In an essay of 2,000 words, argue for a debatable thesis about any adaptation of any work on our syllabus. Adaptations can include stage versions, film versions, serial television versions, novel or other prose rewritings, “sequels” by other authors, graphic novels, paintings or other kinds of illustrations, digital projects, or even social media creations. “Adaptation” can be a murky category. There has to be some credible link to a work from our syllabus. This will be more obvious in the case of, say, a film adaptation of Forster’s novel that calls itself Maurice than in the case of a piece of abstract art called Another Brooklyn, or a social media parody of nineteenth-century courtship that you think might be alluding to Jane Eyre. There is room for interpretation, but consult me if you have questions about what constitutes a legitimate adaptation for our purposes.
· Your paper must contain a minimum of three sources in addition to your “exhibit” source. Ideally, you will include different kinds of sources. See the page on “BEAM” categories in the reading “Research Basics” on Blackboard. At least three must be scholarly sources. This means peer-reviewed journal articles or scholarly books and book chapters. Articles from popular journalistic sources (i.e. newspapers and magazines), most websites, TED-talks or explainer videos, and other non-vetted sources usually will not count toward the minimum three sources because they are not considered scholarly (see the info on popular vs. scholarly on BB for more information). The distinction is not always obvious or clear cut, so talk to me if you have questions about scholarly vs. non-scholarly sources. There is no maximum number of sources.
· We will spend some class time going over basics of research paper writing to make sure everyone is comfortable with finding sources and integrating them effectively.
· Format the paper in MLA style, followed by a works cited list. Get this right. You will lose points for incorrect citation and formatting. Follow the appropriate web links on Blackboard for reminders on MLA format.
· Part of the work of this assignment is for you to develop your own research question based on your interest in an adaptation. I’ll be happy to talk to each of you individually about generating or honing specific topic ideas if you are having any issues getting started. Once you’ve identified an adaptation that interests you, one way to get started is to focus on choices: what choices has the adapter made, and what does that suggest about ways of reading the original work? Some questions that follow include: What political message might an adaptation make, and how does this relate to political messages of the original? How does an adaptation seem to reflect on or simply meet the interests of its time? What are the gains or losses of changes to the original? What are the gains and losses of strict “faithfulness”?
The work I would like for you to do so with is Jayne Eyre, by Charlotte, and any adaptation of it
