Blog 23

Analysis so far:

(based off the interview posted in blog 22)

Interviewee J talks about his experiences with reading a book in addition to watching the movie version of that book. In the discussion he talks specifically about the novel, and recent movie production, Silver Linings Playbook. J takes an interesting stance on this topic and states that he found both the movie and book enjoyable despite their differences. I have found this to be of the unpopular opinion in regard to others who have both read the book and seen the movie.

J felt so positively towards the movie it inspired him to follow up with the book. This is atypical, as this study is done primarily on those who have read the book first. However, despite the unusual order, J does not share the unfriendly feelings many others do when he compares the two. J claims that, though the two mediums are so different, they are both good in their own respects. It is their differences, he says, that makes each version of the same story good.

J mentions that he had low expectations for the movie before watching it, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality of its storyline, acting and pace despite having been based on a book. J indicates that he feels that the movie was still successful, although he describes it as a “bit of a crowd pleaser”. This is interesting, as many viewers dislike the fact that the plots of books are changed in order to fit into the formula for a ‘good movie.’ However, J does not feel that the movie misrepresented the message of the book; he feels that Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Nero played the parts of their (respective) characters well. Whereas many readers often worry about actors being miscast in movie versions of books, J feels that the acting was genuine and accurately portrayed the struggles the characters in the novel go through. Silver Linings Playbook, J says, is a movie that takes real problems—mental disorders— and neither plays them down nor glorifies them. He claims that the movie did not make use of the mental disorder stereotype to create a movie that was overly dramatic. J describes the movie as “honest,” “human,” and “incredibly relate-able.” These descriptions often appear in book reviews and among reasons people like to read, as discussed in The New York Times article, , so it is interesting that J uses them in reference to the movie.

When describing the perks of the book, J mentions “development.” Here he uses development to refer to both the characters and the storylines. This, I have found, is in accordance to what other research suggests—readers enjoy the books because of the additional details. J says the book is “move involved” with the characters, and readers “spend a year” with the characters. The use of “spend” is a particularly powerful verb here, as it indicates a more intimate relationship with the novel than just fictional character/nonfictional reader. ‘Spending’ time with the characters suggests a momentary pause in the distinction with reality and imagination, and this, I find, is in accordance to Farland’s article Why People Read. “Spend” significantly personalizes the reading experience.

David Farland is an author who has a personal blog that I plan on using in my lit review, but I haven't analyzed it yet. I have only read his thoughts on it. I'm probably going to work on my lit review in tomorrow's class.


Debate: http://www.debate.org/debates/Movies-are-better-than-books/1/

Farland: http://www.davidfarland.com/writing_tips/?a=37

Article: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2009/02/great_book_bad_movie.html