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Literary Worlds Help

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hemlock:
Hey guys,

I need to do an assigment in which I create an imaginative text using the literary world of a text that I like. I have to recreate it with different form, but can use the same characters/setting. Anyone got any ideas? I'm completely racking my brain. I need to discuss the literary theory behind it so it would be preferable if it had some merit. Thanks

angewina_naguen:
Hey, hemlock!

Welcome to the forums  8) 8) This sounds like a very interesting assessment and will require a lot of your time to maximise your performance in it. It probably doesn't help that there aren't many resources being made for Ext 1 out there so I can give you some pointers so far and I'll wait for you to reply with any ideas you might have that we can work with  ;D

To just start off, I made a breakdown for the Literary Worlds Common Module which you might like to look at to get into the new content and possibly brainstorm from. You can access it here  ;D https://atarnotes.com/note/introduction-literary-worlds/

For your imaginative text, I would suggest being experimental with possibly incorporating multiple or varying formal conventions to "recreate" it. For example, I did my Ext 1 imaginative text as a short story and had original haiku poetry interspersed throughout. You could do something similar to that and recreate the story in a way that isn't just a straight deviation translation of the literary world from one form to another  :)

Similarly, just because you are instructed to use the same characters and setting, doesn't mean there isn't room to be creative! You could retell the story from another character's perspective, illuminate the setting in a different light from the original composer's due to your vastly different contextual experiences, redesign the characters and give them contrasting personalities to the original text. There is no limit to how you may choose to reinvent them and this can also show your imaginative reception in a unique and intellectually interesting fashion.

As for applying literary theory, choose the one that most intrigues you! If you wanted a challenge, try choosing a theory that challenges the perspectives of your original text and the literary world there. When I did 'Waiting for Godot', I applied feminist theory to it and looked at masculine identity and how it is deconstructed in the play from the absence of feminine characters. This gave me the ability to explore the text from a less conventional lens and present a new interpretation of the text. If I were to approach this task with that theory, I would compose a piece either accentuating emasculation OR by reimagining the play with female characters instead, still keeping the same names and characteristics. In composing your imaginative text, you should choose a theory that inspires you to design the world all over again, whilst still seeing glimpses of it emerging throughout. I have a fantastic resource which I used in Ext 1 when I was struggling to understand and choose literary theories for study. I hope it helps some way! https://www.iep.utm.edu/literary/

Let me know what your ideas and plan is so far and we can see what potential ways you can approach your task  ;D

Angelina  :)

hemlock:
Thank you so much! This was an incredibly helpful post. That wesbite is amazing, also. I think I've settled on Heart of Darkness as I am quite familiar with it. I was thinking a series of diary entries from the perspective of Kurtz and his gradual descent as the Congo poisons his mind, still keeping a postcolonial lens of the text. What do you think? Any ideas to expand off this? :)

angewina_naguen:

--- Quote from: hemlock on November 27, 2018, 10:16:51 pm ---Thank you so much! This was an incredibly helpful post. That wesbite is amazing, also. I think I've settled on Heart of Darkness as I am quite familiar with it. I was thinking a series of diary entries from the perspective of Kurtz and his gradual descent as the Congo poisons his mind, still keeping a postcolonial lens of the text. What do you think? Any ideas to expand off this? :)

--- End quote ---

Hey, hemlock! Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I'm glad you found this a helpful post!

HOD is a very popular related text choice and it's a good thing you're familiar with it too because it will make the creative process much easier for you, whilst also giving you a unique understanding of it. Postcolonialism is a fantastic theory to utilise and would fit with the premise of the text well. I like the diary entries idea and would suggest for you to read some academic interpretations of Kurtz' character to really find yourself immersing in who he is and how he is understood as a literary character of value. This can ensure your diary entries are authentic and yet still hold academic substance  8)

Do consider reading up more on postcolonialism as well to familiarise yourself further with the concept. You might find something that transforms your understanding completely and that might enhance your piece more as a result! Afterwards, all you need to do is write!  ;D ;D Feel free to send it through in the Marking and Feedback thread for us to have a look at. Once you begin writing, you'll find yourself being more aware of what needs work and what works well  :) Good luck and keep in touch!

Angelina   ;D

hemlock:
Hi Angewina! I have spoken to my teacher and I've changed my idea a bit.

I'm doing a piece about a young woman named Edith who works as a receptionist for the Company. Her encounter with Marlow who has returned from the Congo plants the seed for her investigation and instigates the beginning of challenging the values that colonial Brussels adheres to and that she works for.

Over the course of the response, she slowly unpacks the exploitation of the company by snooping around its filing room. She discovers the pamphlet written by Kurtz and its scribbled annotations, as well as an unpublished journal entry by Kurtz or maybe a newspaper article which was prevented from being released, detailing his own realisations of colonial imposition that lead him to cry "The horror, the horror! + his description of the grove of death.

I need help with form here - should I have segments of the journal littered about the piece that reflect her stages of discovery? Like maybe she doesn't discover them? I'm not sure.

Her perception of Brussels and members of the company begins to change - maybe a parade/rally occurs in Brussels when she's on the street.

Edith gradually self-reflects; will she continue to be a proponent of idealism that the Company and Kurtz champions, when in reality she is aware of the core of darkness that hides behind noble ideas of civilisation + commerce? I want to parallel this idealism that I think Conrad challenges - and let her come to a realisation that the darkness exists in Europe, coated by surface-level idealism. I'm thinking of making her unable to choose what to do; torn between both worlds and it ends ambiguously? I'm not sure, I need help here.

So I suppose in saying that the main literary theories underpinning it are post-colonialism, and maybe feminism - I want to subvert Conrad's traditional portrayal of women who mainly exist in the text to further the men's agenda are mainly side-characters, like Edith. She is vibrant, even though Brussels women in the novel are presented as clad in black. I guess this subversion occurs by lending Edith independence and forging of her own values.

What do you think? Any suggestions or ideas? Thanks! (I am a little pressed for time sadly)

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