Independent ReadingProject

Create a piece of art, media, or writing that captures key themes or conflicts or ideas or characters that are essential to the meaning of your text. What does that mean? Well, you’ve been looking at how themes are developed in literature (and other types of texts) for centuries now. Do that here. You may also consider other parts of the “essence” of your text:

  • Its style, for instance, may be part of what gives your text meaning—like the invented slang of A Clockwork Orange which implies a specific setting (post-cold war, dystopia where the conquering Soviet’s Russian language has seeped into the English of marginalized groups [in this case, working class gangs in the city] )while also highlighting a something more universal, like the generational difference in morals, among other things.

Consider the context of your text, as well. You might do some research. For example, some critics consider Capote's work the originalnonfiction novel (nonfiction written with literary style and ambitions) but was also significant in its subject (the slaughter of a family in the heartland of America) which occurred back when people left their doors unlocked because America was still Great. Maybe there are connections to be drawn here to contemporary life? To politics? Maybe not. But these things may guide your project choices.

Procedure:

In the PoMo Power Point® on Schoolwires™©, you will find some project ideas®. You are not limited to these and are, in fact, encouraged to come up with your own. Whatever you do should have the tone or attitude of PoMo (ironic, playful, apocalyptic, etc.) and be made utilizing one of the devices popular in postmodern art and literature (pastiche, parody, spectacle, etc.). You can find out about these in the Power™point© and in the handouts you®’ve been given.

For visual arts or sample scenes or other projects with less overt relationships to the text, you will need to write astatement of intent and/or processthat explicitly states your choices and your reasoning. Explain why you did what you did—what you hoped to accomplish and how you went about it. Explain how it’s PoMo©. Include a summary of your plotif you’re writing part of a screenplay or novel or other large work you can’t possibly finish.

Things you make should show effort and be pretty or shiny or both. This sounds subjective, and it is. But it is pretty clear to anyone when your project lacks effort. It is very obvious when you make, say, a “catfish” (wherein you’ve sewn together two animals to make a new one to highlight a theme of Cat’s Cradle) and the animal is clearly dead because you didn’t feed it or you used glue instead of thread because you were in a rush, or you didn’t use glitter on it to hide the seams.

Some ideas in no particular order:

  • An infomercial
  • Opening credits for a 90’s sitcom about your characters or something else in your novel
  • A website of some sort because you guys are technology natives. Maybe for an online store for products related to your text…or a social media account…
  • Create a presidential campaign for your character—whatever that means (ads, speeches, script for a debate, etc.)
  • Create a soundtrack for your novel explaining which scenes each song works with. Write “liner notes” explaining how the song relates to themes or the tone of the scene.
  • Srsly, just write some of your own.