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.