How important are
the intentions of a creator, be they an author or a director, when analyzing
their works? I don’t think this question is brought up enough when you consider
how often we analyze these works. Many times, we analyze without even realizing
what we are doing. If you see a movie or read a book and give any thought at
all to it after, then you are analyzing it. This question is something that I’ve
heard brought up many different times in my life, but I have yet to really hear
a conclusive answer for it. I myself am still very divided on the subject, and
I hope to have gained some ground by the end of this blog. My main inspiration for this blog is how often people say Lord of the Rings is an allegory for World War 1, yet Tolkien himself has said that it is not. Does this invalidate the analysis people make of it when that analysis directly contradicts the author's intentions? How much should the author's intentions be considered when analyzing their work? Should it be considered at all, or does it not matter? This is the conundrum I hope to solve in this blog.
First, I should set
up my own guidelines. The works I will be analyzing will be primarily film,
with the occasional piece of literature. Even though the inspiration for this
blog was the Lord of the Rings trilogy
by Tolkien, I know the medium of film best, and I already have some examples in
mind to analyze and with my main subject being films, I can include the Lord of the Rings films in my analysis,
if only because of how faithful they were in their adaptation. Honestly, I
think film and literature have a lot more in common than many people realize which
is why I’m including both in this exploration.
One of the main
parts of my research will be looking to see what other people’s opinions are on
this matter, and what support they come up with to justify their answers. I
have already started asking some people I know what their opinions are, and
they are surprisingly varied. Some say that the creator’s intentions shouldn’t
have any effect at all on the viewer’s analysis, while others say it’s the only
thing that should be considered and the creator’s intentions are the only thing
that matters. I may also research different films and works of literature and
use this blog as a soundboard for my thought process.
I think this is an interesting, unique inquiry project! However, I don't really agree with you when you say, "if you see a movie or read a book and give any thought at all to it after, then you are analyzing it." While people often give opinions about films and literature, those opinions are not yet analysis. Analysis involves "breaking down" something into its smaller parts, and definitely requires some critical thinking. Giving an opinion on a movie doesn't necessarily require critical thinking.
ReplyDeleteThat said, for this project it will be important for you to research credible, expert viewpoints on the subject. That will mean critics themselves, along with books and articles about film theory.
I see your point with the analysis. I suppose I was writing mostly from experience, since I love deconstructing movies after I see them. Even bad movies.
DeleteThis is an interesting topic. It's interesting to think where an idea started and what the intentions were behind it. If a new movie comes out, every individual has a different opinion, but are they thinking at all about what message the director intended to say. My opinion on something could be affected by what the director, author or whoever originated the idea intended for it to mean. This is a really interesting topic and I hope you find an answer!
ReplyDelete