Watch one of the film or television adaptations of one of the works that we have read in class and write a short (2 pages, double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font with 1-inch margins) response paper in which you compare the film and print versions. Texts that have been adapted for film include the Sherlock Holmes stories (several times), And Then There Were None, Carrie, Gone Girl, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Because this is a short paper, I ask that you not spend space summarizing plot. I have read the texts and watched many of the films, and I do not need to be reminded of what happens. Instead, choose specific characters, moments, or themes as points of comparison, and build your essay around those. For example, you could discuss the differing portrayals of a particular character in each version, or choose one scene to demonstrate that the director and the author have different views of something.

Your points of comparison should not just be superficial, but should have some larger meaning – do not, for example, choose to write an essay about how Carrie is prettier in the film than she is described in the book unless you believe that that difference leads us to a different experience or interpretation of the story. 

You should have short introduction and a conclusion paragraphs and a thesis statement at the end of your introduction. You do not need a works cited page if you are only quoting from the film and novel or short story, but make sure to make clear in your essay which filmed adaptation you are writing about by including its date of production.