Assignments: Batch Two: Assignment 14

Critically compare the filmic representation of the protagonists in Beautiful Thing (MacDonald 1996) and Brokeback Mountain (Lee 2005).

Guidance

For general guidance about what is expected in your essays for this module, see the guidelines for writing essays and reports.

What Key Features Do I Look For?

  • Familiarity with relevant texts
  • Evidence - the stronger the better
  • Argument - coherent and balanced
  • Theoretical discussion - relation to relevant theories
  • Understanding of relevant concepts
  • Reflexivity - reflections on methodology
  • Examples - insightfully analysed
  • Style - readability and effective presentation

Please remember to avoid footnotes and to include an alphabetical list of 'References' which have been cited in the text (not a Bibliography of anything you have read for the essay). This list should include author's names, date, book titles (in italics), place of publication and publisher. Within the text always cite author's surname, date and page number. Double-space your text and number your pages.

Guidance for this assignment: Anchor your text in detailed discussions of particular incidents. To what extent within each relationship are individuals represented as conventionally 'masculine' or 'feminine' (and in what ways)? Are the protagonists in each relationship both gay; is one person represented as 'converting' the other (and how)? Conventional representations of gender in terms of activity vs. passivity see 'taking the initiative' as inherently 'masculine', of course (are there any instances of this in either of these films?). Beware of slipping into gender essentialism in your own commentary (remember to distiguish correctly between sex and gender; do not equate one with the other). Do not rely solely on your own judgements: seek (anonymous) responses from other audience members to these issues.

Note also that this is an assignment for which the inclusion of relevant pictorial illustrations may be useful. Use these to illustrate particular points. Contrasting one with another can also be productive. Incorporate illustrations electronically into your text (e.g. by scanning or downloading from the Internet) rather than literally cutting and pasting. For guidance on capturing stills, click here.

Some suggested reading

Note: Treat with extreme caution sources labelled with this symbol!


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