Libby Morrell's EPQ

Formal Dissertation deadline: Friday 29th April  My set deadline for my dissertation: Friday 22nd April  Formal Presentation deadline: Monday 25th April  My set deadline for presentation:  Friday 22nd April    Started dissertation: Thursday 17th March Started Presentation:  Monday 21st March  Dissertation progress:  17/03/2022 - 108 words, brief introduction - mentioned my previous EPQ and why I changed.  18/03/2022 - 240 words - added to intro 27/03/2022 - 671 words - finished intro - started talking about classics case study  30/03/2022 - 780 words - introduced classics study 1/04/2022 - 1074 words - Little women case study. Meg's analysis, fatphobia in Hollywood  4/04/2022 - 1550 words - Friedrich analysis. Societal norms. Started Jo's speech on love  11/04/2022 - 2100 words - Completed Little Women Case Study  12/04/2022 - 2600 words - Started Handmaid's Tale Study, accuracy of casting  16/04/2022 - 3500...

For my dissertation, I needed to learn how to reference. This is a new skill I have learnt through research. I will be using Harvard Referencing.  Structure:  Author's last name. Author's first initial. The publication date (in brackets). The book title. The publication place. The name of the book publisher. I thought it would be helpful to learn this before I start writing my dissertation so that I can reference as I go along rather than having to come back to it at the end. 

Are films adaptations ruining literature? - my title  introduction - outline project - up to 1000 words - why I decided the project.  Explain the process - how I planned - 500 Main body - findings - Paragraph for each film study  - Little Women - 850  - Handmaids - 750 - Harry Potter - 750  - Unsuccessful ones - Insurgent - 400 Remakes - Pride and Prejudice - 300 Conclude with main findings - 250 Evaluate my journey - 200 abstract - brief 250 words overview - main findings (write at end) 

 In order for a book to even begin to be made into a film, there must be a negotiation of a deal in contemporary Hollywood. The idea must be pitched to a studio, and if the producer has a story from a pre-existing book to work off, this may be more appealing than an entirely new and uncertain concept.  For a book adaptation to be successful, the producer will want a deal with one of the major studios to allow the film to have a high budget. There are currently six major studios in Hollywood that have survived for over seventy years:  Warner Bros Sony Pictures Universal Disney Paramount 20th Century Fox Warner Bros took the risk of turning the Harry Potter series into a film franchise which earned them $7.7 billion world-wide.  Stephen King's novel Carrie was turned into a film in 1976 by Red Bank Films. The budget was 1.8 million dollars and it produced 33.8 million dollars, turning over a large profit.  Following the success of Stephen King's book adaptations, ...

I have managed to stick to most of my deadlines that I set at start where I made the timeline of my project. Due to mocks in January, I fell slightly behind on some of my research, however by March I have managed to catch up and include all the relevant sections I needed to.  I have a final piece of evidence I want to reflect on within the next week, but then I am ready to plan my dissertation. I have gathered all the information I need for my dissertation within this blog, so I am confident I can create a well informed and in depth piece of writing.   When I started my project, I did suggest completing some primary research to gather some personal opinions in my local area. However, as I progressed, I realised that this was unnecessary as many valid opinions and statistics have already been collected in every field which benefitted my topic excellently. Instead of wasting time completing unnecessary primary research, I could put more effort into my case studies which were mor...

Using all of my research, the general consensus amongst both the literature community and the rest of society is that the books are usually better than the film. However, this is not to say that literature is ruined by technology. Book adaptations often boost the market for the original book and draw popularity from audiences that otherwise wouldn't be accessed.  My overall conclusion would be that film doesn't ruin literature as book aren't often ruined when taken to the screen. Usually, they are enhanced and attract a wider audience. 

Will technology aid literature or make book obsolete? Recently, many people have begun to access literature through electronic devices such as kindles. E-Books have become a common convenient addition rather than having to carry a paper book.  A study done in 2013 found that half of Americans owned a tablet or e-reader, and 30% had read an e-book that year. However, whilst e-books constitute 20% of book sales, it has been found that sales have plateaued since 2015 Nonetheless, it is believed that whilst e-books are relatively popular, paper books will never be out of publication as the majority of people prefer them over electronic devices.  This could also be due to the negative effects electronics can have on the brain. Scientists have warned that too much screen time could have long lasting effects, especially on children. Therefore, they are more likely to be encouraged to read physical books to improve their literacy skills.  One main reason why film adaptations are ...