Come to class with a short essay on one
of the following topics. Try to be as specific as you can. (1) Describe the difference in the frame story between the two versions. If you can, speculate on the differences, if any, this change makes in what you take to be the overall meaning of the two works. (2) Were there any key conversations in the novel that got eliminated in the film? Were there any episodes in the film that were invented -- not in the novella? Focus on one of the items you specified. Speculate on the reasons you think Conrad might have had for including what he did, or why something that he didn't include that the film did would be out of place or unnecessary in the novella. OR (if this is the more appropriate angle): speculate on the reasons Roeg might have had for introducing the novelty that he did, or for eliminating what you pointed to in the novel. (3) Were there any characters you encountered in the film that came off differently than you had conceived them as you were reading the novel? What details in the film were responsible for this effect? What details about the character in the novel caused you to imagine him or her as you did while you were reading it?
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Bring your final draft with you to class. It should be typed or printed out. Shoot for at least a half-page, single-spaced.
Expect to show it to 2 or 3 other students in your section, as the basis for small-group discussions that will then be the basis for whole-class discussion at the end of the hour.