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Journal Article Analysis:
What’s in a Frame?: The Authorizing
Presence in James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein
By
Amy Waid
Journal Article Analysis:
What’s in a Frame?: The Authorizing
Presence in James Whale’s Bride of
Frankenstein
The journal article I chose to analyze involves an in depth analysis of Mary Shelley’s role in writing the novel Frankenstein and how she played into the making of the film Bride of Frankenstein helped to launch her authorship into the spotlight of the literary circles.
In 1818, when Mary Shelley wrote her first novel entitled Frankenstein, it was assumed by any reader that it was actually written by her husband Percy Shelley. It was not thought of in this era that a woman would be able to prose a work as fascinating as a character made entirely out of human parts stolen from graves. It takes one hundred years and several adaptations of the original text for Shelley to finally be recognized as the true author.
One of those adaptations, the original film adaptation of the novel, did nothing to hold true to the story line that Shelley put down. Instead of an articulate and philosophical creature Shelley envisioned, the film makers chose to make Frankenstein a “monster” that could barely walk or talk. This in its self made a mockery of the original text and set the image of Frankenstein forever as the adaptation played by Boris Karloff.
In order to redeem the original images put on paper by Shelley, filmmakers decided to make a sequel entitled “Bride of Frankenstein” which in the end will not only highlight the role Shelley played in penning the original text but also bring the characters back to the way they were intended. They accomplished this by embodying the author within the film, both as the narrator and the main character, the bride. The film opens with a pretty faithful account of the original story line told by Shelley and shows a significant non-participation from her husband, other than to encourage her to develop her story beyond the original few lines. He proclaims “I do think it’s a shame, Mary, to end your story quite so suddenly” to which she replies “That wasn’t the end at all”.
With those few lines, it helps to cement the fact that the novel was indeed written by Mary Shelley herself; but the film makers decided to take it one step further. In the casting for the movie, they decided to make the actress playing Shelley also play the role of the bride. They believed that in doing this, it shows that the bride is an extension of Shelley herself, a sort of inner reflection of the conflict inside of the woman. There have been many studies since the making of this film to try and rationalize how the Bride of Frankenstein is truly the result of the conflict between what a proper woman is supposed to be and what she actually wants to be.
I suppose that in order to factualize this theory, the author herself needs to be consulted. This of course is impossible, but for those that study both the original novel and its adaptations, parallels can be seen throughout giving the assumption of truth. Either way, within the second movie, it is established that the true author of the novel Frankenstein is indeed Mary Shelley.
References
ADAMS, A. (2009). What's in a Frame?: The Authorizing Presence in James Whale's
Bride of Frankenstein. Journal of Popular Culture, 42(3), 403-418. Retrieved Wednesday, July 01, 2009 from the Academic Search Premier database.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Weekly Written Analysis 5
The Cars for Clunkers Program
By
Amy Waid
Popular Culture
Professor Elizabeth Miceli
August 2, 2009
Weekly Written Analysis 5
The Cars for Clunkers Program
I was watching the television over the weekend trying to get an idea on what to use for my weekly analysis when I saw a commercial for the CARS program through the federal government. I was interested in this as I had been looking to purchase a new car for the family and really couldn’t get a great trade-in value for my old car. I decided to look up the program online and learn more about how the federal government was trying to boost the new car industry here in the United States.
The program is essentially government money, between $3500 to $4500 dollars, to trade your old non-efficient vehicle in for a new, more environmentally friendly model. In this process, it would also serve to boost the economy and help the auto industry out of the self-made slump that they are in. The program will run through November 2009 or as long as the funds last but on top of this, you also get the value of how much your car would cost in a scrap yard. As I read, I discovered that when you trade your car in, one of the conditions of the program is that your old car is sent to be used as scrap metal. I found that stipulation to be quite interesting because I don’t consider my car to be in the condition to be crushed. It has a few rough spots but nothing I would consider worth scrapping it for.
I wonder what the government is going to do with all of the scrap metal it gets from the cars it gets through these programs. I also wonder if using these funds in such a way will really give the automakers the bailout they are looking for. I’m fairly certain that it is only a surface bandaid on what is a problem that runs far deeper, knowing that most of the people around me couldn’t afford to go and trade their cars in anyway because of being laid off from the same jobs that build the cars they are trying to promote. Even so, I’m sure in governments’ noble quest, they think that this well jump start what is already a desperate economy and who knows, maybe it will help. They just may have the key to fix what may prove to be unfixable, especially from the stand point of someone that is desperately struggling to stay one step ahead.
With that, I decided not to trade my old vehicle in for a shiny, eco-friendly model. I know it seems strange that I wouldn’t take advantage of this “free money” from the government since it is out there to be used and having a car that gets better gas mileage than mine would help my economic standing in the long run, but I can’t. I feel that in the long term, not having another payment added to the budget would make me better off. That would be better for my economy, anyway.
References
U.S. Department of Transportation, (2009, July 31). Car allowance rebate system.
Retrieved August 2, 2009, from CARS.gov Web site: http://www.cars.gov/files/Cars-home.pdf
The Cars for Clunkers Program
By
Amy Waid
Popular Culture
Professor Elizabeth Miceli
August 2, 2009
Weekly Written Analysis 5
The Cars for Clunkers Program
I was watching the television over the weekend trying to get an idea on what to use for my weekly analysis when I saw a commercial for the CARS program through the federal government. I was interested in this as I had been looking to purchase a new car for the family and really couldn’t get a great trade-in value for my old car. I decided to look up the program online and learn more about how the federal government was trying to boost the new car industry here in the United States.
The program is essentially government money, between $3500 to $4500 dollars, to trade your old non-efficient vehicle in for a new, more environmentally friendly model. In this process, it would also serve to boost the economy and help the auto industry out of the self-made slump that they are in. The program will run through November 2009 or as long as the funds last but on top of this, you also get the value of how much your car would cost in a scrap yard. As I read, I discovered that when you trade your car in, one of the conditions of the program is that your old car is sent to be used as scrap metal. I found that stipulation to be quite interesting because I don’t consider my car to be in the condition to be crushed. It has a few rough spots but nothing I would consider worth scrapping it for.
I wonder what the government is going to do with all of the scrap metal it gets from the cars it gets through these programs. I also wonder if using these funds in such a way will really give the automakers the bailout they are looking for. I’m fairly certain that it is only a surface bandaid on what is a problem that runs far deeper, knowing that most of the people around me couldn’t afford to go and trade their cars in anyway because of being laid off from the same jobs that build the cars they are trying to promote. Even so, I’m sure in governments’ noble quest, they think that this well jump start what is already a desperate economy and who knows, maybe it will help. They just may have the key to fix what may prove to be unfixable, especially from the stand point of someone that is desperately struggling to stay one step ahead.
With that, I decided not to trade my old vehicle in for a shiny, eco-friendly model. I know it seems strange that I wouldn’t take advantage of this “free money” from the government since it is out there to be used and having a car that gets better gas mileage than mine would help my economic standing in the long run, but I can’t. I feel that in the long term, not having another payment added to the budget would make me better off. That would be better for my economy, anyway.
References
U.S. Department of Transportation, (2009, July 31). Car allowance rebate system.
Retrieved August 2, 2009, from CARS.gov Web site: http://www.cars.gov/files/Cars-home.pdf
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Weekly Written Analysis 4
Weekly Written Analysis
Cell Phones and Driving
By
Amy Waid
I was browsing through my Womans Day magazine when I came across The Editors Corner article titled “Texting and Driving”. It caught my eye because just recently I had an experience with another driver causing an accident while doing this very same act. I decided to read this article and although it is just an opinion piece I felt it pertained to a lot of the situations that I see on the roads nowadays.
The article starts out by saying that she doesn’t want to lose anyone she loves including herself because of some idiot is either talking or texting while driving (Chesnutt, 2009). I have to agree with that statement especially since I now have a sixteen year old daughter that thinks she is invincible behind the wheel. With statistics on the rise showing that even the slightest distraction can cause an accident, I watch her with a mother’s worry every time she leaves.
I have tried to instill in all of my kids (I have two more within range of driving in the next few years) the dangers lurking while going down the road and to always be alert to what is around them. They were a witness to the accident caused by the texting driver and I am hoping that maybe it drove home some of the advice I had been trying to give them. I also had them read the article I am writing about now, showing them the parts that stated accidents are four times more likely when the driver is distracted and the example of the woman that was almost hit by a texting driver.
With that said, I still worry. Not so much about my sixteen year old driver, who I trust to use her head on most occasions but about the others on the road. The ones that don’t get the lectures that I give her and continue on texting or talking, not realizing how distracted they really are behind the wheel. I truly hope that someday I don’t get the phone call or knock on the door telling me that one of my loved ones got hurt or killed by a distracted driver.
References
Chesnutt, J (2009, July 23). The editor's corner: Texting and driving. Retrieved July 26,
2009, from Womans Day Web site: http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Family-Lifestyle/The-Editor-s-Corner-Texting-and-Driving.html
Cell Phones and Driving
By
Amy Waid
I was browsing through my Womans Day magazine when I came across The Editors Corner article titled “Texting and Driving”. It caught my eye because just recently I had an experience with another driver causing an accident while doing this very same act. I decided to read this article and although it is just an opinion piece I felt it pertained to a lot of the situations that I see on the roads nowadays.
The article starts out by saying that she doesn’t want to lose anyone she loves including herself because of some idiot is either talking or texting while driving (Chesnutt, 2009). I have to agree with that statement especially since I now have a sixteen year old daughter that thinks she is invincible behind the wheel. With statistics on the rise showing that even the slightest distraction can cause an accident, I watch her with a mother’s worry every time she leaves.
I have tried to instill in all of my kids (I have two more within range of driving in the next few years) the dangers lurking while going down the road and to always be alert to what is around them. They were a witness to the accident caused by the texting driver and I am hoping that maybe it drove home some of the advice I had been trying to give them. I also had them read the article I am writing about now, showing them the parts that stated accidents are four times more likely when the driver is distracted and the example of the woman that was almost hit by a texting driver.
With that said, I still worry. Not so much about my sixteen year old driver, who I trust to use her head on most occasions but about the others on the road. The ones that don’t get the lectures that I give her and continue on texting or talking, not realizing how distracted they really are behind the wheel. I truly hope that someday I don’t get the phone call or knock on the door telling me that one of my loved ones got hurt or killed by a distracted driver.
References
Chesnutt, J (2009, July 23). The editor's corner: Texting and driving. Retrieved July 26,
2009, from Womans Day Web site: http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Family-Lifestyle/The-Editor-s-Corner-Texting-and-Driving.html
Monday, July 20, 2009
Weekly Analysis 3
Weekly Written Analysis 3:
Walter Cronkite
By
Amy Waid
I was watching the news on Saturday when it came across the wire about the death of Walter Cronkite. A very sad day indeed, as the majority of Americans grew up listing to his mellow voice as the news was reported. He reported the news during a very controversial time in American history including the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, Civil rights and Watergate. Wherever the controversial news reporting needed to be done, he was there as the voice Americans trusted to bring them the truth.
His mellow voice and grandfatherly face instilled a sense of trust in his listeners and kept him at the top of his game for many years. After retirement, he stayed in the news business by keeping a seat on the board of directors at CBS and writing his autobiography titled “A Reporters Life” which was published in 1996. He was also the opening voice for the show “The Evening News with Katie Couric” since it began in 2006. He will be missed by all that listened to him faithfully and will be remembered as the voice of the news; “And that’s the way it is”.
References:
(2009, July 17). Walter Cronkite Dies; Television Pioneer, CBS Legend, Passes Away in
New York at 92. Retrieved July 20, 2009, from CBS Evening News online Web site: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/17/eveningnews/main5170556.shtml
Walter Cronkite
By
Amy Waid
I was watching the news on Saturday when it came across the wire about the death of Walter Cronkite. A very sad day indeed, as the majority of Americans grew up listing to his mellow voice as the news was reported. He reported the news during a very controversial time in American history including the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, Civil rights and Watergate. Wherever the controversial news reporting needed to be done, he was there as the voice Americans trusted to bring them the truth.
His mellow voice and grandfatherly face instilled a sense of trust in his listeners and kept him at the top of his game for many years. After retirement, he stayed in the news business by keeping a seat on the board of directors at CBS and writing his autobiography titled “A Reporters Life” which was published in 1996. He was also the opening voice for the show “The Evening News with Katie Couric” since it began in 2006. He will be missed by all that listened to him faithfully and will be remembered as the voice of the news; “And that’s the way it is”.
References:
(2009, July 17). Walter Cronkite Dies; Television Pioneer, CBS Legend, Passes Away in
New York at 92. Retrieved July 20, 2009, from CBS Evening News online Web site: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/17/eveningnews/main5170556.shtml
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Weekly Analysis 2: The movie Bruno
Weekly Analysis 2:
The Universal Pictures Film Bruno
By
Amy Waid
Popular Culture
The new Universal Pictures film "Bruno" was highlighted in the
Columbus Dispatch this week as being a box office hit. The article called
it a “box office hit” (Germain, 2009) as it made over 14.4 million dollars
on it’s opening night. The film has been compared to the movie Borat, also
made by Baron Cohen, which made considerable money during the films life
span. It has been said the film lacks the “shelf life” that made Cohen’s
other movie such a hit.
The entire movie is based around an Austrian cloths fashionista
coming to America to become famous. Like the film Borat, it is set in
documentary style showing the different exploits the main character uses to
launch himself into the limelight. In keeping with Cohen’s movie style,
Bruno delivers a pretty good laugh out loud movie. As quoted from the
Columbus Dispatch article, “Bruno is well on its way to turning a profit
for Universal studios, with the movie exceeding the company’s expectations
both domestically and overseas” where Universal paid a whopping 42.5
million dollars for the right to distribute the film.
Of course, being as I like the type of humor Bruno offers, I will go
to see it when all the hype dies down. I’m not sure whether the movie will
top Borat in my eyes, but with the personality Baron Cohen portrays, I’m
sure it will be at least a partial hit in my book. I actually think that
this film relates more to popular culture now because of the character type
portrayed in the film itself. The general populace is going through quite
a conflict on the subject of gay rights including marriage and benefits so
quite possibly this may shed a little bit of humor on what has proven to be
an explosive subject.
References:
Germain, D. (2009 July 12). 'Bruno' sashays to box-office fame with $30.4M
. Columbus
Dispatch, Latest News Online.
The Universal Pictures Film Bruno
By
Amy Waid
Popular Culture
The new Universal Pictures film "Bruno" was highlighted in theColumbus Dispatch this week as being a box office hit. The article called
it a “box office hit” (Germain, 2009) as it made over 14.4 million dollars
on it’s opening night. The film has been compared to the movie Borat, also
made by Baron Cohen, which made considerable money during the films life
span. It has been said the film lacks the “shelf life” that made Cohen’s
other movie such a hit.
The entire movie is based around an Austrian cloths fashionista
coming to America to become famous. Like the film Borat, it is set in
documentary style showing the different exploits the main character uses to
launch himself into the limelight. In keeping with Cohen’s movie style,
Bruno delivers a pretty good laugh out loud movie. As quoted from the
Columbus Dispatch article, “Bruno is well on its way to turning a profit
for Universal studios, with the movie exceeding the company’s expectations
both domestically and overseas” where Universal paid a whopping 42.5
million dollars for the right to distribute the film.
Of course, being as I like the type of humor Bruno offers, I will go
to see it when all the hype dies down. I’m not sure whether the movie will
top Borat in my eyes, but with the personality Baron Cohen portrays, I’m
sure it will be at least a partial hit in my book. I actually think that
this film relates more to popular culture now because of the character type
portrayed in the film itself. The general populace is going through quite
a conflict on the subject of gay rights including marriage and benefits so
quite possibly this may shed a little bit of humor on what has proven to be
an explosive subject.
References:
Germain, D. (2009 July 12). 'Bruno' sashays to box-office fame with $30.4M
. Columbus
Dispatch, Latest News Online.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Icon Analysis
Icons Analysis Paper
Amy Waid
Assignment 2-2
Popular Culture
Amy Waid
Assignment 2-2
Popular Culture
My three icons I chose are Family Guy, That 70's Show and Sponge Bob.
Family Guy is an animated sitcom involving a "typical" American family going about its daily activities. The family consists of a mother: Loise Griffin; a father: Peter Griffin; Two sons, Chris and Stewie; a daughter, Meg; a talking dog named Brian along with various other neighbors and friends. I chose this show because it is extreemly popular and quite funny. Each episode is different from the last and usually contains some sort of underlying theme that pertains to a current event. This show is a good form of mindless entertainment for me after a long week of homework (and regular work for that matter). It makes me laugh, sometimes until I cry, and I can feel the tension leaving me after just a few minutes of viewing.
That 70's show is also a sitcom but it is based on a family rasing kids in the 1970's. The family consists of a mother, Kitty; a father, Red; one son, Eric; a daughter, Laurie; a live-in best friend, Hyde and Eric's circle of friends Donna, Jackie, Kelso and Fez. I chose this show because I can honestly relate to what goes on. I didn't exactly go through the teenage years in the 70's but I do remember alot of the situations from having older brothers. I think this show is a good example of a contemporary icon simply because most teenagers can relate to the relationships between the characters and can bring that into their own lives.
The last icon I chose is Sponge Bob. This is an animated show that contains three main characters: a yellow sponge creature named Sponge Bob, a starfish named Patrick and a squid named Squidward. I chose this show because when the series hit the airwaves a few years ago, it was an instant hit with kids and adults. I suppose this was because of the stupid humor injected into each episode. It's also possible that because of the shows simplicity, most people can use it as a release from reality for a bit. Personally, I'm not sure why it is such a big hit, although I do find myself watching it from time to time with my children. I usually try to figure out what it is exactly they see in such a silly character and then end up giggling along anyway. Maybe that is what the draw is?
All images retrieved from Google Images
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Weekly Analysis 1
The deaths of some of the most popular icons in America (some worldwide) made me start to think about how life comes and goes so randomly. I was watching the news when I heard about Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcet and even the pitch man Billy Mays, all within a few days of each other. It sadden me simply because I grew up watching two of the three on TV, then watching the other on late night infomercials for various products. I felt as if a piece of my childhood had left. Those icons are not the only deaths in recent years that made me feel that way, either.
I decided to dedicate this weekly analysis to those childhood icons lost along the way, people that I know some of you grew up with just like I did. I usually end up contemplating how unfair life really is at times, taking some of the greatest people away from us. Just to name a few: Chris Farley, Bernie Mac, Sam Kinison and many others. May they rest in peace and continue on wherever they may be.
I decided to dedicate this weekly analysis to those childhood icons lost along the way, people that I know some of you grew up with just like I did. I usually end up contemplating how unfair life really is at times, taking some of the greatest people away from us. Just to name a few: Chris Farley, Bernie Mac, Sam Kinison and many others. May they rest in peace and continue on wherever they may be.
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