Pop Culture Presentation Project; Portfolio; Dracula Chapters 5-7; Holiday Cheer & Pop Culture TV

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Lab: (Until 8:00)

Dracula is written largely in epistolary form. Letters, newspaper articles, phonograph recordings or transcripts, telegrams, or journals allow a multiple narrative account of the events in the plot.

Dracula: Chapters 5-7 (some assistance):
  • Enter the women to our narrative. These chapters contain the letters between Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray (later Harker). Both represent the "new" woman in Victorian England. Lucy will be sexualized--an important contrast with her friend, while Mina is really our kick-ass heroine of the novel, being more resourceful and important to the resolution. In Gothic tropes, a female character's chastity (virginity) is threatened. Temptation (having sex) is often a cause for ruin in many novels and films (consider slasher films like Friday the 13th or John Carpenter's Halloween series). 
  • These chapters contrast with the horrors Jonathan Harker experiences abroad, while also hinting at the coming of a great evil to the shores of progressive England. 
  • We are also treated to the phonograph records of the psychologist Doctor John Seward who runs the insane asylum in London. Other major characters are introduced here as well: Quincey Morris (the Texan) and Arthur Holmwood (Lord Godalming)--all potential suitors to Lucy.
  • While Seward writes about Renfield a patient suffering from a most unusual case of Zoophagia, Mina and Lucy are introduced to Mr. Swales, a comically-tragic figure whose dialogue is written completely in difficult to understand, folksy dialect. Stoker tried to capture regional dialects in his novel, but his ability to do so is problematic for a contemporary reader. Good luck!
  • Chapter 7 includes various news clippings of the tragic fate of the ship The Demeter. 
  • SPOILER: Mr. Swales tells the ladies that the cemetery ground they like to picnic at, overlooking the sea, is mostly comprised of the remains of dead sailors lost at sea, and Lucy's favorite spot is actually the unconsecrated ground of a former suicide victim. This small detail is important later in the book. Swales predicts or foreshadows his own death...he is later found in chapter 7 with his neck broken...by someone very, very strong it seems. Swales, as a skeptical storyteller character, contrasts with the superstitious peasants found in the first 4 chapters. 

Popular Culture Presentation Project

Choose a popular culture topic to give a short 1-3 minute PREZI presentation on. There are a few rules:
  • Your topic should not be a FAD. Instead, choose a popular cultural topic that has been around for some time and influenced our culture. Ex. Dracula, H.P. Lovecraft & Cthulhu, D&D, the NFL, Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra, tattoos, Hippies, Pac Man, The Smurfs, Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, Ringling Bros. Circus, Elvis, Star Wars, Monopoly board game, Scrabble, braids, the hula hoop, skateboards, afros, hats, the Frisbee, jeans, candy canes, rice crispies, ice tea, Starbucks coffee, hotdogs, The Monkees, The Lord of the Rings, the funky chicken, the Blues, Santa Claus, etc.
  • Your Prezi should include a title slide, a slide or two detailing the most important history of the topic, and a short clip of music, video, or other text that identifies the impact of the subject on our culture.
  • Video/music material should be used to hook our attention or to introduce the topic. It may also be used to conclude. It should not be a replacement for your brief explanation about what the topic is and why it is important. 
  • Aim to have no more than a few words on your slide. You are not reading to us from your slides--you should know your topic well enough to talk to us about what is it and why it is important without looking at your presentation slides. That means--know the material well enough through research before presenting it to the class.
  • Part of this assignment lies in researching your topic. Find out what it is and why it's important. This website: Popmatters may help.
  • Presentations will be due the week after we return from break. 
Read or write or research or workshop today in the lab. See previous posts for ideas concerning writing. 

Period 2: We will screen two episodes of popular culture TV (see articles and links for background):
HOMEWORK: Please continue reading Dracula. Aim to complete the novel by January 8th. Choose a popular culture topic for your project. Due date will likely be the week of the 8th.

Have a nice winter break. Get some rest and read Dracula by a roaring fire roasting chestnuts, etc.

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