Literature and cinematography - Essay Example

?Compare and Contrast Essay The contexts of literature and cinematography are different but sometimes both the genres make use of same theme to communicate with the readers/viewers. One can see that novels are interconnected with imaginative power of the authors who make use of the same as powerful tool to communicate with the readers. On the other side, film directors never neglect renowned novels because they are aware of the fact that the same can help them to unleash their individual freedom. Within the context of romance vampire novel genre, authors provide ample importance to the supernatural elements and romance. On the other side, romantic vampire film genre provides importance to romance, supernatural elements and visual effects. Thesis statement: Although the film Twilight and the book Twilight tell the story, the film and the book differ in the approach to plot, love story, and supernatural elements. General information: Twilight (novel) Twilight, the novel by Stephenie Meyer, published in the year 2005, was a bestseller. This work is the first work among the Twilight series. The novel consists of the romantic love story between a teen aged girl named as Isabella Swan and a vampire named as Edward Cullen. The love story gradually transforms into the conspiracy of vampires to hunt human beings, including Isabella. In the end, James, another vampire tries to hunt Isabella and he was destroyed by Edward, Isabella’s lover. General information: Twilight (film) Twilight, the film by Catherine Hardwicke, released in the year 2008, was a box-office hit. Besides, this film is based on Stephenie Meyer’s work named as Twilight. In the film, Kristen Stewart acted as Isabella Swan and Robert Pattinson acted as Edward Cullen. The initial success of the film inspired the director to create more films collectively known as The Twilight Saga. In the film, the director provides ample importance to the development of love between the hero and the heroine. Besides, the hero and his family try their level best to save Isabella from other vampires. Compare and contrast The compare and contrast section deals with how the film and the book approach the plot, love story, and supernatural elements. Plot In the novel, Stephenie Meyer treats the plot as the base, which further develops into a paranormal romantic story. The novel’s plot is simple and can be described as the love story between a girl and a vampire. In the novel, the novelist makes use of the plot which connects the real world of Isabella "Bella" Swan and the fictitious/supernatural world of Edward Cullen. Then, the simple plot develops into the amalgamation of real life situation and supernatural world of vampires. Gradually, the plot thickens and the heroine and the hero are thrown into the world of vampires. In the novel, the novelist made use of her imagination, verbal description, and dialogues to move forward the plot. In short, the author utilizes the simple plot to lead the readers towards thrill and horror. On the other side, Catherine Hardwicke treats the plot as the basic element which connects the love story and the supernatural world of vampires. To be specific, all the things that are visualized by the author must be presented by the director. But, Catherine Hardwicke co-operated with Stephenie Meyer and some of the scenes from the novel underwent alteration. For instance, in the novel, Bella reveals the fact that she is aware of Edward’s real identity. In the film this scene occurs in a pasture, but in the novel the same scene occurs in Edward’s vehicle. So, the director was aware of the fact that she is transforming the plot from printed media to visual media and the same pose a number of scopes and challenges. Love story In the novel, the novelist treats the element of love story as the inherent theme. The novelist never ignores the heroine’s passionate love towards the hero. Nancy Reagin made clear that, “Speaking of flammable, one of the most striking differences between the Twilight series and other vampire romances is the nature of Edward and Bella’s relationship” (241). In the novel, the love story between Isabella "Bella" Swan and Edward Cullen is based on a dream that the author happened to visualize while she was sleeping. At that time, the author did not attempt to name her heroine and hero. Later, the author began to develop the dream into a plot in which a girl happens to be in love with a vampire. So, one can easily identify the fact that the author absorbs the idea of love story from her dreamy or imagination. She never tries to go beyond her imaginative world. Her hesitation to provide names for her hero and heroine proves so. Similar to the novel, the film provides ample importance to the love story. The only difference is that the director makes use of her individual freedom to portray the love story between the hero and the heroine. To be specific, the film can be considered as the director’s version of the love story. In the film, the love affair is portrayed as a passionate relationship between the hero and the heroine because visual appeal is utmost important for visual media. Katherine E. Krohn opined that, “Both fans and movie critics debated whether the actors in the movie matched the vision they had of the characters, in their minds, when they read the book” (71).Besides, the director’s choice (say, selecting Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart as the hero and the heroine) is apt because the box-office success of the film proves so. Supernatural elements Both the novel and the film treat supernatural elements as a sub-plot. Still, the film provides more importance to supernatural elements related to the world of vampires. In the film, the hero is portrayed as a vampire, but with some human qualities. For instance, Edward was not ready to hurt Isabella. In the novel, the novelist treats supernatural elements as a medium/tool to unleash her imagination and to introduce the world of vampires. To be specific, the novelist makes use of a mixture of imagination and verbal description to lead the readers towards a supernatural atmosphere. Still, supernatural element is an integral part of the novel because the same is symbolic of the difference between two worlds, mortal and immortal. In the film, the director treats supernatural elements as an innovative tool to lead the viewers towards the supernatural world of vampires. Liv Spencer quotes Stephenie Meyer’s comments on her novel as, ““When I was writing the novel, it was a very visual experience”” (26). In the film, the director makes use of her individual freedom and visual effects to expose the supernatural world of vampires. The fight between Edward and James is one of the best examples for the usage of visual effects to portray supernatural element. In short, one can see that the novelist created an imaginary world of vampires, but the director made use of individual freedom to discard some supernatural factors in the novel. Summing up, the novel Twilight belongs to romance vampire novel genre and the film Twilight belongs to romantic vampire film genre. This generic variation is the most influential factor behind the difference between the novel and the film. Stephenie Meyer and Catherine Hardwicke made use of the same theme/plot, but with difference in approach and treatment. The plot is most important for the author and the same is treated as an integral part of the novel. On the other side, the director followed the author and made use of her individual freedom to portray the difference between the natural and the supernatural worlds. The director never tries to trespass the imaginary world of the author. Instead, the director made use of the important elements of the novel to communicate with the viewers in a different manner. Still, the author and the director are aware of the strengths and limitations of the mediums made use by them. Works Cited Krohn, Katherine E. Stephenie Meyer: Dreaming of Twilight. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2011. Print. Reagin, Nancy. Twilight and History. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print. Read More