Summery

Summary

            In popular culture there have been movie series since 1916 with “Fall of a Nation” by D.W Griffiths (Movie Sequel). We began our investigation into the movie series with Twilight Saga and discovered that the popular beliefs about vampires are challenged, the myths about vampires and werewolves are challenged, and popular icons of the series are Edward and Jacob. We then turned to rituals and stereotypes of movie series. To many people seeing a movie is a ritual in itself, because they have a “family night” where the whole family gathers to watch a movie and spend time together. The Twilight saga also has a family ritual where they do not drink human blood they drink animal blood and consider themselves “vegetarian”. The saga also contradicts the normal stereotype that vampires burst into flames when they go out in the sun, it is one of the more significant alterations that the author chooses to make different from the norm. Then we took the time to look at how heroes and celebrities play a role in the movie series. I believe that there is more often than not a hero in a movie series and most movie starts are also considered to be a celebrity. I believe the most popular hero movie series to be X-Men. Finally we looked at the movie formula which is in essence the way the plot in the movie plays out depending on the type of movie. The Twilight Saga is a romance series and that lends it to the formula of struggle or issues and then in the end the boy gets the girl, but the question is which boy? In the end the movie series and popular culture are intertwined and seem to have an ability to bring out people of all kinds to watch and participate in this part of our culture, which in turn makes it popular!

References

Movie Sequel. Retrieved from http://ask.yahoo.com/20050919.html

Formulas

Formulas

            Romance movies are the most popular of the types of movie formulas. The Twilight Saga, Harry Potter Series, and Underworld all have the elements of the romance formula built into their plot. In Twilight Bella, Edward, and Jacob are in a love triangle and come a crossed many obstacles but in the end love wins.  In Harry Potter the love interest between Hermione and Ron develops as the movies progress and in the end Harry and Ron’s sister end up together in the end, but to get to that point they have to go thru many trials and tribulations. The romance formula usually involves some kind of struggle or challenge that the lead characters must go thru to find love at the end, and of course live happily ever after is the ending we all expect for a romance. In the Underworld saga the main character Saline falls in love with Michael who ends up being a hybrid between vampire and werewolf. Each of these examples of series demonstrates that love conquers all and that happily ever after is possible.

Journal Article Analysis

Journal Article Analysis

            The article that I chose to analyze was Sister of Sorts: Reading Romantic Fiction and the Bonds Among Female Readers by Laura Struve. This article addresses stereo types that are placed on romance novels and their readers, and how women are fighting back against these stereo types to bring the romance novel into a new view and light in the public eye. The perceptions of most people who see women reading a romance novel think that she is “unintelligent, uneducated, or neurotic” (Struve, 2011). The novel is perceived as “trash, poorly written, formulaic, and pornographic in nature” (Struve, 2011).

Analysis

            This article makes some very good points about how people feel about romance novels. They are perceived in a very negative way in pubic and it has been very stereo typical for many years. In recent years the online community has come together to try and change this perception and ideology. People are coming together on blogs and websites that are now taking a more critical look at the novels and their content, and starting to shape the world of the romance novel. Women are becoming more active readers, and they are participating in the process of furthering the genera. They are finding other women who become a sister of sorts in other women and they are taking the books and recommending them, criticizing them, and forming bonds with others that will change the face of the romance novel forever. Because of the communities and advancements with the internet romance novel readers are becoming more and more apt and defending their choices and defying those stereo types in the process. This means that the world of the romance novel is changing and the readers are causing this change. “Romance readers fail to be oppressed by their reading; they also make it an occasion to participate in the female community” (Struve, 2011). The history of romance novel goes back in time and has deep ties to literature with books like Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, and Whitney my Love (Struve, 2011). The active reader, history, and technology have come together to create something new. “A portrait of a different reader emerges, a reader who is an active participant in the genres production and reception as well as consumption” (Struve, 2011, p. 1290).

Personal Analysis

I agree with the author on all points. I think that the romance novel is becoming something that is not nearly as taboo as it used to be, and that people gathering together to further the genre is exactly what is needed to change the public perception of this literature. I think that this article is important in the world of literature, because if the romance novel can gain respect and disprove the stereo types and ideologies then it is possible for people to read without shame and that would change many things in the world of literature.

Reference

Struve, L., & STRUVE, L. (2011). Sisters of Sorts: Reading Romantic Fiction and the Bonds Among Female Readers. Journal Of Popular Culture, 44(6), 1289-1306.

Heroes and Celebrities

Popular Culture: Movie Series

Heroes

            Heroes are a major part of movies of all kinds. Movies have been created around heroes from the superhero group like Superman, Batman, Cat woman, Wolverine, and X-Men. Heroes can be the person in a movie that saves everyone, or that risks their life for others. In the X-Men series they chronicle the stories of the superheroes from the comics. The amazing thing that each of them can do that makes them not human and how they use that gift to help people. The number of movies that have heroes in them is a list too long to enumerate. People are drawn to movies that give hope or show someone doing something amazing. I believe that as a culture we are drawn to the idea of the hero and want to see someone do things that appear to be beyond human ability.

Celebrity Cult

            Movies created the celebrity cult that we know of today. Many of the celebrities get notoriety because of the movies that they appear in. Depending on the number of movies the celebrity is in determines how popular they are and how much they can make on a film. The more popular they are the more movies they can be in, which adds to their public pull. Some of the biggest celebrities are Bruce Willis, Madonna, Kiss, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Anniston, and many more people in the entertainment business. A celebrity does not have to come from the movies, but they are the most nationally known. One can also be a celebrity locally because of business, volunteerism, or local news anchors. All of these different people can be considered a celebrity in their own way.

Rituals and Stereo Types

Popular Culture: Movie Series

Rituals

            Rituals are acts performed by people because of their family of belief system that has been passed down or taught. Some would say that seeing a movie could be considered a ritual. Families that gather and go to see a movie on the night that it is released because of interest in the movie or wanting to be the first to see a movie. Also families around the world sit down to watch movies together on “family night” like a Friday night so that they can spend time with one another. It all depends on who the family is and what their up bringing has taught them to do. In the movie series Twilight Saga being “vegitarian” and only drinking animal blood is a ritual for them, because they belive that drinking from humans is wrong. In the movie series Harry Potter fighting dark magic seems to be a ritual. In the movie series Underworld fighting between vampires and lycans and also the preservation of each species seems to be a ritual. There are many different rituals that have been depicted in movies through out time because we are so facinated by them as a culture.

Stereo Types

            I consider a stereo type to be a preconcieved notion about a person or group of people that is largely judgemental or based on visual, verbal, or incomplete information. Stereo types can be good or bad, but mostly they are negative. In the Twilight Saga vampires are pale, they have extrodinary powers, and they drink blood, but they do not burst into flames when they are out in the sun. This is an example of how that series does not conform to the stereo typical vampire. In the series Harry Potter, Harry is a very unassuming boy, and he does not meet the normal expectations for a hero, who are supposed to be hansome, strong, tall, and attractive? In Harry Potter the bad guys are usally the people that look like heroes, but then again this may just be my stereo type of what a hero is supposed to look like. Movies play to our beliefs and stereo types about people to either prove them true or to challenge what we think is true.

Popular Culture: Beliefs, Myths, and Icons

Popular Culture: Twilight Saga

            The Twilight Saga started out as a series of 4 books about a small town in Washington where supernatural things happened every day. The main supernatural beings in the series are vampires and spirit walkers (werewolves). The local Quileute tribe turn into wolves when there is a threat to the land that the tribe lives on, and that threat is vampires (Meyer). The Cullen’s are a family of 7 vampires that have chosen to live in Forks, WA and try to blend in with the human population (Meyer). The interactions between the town’s people, Quileute’s, and Cullen’s speak too many of the myths and beliefs about vampires and werewolves (Meyer).

Popular Beliefs

            The popular beliefs about vampires and werewolves are far too many to discuss. The main beliefs I am aware of are; vampires suck human blood, burst into flames in the sun light, are pale, and have fangs; werewolves turn into a wolf during the full moon, they are savage beasts, and like eating human flesh. In the Twilight Saga some of these beliefs are not supported because the Cullen’s do not drink human blood they drink animal blood to satisfy their needs and even go as far as to call them self’s “vegetarian” (Meyer). The spirit walkers in Twilight Saga do not eat human flesh and they turn into wolves when ever they need to, so it goes against the popular beliefs. The most significant belief that Twilight contradicts is that vampires burn up in the sun light, because in this series they sparkle like diamonds all over their skin instead of burning up. This out of all of the belief contradictions I think was hardest for people to accept.

Myths

            There are many myths that surround vampires and werewolves. I think that the most popular are that either of these creatures actually existed in this world, they kill humans, and their supernatural abilities like speed or strength. These myths have been perpetuated thru history by recorded documentation of the existence of such things. I find it very hard to believe that this can be all real, but there is always that possibility. The Twilight series contradicts several of those beliefs, but also does support the supernatural abilities that both the Cullen’s and Quileute have speed, strength, and other specialized abilities.

Icons

            Some of the most popular icons of vampires are Dracula, Lestat de Lioncourt from Interview with the Vampire, Blade, Selene from Underworld, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Edward Cullen from Twilight. I believe that there will be many more in the coming years with all of the vampire book series that have become so popular with the younger generation. The most popular werewolf icons are The Wolfman, Teen Wolf, Lycans from Underworld, Jacob from Twilight, and David Kessler from An American Werewolf in London.  I believe that the Twilight Saga has had an impact on many different people and there will forever be Twihards who live for “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob” long after this movie series is over.

Icons

The three icons that I have choosen are: Miranda Lambert, Statue of Liberty, and Twilight Saga.

An icon is what people deem as important or valuable. I choose Miranda Lambert as one of my icons, because I feel that her rise through country music has significantly impacted me and many country music fans. She is an amazing artist and I look forward to watching her career grow over the comming years. I choose the Statue of Liberty, because the statue has been an icon of American freedom for many years. I feel that it truely embodies the American spirit and hope of freedom for all. I choose the Twilight Saga, because I think that it has impacted so many people. It has turned many of the girls and women in the world into Team Edward or Team Jacob. I think that this series will be remembered for a very long time. I believe that icons are the things that interest the large masses of people, and they can be any kind of object, movie, or person.

Hello! Welcome to my Blog

I have chosen my popular culture artifact as the idea of movie series. It seems that there are many movies that have been comming out lately that are based on book series and have become very popular like Harry Potter and Twilight. I think that this is the direct result of our popular culture.