Subject: Literature & Performance
Topic: Sherlock Holmes and Watson as they are depicted in the television production Elementary
Research question: How have the changes in Watson in the television production of "Elementary" affected the portrayal of both Holmes and Watson?
Outline of approach: You will need to consider Conan Doyle’s approach to the relationship between Holmes and Watson, exploring some of the critical work that has been written on this aspect of the original fiction. The treatment of the relationship in Elementary will then need to be analysed, e.g. the quality of this new dynamic, critiquing how it affects the partnership.
Topic: Jerome Robbins’ choreography of West Side Story, and of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Research question: How does Jerome Robbins’ choreography of West Side Story transform the original meaning and effect of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?
Outline of approach: You will need to identify some central aspects of Shakespeare’s play and point out their presence in West Side Story. Then the choreography will need to be closely examined to discern and evaluate how dance has been used to transform and heighten the meanings and emotional effects of the original play.
Topic: Benjamin Britten’s transformation of The Turn of the Screw into an opera
Research question: What elements of the original James story has Britten successfully delivered in the operatic version?
Approach: The student will need to select some elements of the original story that Britten has chosen as his focus, analyse how the opera has presented these, and with what degree of success, judged in terms of such elements as suspense and atmosphere.
Topic: Costuming in Flaubert’s portrayal of Emma in Madame Bovary
Research question: How is Flaubert’s portrayal of Emma in Madame Bovary delivered and affected by the costuming in the film version by Claude Chabrol (1991) or that of Vincente Minnelli (2014)?
Approach: The question asks the student to look carefully first at Emma in the novel and how the details of her dress contribute to her overall portrayal in tandem with her actions, words, and gestures. Then, choosing a film, the student will need to cite particular instances of costuming, critiquing the comparative outcomes as they are viewed by modern audiences. Presumably, some evaluative comments might well ensue from this study.
Topic: Sherlock Holmes and Watson as they are depicted in the television production Elementary
Research question: How have the changes in Watson in the television production of "Elementary" affected the portrayal of both Holmes and Watson?
Outline of approach: You will need to consider Conan Doyle’s approach to the relationship between Holmes and Watson, exploring some of the critical work that has been written on this aspect of the original fiction. The treatment of the relationship in Elementary will then need to be analysed, e.g. the quality of this new dynamic, critiquing how it affects the partnership.
Topic: Jerome Robbins’ choreography of West Side Story, and of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Research question: How does Jerome Robbins’ choreography of West Side Story transform the original meaning and effect of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?
Outline of approach: You will need to identify some central aspects of Shakespeare’s play and point out their presence in West Side Story. Then the choreography will need to be closely examined to discern and evaluate how dance has been used to transform and heighten the meanings and emotional effects of the original play.
Topic: Benjamin Britten’s transformation of The Turn of the Screw into an opera
Research question: What elements of the original James story has Britten successfully delivered in the operatic version?
Approach: The student will need to select some elements of the original story that Britten has chosen as his focus, analyse how the opera has presented these, and with what degree of success, judged in terms of such elements as suspense and atmosphere.
Topic: Costuming in Flaubert’s portrayal of Emma in Madame Bovary
Research question: How is Flaubert’s portrayal of Emma in Madame Bovary delivered and affected by the costuming in the film version by Claude Chabrol (1991) or that of Vincente Minnelli (2014)?
Approach: The question asks the student to look carefully first at Emma in the novel and how the details of her dress contribute to her overall portrayal in tandem with her actions, words, and gestures. Then, choosing a film, the student will need to cite particular instances of costuming, critiquing the comparative outcomes as they are viewed by modern audiences. Presumably, some evaluative comments might well ensue from this study.
These Literature & Performance examples are just for guidance. Students must ensure their choice of topic is focused rather than broad.
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Broad Topics
Identity in The Color Purple Narrative motifs in the musical Cabaret A study of Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
Focused Topics
A study of the evolution of identity in a theatrical adaptation of The Color Purple The way narrative motifs in The Berlin Stories present themselves theatrically in the musical Cabaret A study of the portrayal of Christopher Boone in the stage adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in comparison with the original literary characterization |