these!
The Analytic Thesis
One of your threads must be developed into an analytic thesis.
**NB: The only REQUREMENT with regard to content/subject of your thesis is that it MUST incorporate/make use of:
- The/a primary text of that week, AND
- The film of that week, AND
- At least ONE piece of secondary reading. This latter is not restricted to the readings of the week during which your 3T&T is due (you may find an article from an earlier part of the course to be most relevant to the argument your thesis would develop).
As you know, a thesis is the central guiding idea in a piece of writing. A good thesis should be analytic in nature, meaning a thesis will make an argument about something and explain why that thing is important.
In other words, instead of simply reporting on a film (“There is a pattern in the film, and that pattern is X”), or writing an opinion piece (“The agenda of the film is X, and I disagree with it”), a strong thesis will explain your argument and the significance of that argument for our understanding of some aspect of it (cultural, literary, historical, filmic, etc.)
Your thesis will therefore look more like one of these:
“Pattern X reveals Y about Z.”
“Although it seems that X, in fact Y, which demonstrates Z about the film.”
To develop a thread into a thesis, try asking yourself these questions about the things you have noticed:
Why?
So what?
What is demonstrated by these patterns?
What is revealed by this?
Why these events? Why these characters? Why these techniques?
What does my observation show about the text/film? The culture in which it was created? The time period? The author? The scriptwriter? The director? His or her imagined audience?
Remember, when it comes to the films we have an interesting source of analysis just from thinking about how films are not the single vision of a director (unlike how, for example, a novel is claimed by most to be the creation of a single author), but rather conglomerations from scriptwriters, directors, actors’ interpretation of roles, studio concerns, the medium of film itself, etc.). Always consider how any one or more of these issues comments on the process of adaptation, our reading of a text as a ‘source for an adaptation, or our understanding of a film as an adaptation.
While a decent thread might be something along the lines of “The soundtrack in the film manipulates the audience’s emotions by the use of well-known pop songs,” your thesis would have to explain how the music operates and the many reasons why it might be significant.
The Plus
That plus sign stands for “bibliographic annotation.” I will post some relevant readings every week in the appropriate folders on ou Bb site, but you should not feel compelled to restrict yourselves to those readings (unless I indicate that they are MUST reads). You are encouraged to demonstrate your research skills by finding other readings (from peer-reviewed journals and books, NOT book reviews, Buzz-feed articles, and the like). You will append to your 3T&T the pertinent bibliographic information, formatted according to the MLA style sheet, and a succinct yet informative paragraph by way of annotation summarizing the contents of the article/book chapter. You will be doing this for your research paper, so it is a good thing to get in the habit of annotating the scholarship that you read. You must do this even if you choose to focus on one of the readings I have supplied!
Format:
- Your 3T&T proper should fit on one page, typed. 300 words minimum, 500 words maximum. It must be submitted via the pertinent TurnitIn link on our Bb site. The reading annotation may spill over on to a second page.
- At the top will be included your name, course number, and date due, and title of assigned reading.
- Mark the thread you pick to expand into your thesis with an asterisk.
Here are two examples of a 3T&T submitted in Fall 2008 (obviously in a different course) and Fall 2010, respectively. They are exemplary in both format and content, though they differ from what I am asking you to do in that the first one does not deal with adaptation, and for the second there was no requirement to incorporate primary and secondary readings into the thesis. The third illustrates the expected scope of the annotation for the reading used. Pay special attention to the format and the quality of the writing/thesis.
HUM 3321-02
Thursday September 11, 2008
Rendition, Cultural Roots of Imagined Communities
Threads:
- The technique of match cut shots was employed in Rendition multiple times, using various characteristics to compare the main characters in an effort to demonstrate their individual humanity as well as the collective humanity of all characters.
- *Rendition changes the conceptualization of time in that it intertwines events of the past with current events, weaving together a story of groups of people interacting with each other unknowingly.
- The color schematics of clothing, sets, and lighting are employed to make the audience question the presence of “enemies” and the discernment of who those “enemies” may be. Colors often initially put characters into stereotyped groupings, raising inquiries as to whether or not they truly belonged in that grouping.
Thesis:
“[The] here and now is no longer a mere link in an earthly chain of events, it is simultaneously something which has always been, and will be fulfilled in the future…”[1] Rendition exemplifies this statement by tying the flashback of Fatima and Khalid’s torrid romance to the current turmoil of Anwar and Isabella. The characters are created and developed in such a way that the audience believes them to be merely living in different parts of the world. The interwoven flashback technique serves to allow the audience to see the humanity in each of the characters. Sequential organization of this film would have caused viewers to see Khalid as another enemy terrorist, whereas the flashback sequences depict him as a loving partner for Fatima and devoted member of his family. The audience is allowed to see the turmoil and tumult in him as the bombing scene replays at the end of the movie. The intertwined love stories helped the audience to sympathize with both couples, wanting for love to conquer all, as it so often does in Classic Hollywood. Match cuts of Izzy, Anwar, Fatima’s mother, and Khalid all lying awake in the dark contribute to the sympathy with the characters, but also show the combined humanity and interconnectedness of these characters. The interwoven flashback technique in this movie is particularly innovative in that it shows that there is no such thing as a simple chain of events. While it is true that choices made in the past perpetuate the available choices of the future, it is not merely that cut and dry. The point of this stylistic maneuver is to show that what happened happens now and will continue to happen. The renditions of today have been and are creating the tragedies of terrorism of tomorrow.
Alexa Palmero
ENG3310-01
Thursday, September 15, 2010
Beowulf (2007) 3T&T
Threads:
- *Gaiman and Avery significantly upped the ante for the dragon to terrorize Beowulf and his men. In the poem, the dragon is angry merely because a possession of his is stolen; in the film, not only is the stolen treasure a motivation, but there is also the added incentive of the dragon’s abandonment by his father, who is, of course, Beowulf. In turn, Beowulf must deal with the consequences of his involvement with Grendel’s mother years after the encounter.
- In the poem, Beowulf is characterized as a hero of heroes; he is bold, boastful, proud, and has more than enough reason to have such attributes as he vanquishes his foes and provides protection for his people (even in his elderly years). However, towards the end of the film, Beowulf is portrayed as a moody cynic who has “died long ago” and is prone to bouts of melancholy.
- An unusual choice that was made in the film was Beowulf cutting his own arm off during his battle with the dragon. This was not mentioned in the poem and seems inexplicably irrational. He may have taken that action in order to swing himself more easily towards the dragon’s throat and chest, or he may have done it as a twisted homage to Grendel.
Thesis:
Not even dragons can escape daddy issues, evidenced in the film version of Beowulf (2007). The movie, based on the ancient Anglo-Saxon poem of the same name, portrays a dragon hell-bent on punishing those who have stolen from his cave of treasures; however, also included is the added incentive of Beowulf being the biological father of the worm. The dragon’s grudge against Beowulf is confirmed as he is burning down a church; reducing his size to human form, he informs Unferth that Beowulf must pay for “the sins of the fathers”. Although this does not seem to be the case in the poem, it is a recurring theme throughout the film, as both Hrothgar and Beowulf have paid for their involvement with Grendel’s mother by breeding misogynistic monsters that murder their fathers’ people (Grendel being the first case at the beginning of the film). This is a significant “added element” (explained by Desmond and Hawkes in Adaptation: Studying Film and Literature) in the adaptation, included by writers Neil Gaiman and Roger Avery to provide an explanation for the actions of the dragon in the original text who they may not have felt had an adequate motive to do the things he did. Additionally, this element linked all three parts of the story together to create a central premise not found in the poem, and the final battle with the dragon serves as an effective reminder of the film’s moral.
Emily A. Solley
ENL4281.1
23 November 2016
3 T&T #9: Lancelot & Guinevere
Threads:
* 1. While sleeping under a tree, Lancelot gets shot in the buttocks by a female huntress that bears some resemblance to the Greek goddess Artemis, making him unfit for battle and jousting. Malory situates this moment right before the Great Tournament and a major triumph for Lancelot, yet again bringing him down to the level of Earthly night.
- Malory spends an entire page elaborating on a metaphor about love despite the fact that he generally does not explicitly offer an opinion on the issues and themes contained in the text. Rather, he allows questionable moments to stand for themselves and at times leaves conflicting impressions. Apparently this question of “true love” was so important to Malory that he had to take the time to break the fourth wall and ensure that the reader understood his opinion.
- In a rare moment of a passion for Malory, Lancelot bodily rips iron bars out of a stone window in order to get to Guinevere. Although this moment sets up the action for the rest of the arc, it also serves as one of the few moments where we see Lancelot and Guinevere physically act on their love. This moment also serves as an example of Lancelot’s blind devotion and guileless service to his queen.
Thesis:
Throughout Le Morte d’Arthur, Lancelot’s characterization sets him aside from other knights. Although he is singular due to his incredible martial ability, he also is one of the most conflicted and dynamic characters, as Malory gives unique attention to his moral dilemma and knightly flaws. However, Lancelot also allows Guinevere to take on masculine qualities. Rather than ignoring his sovereign in order to grant justice as he sees fit, Lancelot frequently turns to Guinevere for her judgment from his first appearance in the text. It is notable that Lancelot chooses Guinevere rather than Arthur, allowing Guinevere a particularly kingly expression of justice and control over the most powerful knight in the kingdom. Lancelot and Guinevere embody “displacement, substitution, and slippage between the categories of male and female” (Burns 113). Although the interactions between Lancelot and Guinevere are limited until the end of the text, Malory uses women throughout Lancelot’s journey to destabilize, discomfort, and injure the most powerful knight in the realm in order to show the power women can exert over men despite their weaker physical position, culminating in Guinevere’s political power during “Lancelot and Guinevere.”
Burns, Jane E. “Refashioning Courtly Love: Lancelot as Ladies’ Man or Lady/Man?” Constructing Medieval Sexuality. Edited by Karma Lochrie, Peggy McCracken, and James A. Schultz, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997, 111-134. Print.
Jane Burns explores the physical representations of Lancelot and Guinevere in several texts in order to explore how the expression of their gender is more fluid than other Arthurian characters, especially in terms of their interactions and clothing.
[1] Anderson, Benedict. “Cultural Roots of Imagined Communities.” 64.
