Homework Question on The Movie Daisy Miller
- In this paper you want to demonstrate your familiarity with both texts, Henry James’ novel and Peter Bogdanovich’s film. My suggestion is to write a paper comparing and contracting James’ characterization of three characters with Bogdanovich’s. three characterization of the same three characters: Daisy, Winterbourne, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Costello, Randolph, Giovanelli, Mrs.Walker In order to do this, you will need to pull out specific passages from the novel and use them to explain what impressions and thoughts they inspired in you about the character.
- In other words, what did you think and feel about a specific character when you read the dialogue or descriptions of that character. You should, of course, use more than one passage for each character.
- Then compare/contrast your ‘reading’ of the literary character with your ‘reading’ of the cinematic character.
- Again, choose specific scenes in which the characters appear and relate what you thought and felt about the character as you viewed the scene. Costuming, tone of voice, facial expressions will provide you with the examples for your ‘reading.’
- Keep in mind, that no two texts are ever exactly alike. So while you may have readings which overlap, you should also be able to see differences as well
Homework Answer on The Movie Daisy Miller
Daisy Miller is a novella originally written in the year 1878. It follows the life of an American lady that makes her way to Rome and becomes friends with a man that has no status among the locals. The book received high ratings and close to 100 years later; the book received a movie adaptation. The film, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, received critical reviews but had its fair share of flaws that make it fall short. The aim of this paper is to look into the two pieces separately and come up with comparisons and contrasts in the works.
The first character that would come to mind is the person whom the film and book are named after; Daisy Miller. The book and the film share a similar view of her. She is an individual that is considered to be flirtatious and gives off the illusion that she is innocent. Her innocence makes her seem like an individual that can easily be swayed in a particular direction in terms of courtship. The book brings this to light by saying “Daisy continued to present herself as an inscrutable combination of audacity and innocence” (2.89).
Furthermore, she is a person that portrays herself as being annoying in the film while still having some flirtatious tendencies in her actions. This is clear when she displays her clever banter with Mr. Winterbourne causing him to be in constant debate as to whether he loves her or not. Furthermore, the scene where Daisy has her conversation interrupted by another man that would like her attention, is one where the viewer is introduced to her supposed innocence and flirtatious nature.