The protagonists in Haruki Murakami's works are usually simple, average individuals with routines are certain behavioral traits. In fact, the majority of his stories are built up around characters discussing their idle thoughts and activities to pass the time. By having these characters come across as "simple" and "average" we can understand their feelings with more depth as they are thrown into surreal, ridiculous situations. It can be said that, by making them "boring", we further sympathize and connect with them.
In a way, I don't see these average individuals as the protagonists though. They serve as the medium we see through, showing us a skewed characterisation of the true protagonist of his story. Eg. Sputnik Sweetheart = Sumire seen through 'K'; Norwegian Wood = Naoko and Midori seen through Toru; Wild Sheep Chase = Rat seen through and unnamed character. Each story has this average joe 'protagonist' that we can relate to yet instead of acting as a protagonist they serve as a sort of diegetic narrator. – Peneha8 years ago
Analyse his short stories too (eg. Barn Burning) where the protagonist plays a similar conduit like role where we can identify with them as they experience what Harika does to their world. – Dr. Vishnu Unnithan5 years ago
This book was written in the late 1950s as a dystopian and cautionary tale about the perils of all out nuclear war. Rereading it in 2017, explore the dystopian tropes of the book in the light of American relationships with North Korea, China, Russia, etc.
One small correction. Nevil Shute wrote 'On The Beach'. Otherwise, this should make an interesting topic to address, considering the lunacy of present day 'international' politics. Are we doomed to repeat the mistakes of history? – Amyus8 years ago
Autocorrect 😫😫😫😫😫 – JudyPeters8 years ago
Fantasy has remained a strong cultural presence from the days of Tolkein to now with Game of Thrones. Changes in the fantasy genre are unsurprising given an increased technological influence and shifts in societal attitudes. That begs the question: what is next for fantasy? Examples of current fantasy authors: Sarah J Maas (ACOWAR etc), V.E Schwab (Shades of Magic series) and others are definitely welcome (and even encouraged)!
One could possibly take a look on even indie fantasy films like say The Lost River and other such offbeat titles apart from the famous approved ones. – Vishnu Unnithan8 years ago
Traditionaly the Fantasy genre has been seen, and looked down on, as a primarily adolescent kid brother/sister of its more serious speculative counterparts, SciFi and Horror. Its audience was largely adolescent and its protagonists were cheifly adolescent - at least initially for most early fantasy tales were of the Bildungsroman or "coming of age" sub-genre. More adult works of fantasy didn't start appearing (mostly) till the later part of the 20th century and I think the future of fantasy has to be seen in this more adult light. Fantasy needs to "come of age" and tackle the more serious aspects and subjects of wider speculative fiction in the way that Science Fiction and Horror already do. – Harbinger4518 years ago
I noticed while I was watching North and South that there are very similar themes to Pride and Prejudice. A man who seems mean and aloof, a stuck up girl who has refused him twice and got a proposal earlier on…Falling in love in the second proposal. It would be interesting to explore all the similarities
You can definitely draw parallels, but they are distinctly different in thematic issues, characterization, social issues, etc. Also, you stated "while I was watching," therefore, you could simply deal with the adaptations--I believe there has only been one of N&S, but MANY of Pride and Prejudice--centering on one of the Pride and Prejudice versions. I am a huge Austen and Gaskell fan, but I am uncertain how much I agree with the validity of parallels that can be drawn. But, as I always say, I do enjoy when I am uncertain about a connection in literature and then am proved wrong, allowing me to grow as a reader! – danielle5778 years ago
There remains much to be explored about connections with Elizabeth Gaskell, Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters. Not only did Gaskell write a biography of Charlotte Brontë, there are fruitful overlapping themes begging to be explored, reworked, etc. – JudyPeters8 years ago
What is it about YAL that makes the genre so popular. Despite its name and set 'age range' young adult books are making waves and gathering attention to those of many ages allowing us to escape into the words created. Is it simply because we find the characters, situations, or world relatable? Are we living vicariously through the lives of characters we wish we could have been or been? What is it about YAL that is so captivating? Don't believe me? Just look at all the book to screen adaptations chosen to live on the big screen. How do you Escape into the fantasy world of dystopian or YAL. Young adults and teens alike choose to lose themselves in the words living and learning vicariously through the characters.
Something that would be interesting would be to compare YA lit to other kinds of niche/'genre' fiction like mystery or sci-fi/fantasy-- both YA and traditional genre fiction are extraordinarily popular, but don't get the kind of respect that more traditional "literary" fiction gets. – Sadie8 years ago
I've found that, often, classes on YA argue that the reason people read so much YA is the "reliability" factor, though I don't know if that's necessarily all of it. I also think that there is an aspect of YA that lets topics that may not necessarily be as accessible in other genres come through in subtle interesting ways. But that may just be my own thoughts on the thing. Interesting topic! I'd love to see it written! – Mariel Tishma8 years ago
I think part of the pull toward YA novels is that they are generally easy to read and fun. For the most part, I know what I'm going to get with a YA book, hence the appeal (for me, at least). – itsverity8 years ago
While YAL may rule the sales charts, it is important to remember that they are not exactly 'masterpiece-materials'. They mostly have very short shelf-lives and poor re-read value. – Vishnu Unnithan8 years ago
Perhaps the appeal for readers of dystopian YA novels is being able to favourably compare their realities to the situations that characters are facing. – India8 years ago
YAL is an easy escape, that's why it's read in my opinion. It is not necessarily about going into the worlds or lives of the characters, it's more about just being able to escape from the real world. – Tamieka8 years ago
In this technological age…new books are being streamed out alongside movies and TV shows. How can we persuade the new generation to read rather than just seeing the show? Especially supporting the struggling readers when the books could be more than 400 pages long…
Examples that could be included… Game of Thrones The Mortal Instruments Hunger Games Harry Potter
Since so much has been written in this area already, I'd stress the importance of finding a new angle on it, and a non-partisan one in particular. There are so many contributing factors when it comes to film adaptations, it might be an interesting idea to pick a narrower lens - for instance market over-saturation, or the difference between book adaptations of shows as opposed to tv show/movie adaptations of books. – Cat8 years ago
In my experiences I have always found the book to be more enjoyable. The reason for this being they have so much more freedom to write the story exactly as they envision it to play out. It can be as long or as short as they like. In the TV show, they are restricted with what content they are allowed to air. There are also time constraints resulting from trying to fit everything into a half hour time slot. Important storylines are often cut to make way for the sake of fitting the time limit. The TV show is still cool to see the book come to life, it will just never be able to match the book for quality. – JoshuaFtk8 years ago
You should also probably take into account visual achievements which were much better than the original writeups themselves. Case in point being Band of Brothers, Drive and Fight Club to name a few. – Vishnu Unnithan8 years ago
The books serve a purpose which movies cannot. Obviously, for the upcoming generation, the impatient ones will go for a movie and the creative ones shall opt for a book. Regardless of the fact that there would have been no movies without the books.
The words let you imagine and make a world of your own. They get into your instincts and sometimes you live those characters. You learn a lot from them and you try to imitate their character rather than something worthless shown on silver screen. Movies mould the actual meaning and one tends to just develop a scenerio which is displayed rather than applying his/her own mind.
Words let you fly whereas movies restrict your thoughts. – vipulmanuja8 years ago
Plays are written to be watched rather than read; what is the effect when the text of the play is considered, rather than the performance itself? Do intricate stage designs prove an obstacle, or do they provide insight into something that would've been missed in the moment onstage?
This is a topic with potential. Could you provide some examples? – Munjeera8 years ago
I agree with Munjeera - a topic with a great deal of potential. Perhaps it might also be helpful to examine the difference between writing styles for plays written to be performed before an audience and those written for a radio performance. – Amyus8 years ago
Thank you both for your comments! Two examples I was particularly thinking of were Miss Julie by Strindberg, and Angela Carter's The Skriker. The first one has long, detailed set descriptions and stage directions, and I was just thinking about the effect of reading them vs. seeing them. Do we gain something with the time we can take to pore over the words, or do we lose something that would've only been there in the moment? In contrast, The Skriker is much more of an unreadable play. It's almost incomprehensible unless you're reading along to a performance, which is what I had to do when I read it for one of my classes. I wondered why it resisted reading that way, and again, what the difference might be in reading/struggling to read and watching. – Sohini8 years ago
Reading a play allows us to take a closer look at the text, which can definitely give us a better understanding of the themes that we might have missed while caught up in the immediacy of a performance. Of course there are many elements to a performance which add a lot, and can even allow for additional interpretations of a given play. In order to really understand a play as a literary text, however, I think it's necessary either to read the thing outright, or to see it enough times that one can become intimately acquainted with the writing. There are also a large number of plays that are difficult to perform, ie Faust which contains scenes such as Walpurgis Night/Walpurgis Night's Dream that are laden with fantastic and surreal imagery that would be impossible to replicate on stage. – Ben Woollard8 years ago
I would love to write about this topic since my Ph.D. is in theatre with a specialization in dramatic literature. – crleiter8 years ago
Reading Shakespeare is a major grouse for most school kids. Looking forward to read people's opinions on this topic. – Vishnu Unnithan8 years ago
Cancer is one of the most popular topics in literature, film, and television today. From Laurie McDaniel's teen romances centered on cancer, to My Sister's Keeper, to The Fault in Our Stars, cancer automatically generates gripping plots. Characters dealing with cancer instantly face huge stakes physically, mentally, and emotionally. Readers turn pages as fast as their fingers or e-readers will allow, eager to see if the heroes they are rooting for will make it to the end of the story.
However, the popularity of cancer raises some questions. Is the topic overused? Are characters with cancer truly three-dimensional, or have we gotten to the point where they are used as inspirations and little else? Do the high stakes associated with cancer actually turn readers and viewers away, and what could authors and directors do to keep the topic fresh? Explore these and any other related issues; the possibilities are endless.
Great topic. Also used in A Walk to Remember. – Munjeera8 years ago
Ahhhh! I can't believe I forgot that one! That would be an interesting one to explore because Nicholas Sparks wrote it as if the cancer was a big plot twist (which it is when you first read the book. Unlike in many instances, you don't know from the outset that Jamie is sick). – Stephanie M.8 years ago
Writing as someone who has experienced a cancer scare and has had two family members also undergo cancer treatment, I regard this topic to be highly relevant, especially with regard to our modern 'lifestyles'. However, the tendency to view cancer as the 'disease of the week' by some TV series and soap operas has lead it to be somewhat overused, plotwise. It's difficult to know what to suggest to any prospective author or director who may be considering covering this topic as everyone who has contracted cancer has a different story and a different way of dealing with it. There is no one-size-fits-all approach and as you quite rightly pointed out - the possibilities are endless. Just how far can we go without the exploration becoming too morbid or intrusive? The key, perhaps, is the person and not the disease. – Amyus8 years ago
I love your point. Yes, the media does tend to reduce cancer to the "disease of the week." We know a lot more about the cancer experience than we did in say, the '90s, when a sick or disabled character was only the focus of the occasional Very Special Episode. But despite our increased knowledge, I think we have embraced the idea that all cancer experiences are much the same. I'd love to see more characters with cancer who (1) Have lives/interests outside their diseases (2) Handle cancer in multifaceted ways and (3) Legitimately struggle with obstacles other than, "This disease may/is going to kill me." – Stephanie M.8 years ago
You could also explore the way cancer has been portrayed in other languages so as to get a more complete perspective of this global affliction. – Vishnu Unnithan8 years ago
Do you, by chance, have suggestions for world literature that deals with this topic? :) – Stephanie M.8 years ago
