Essay Instructions: The Subject is Harry Potter as a transmedia character, i.e how he appears in different forms of media.
Unfortunately I do not have the book or a link to it but I hear there are some pages available online.
Read the first four chapters of the book "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman (pg 1-49) and then select a quote (few sentences) from it and write a two page explication analyzing the quotation.




The point of the explication is to make an argument/observation across media: i.e. examine a theme from, say, text to television, text to comics, television to fan art, television to fanfiction, etc. This might be a comparison or contrast, an examination of a specific theme or moment, or an analysis of characterization across media. You should definitely take into account the effect of the media itself: that is, what kinds of meanings does text enable/disable, what strengths (weaknesses) does video, comics, fan art, or music videos, etc. have.




* YOU HAVE FREEDOM TO PURSUE YOUR OWN THEME/INTERESTS: e.g. characters, plot elements, issues of class, race, masculinity and femininity, sexuality, nationalism, science and technology, authority, aesthetics, rationality, friendship, narrative structures, ideology, deduction/investigation, historical context, communications and media, etc. The Timeline at the back of your syllabus might also inspire you.


* THAT BEING SAID: DON'T CHOOSE TOO BIG A TOPIC �" NARROWER IS BETTER. Root yourself in a particular quote, a particular image, a particular panel and work UP to a thesis or argument.


* MAKE SURE YOU ARE CITING EVIDENCE (QUOTES/IMAGES) AND SAYING EXPLICITLY WHAT YOU THINK THAT EVIDENCE MEANS. (YOU CAN NOT BE "TOO OBVIOUS" ABOUT THIS.)


* MAKE SURE YOU SPECIFY WHICH BOND YOU'RE WRITING ABOUT (appears in films, literature, fanwork, etc) AND PROVE THAT HE IS THE KIND OF GUY YOU SAY HE IS. THINK ABOUT COUNTEREVIDENCE AND TRY TO ACCOUNT FOR IT.