Allison Stinson Dr.

Guenzel ENC 1102-0014 February 28, 2014

Research Dossier Introduction: Pop culture today has an alarming need to embellish relationships. That is to say Hollywood and Pop culture have misconstrued many things in the past but the one that is the most heavily relied on is a romantic relationship. Yet, movies have always been unrealistic. They are standard wish fulfillment for the audience or reader. The ability to shuck away real life and experience something extraordinary is why stories, movies and plays have stayed relevant for so long. However, when does fantasy stop and reality begin? While watching a production we suspend our disbelief, meaning we know that it is imaginary but we disregard this notion in order to enjoy the story as if it were real. But at the end of the movie some of it is still believed. We begin to base beliefs within this spectrum of fantasy, regarding it as a reality. Take for instance stereotypes within the realm of fairy tales. The woman needs rescuing, the man must save her, the mister is defeated and they live happily ever after. Yet, by telling these stories may lead to the straightening of traditional gender roles and the cut and paste romance. Looking into Romantic Comedies, can we consider any of the relationships portrayed as "real". The end goal is usually to get the couple to say "I love you" or for them to get married but that's not the end of a relationship, it's the beginning. These romantic notions over simplify the reality of trying to maintain a relationship with someone, making it all about getting to the big reveal. Many of these films have the relationships even built from lies that one person told the other in order to sleep with them, win a bet, or try to get together with someone else. It is a trope that gives way to the protagonist making mistakes but it's all okay in the end because they are "in love". This ideal that "being in love" justifies action is the cause for most all love triangles in movies and literature, such as one character is in love with another and it's unrequited, or a character can not choose between two suitors because they are in love with both of them. This triangle is often used to bring forth conflict within the relationship, but is later resolved. Jealousy often spurs a character to make a move, or being left behind helps them move on, but this conflict may soon lead to trouble. In The Great Gatsby for instance, Daisy and Gatsby are

"In love" but Daisy is married and has a child. Yet, we still root for the romance of Jay and Daisy because we see Buchanan as someone who has already had an affair and therefore doesn't doesn't deserve Daisy, but if Daisy did the same thing would she be the bad guy? We see Gatsby as a lovestruck man who only wants to get with his beloved but she is married with a child no less. This brings up the dilemma of whether doing something out of love is morally justifiable. That is the crux of the issue that if we truly believe that something is bad should we still endorse it in our books and media.

Research Map:

Research Thesis:

Pop culture saturates today's media with notions of romance or romantic ideologies. This skews peoples view what real relationships are like versus idealized movie versions.

Research Questions: Why do writers always include a romantic plot/sub-plot? How do these relationships differ depending on the genre? What are some stereotypes exhibited in romantic comedies? How do romances in pop culture change the views of love by society? Are gender-roles established? If so how?

Key Words/Phrases:

Love Romantic Comedies Gender Roles Gender Identity Femininity/Masculinity

Types of Research: Library Research Internet Research

Time Table:
Date Class Related Work Individual Work

W 02/05

Post Research Maps E- Portfolio

Su 02/09

Complete Revisions

M 02/10

Post Revised Research Map E- Portfolio

Tu 02/11

Start Research Dossier

Su 02/16

Complete Research Log

W 02/19

Work On Annotated Bibliography

Th 02/20

Dossier Draft

F 02/21

Research Dossier 75% completed E- Portfolio

Su 02/22

Revise and Complete Draft

M 02/24

Workshop draft of Dossier E- Portfolio

Tu 02/25

Revise Dossier

W 02/26

Final Draft of Research Dossier E- Portfolio

M 03/03- F 03/07

Spring Break

M 03/10

Start Rhetorical Analysis Draft E- Portfolio

Th 03/13

Finish Rhetorical Analysis Draft

F 03/14

Rhetorical Analysis, Workshop Draft E- Portfolio

Tu 03/18

Revise Draft

F 03/21

Rhetorical Analysis Final Draft E- Portfolio

M 03/ 24

Begin Public Service Announcement (PSA) Begin tenitive outline of research paper

W 03/26

Post PSA

Revise PSA after class discussion

Th 03/25

Start on Intro to Research Paper

F 03/28

Post Revised PSA, Print and Bring to Class E- Portfolio

Sa 03/29

Make Personnel Rough Draft of Research Paper

Su 03/30

Revise Rough Draft of Research Paper

M 03/31

1st Workshop Draft Argumenative Research Paper E- Portfolio

Tu 04/01

Review peer group discussion revise as needed

W 04/02 - W 04/09

2nd Workshop Draft Argumenative Research Paper Group Discussion With Teacher E- Portfolio

Th 04/10

Revise Draft

F 04/11

3rd Workshop Draft Argumenative Research Paper E- Portfolio

Tu 04/15

Finalize Argumenative Research Paper

W 04/16

Final Draft of Argumenative Research Paper

Th 04/17- Su 04/27

Complete E-Portfolio

M 04/28

Final Exam/Finalizing e-Portfolio and Publication

Annotated Bibliography:

LaGamba, JoNette Lauren. "Shaping Identity: Male And Female Interactions In Cinema." Dissertation Abstracts International 73.8 (2013): MLA International Bibliography. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

This text goes into the portrayal of men and women within cinema. This article analyzes the early portrayals of women as weaker both physically and emotionally from their male counterparts. This lead to their dependence on men, and showcased a mentality that men defined what women lacked and women needed their relationships with men.

Dr. JoNette LaGambe is a graduate form the University of South Florida. In this paper she uses examples from early forms of cinema so most of her arguments are based from societal views of the past yet she reconcile them with today. She shows a bias toward women's individuality and their ability to be independent from men. ______________________________________________________________________________ Hobbs, Alex. "Masculinity Studies And Literature." Literature Compass10.4 (2013): 383-395. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

This text is contrasting the view of women studies alongside masculinity studies within literature. It shows the relationship between this and feminism and whats to show how patriarchy hurts not only women but men as well. It showcases alternatives from the hegemonic frame of mind through the analysis of protagonists. It overviews how men are already represented in literature and how masculinity can be broken down in to classes or viewed as a whole. Dr. Hobbs is a graduate from the University of Anglia Ruskin with a thesis pertaining to the subject of masculinity in literature. Within this article she seems bias toward viewing these constraints of femininity and Masculinity with a critical eye, because masculine studies are just as important as women studies and have problems within this day an age. ______________________________________________________________________________ Alberti, John. "'I Love You, Man': Bromances, The Construction Of Masculinity, And The Continuing Evolution Of The Romantic Comedy." Quarterly Review Of Film And Video 30.2 (2013): 159-172.MLA International Bibliography. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

In this article the author explores non-conventional relationships between characters in romantic comedies, most importantly the "bro-mance". He defines this as a "homosexual/homoerotic relationships between putatively straight male characters". This deviation from the usual male/female relationships within the genre of romantic comedies may be because of the change in social climate. The author explores this deviation and how it may be beneficial relating to the evolution of gender. Dr. John Alberti is a faculty member of Northern Kentucky University in the Department of English. Alberti is bias toward these pseudo-homosexual relationships that men in romantic comedies engage in. ______________________________________________________________________________

Lee, Linda J. "Guilty Pleasures: Reading Romance Novels As Reworked Fairy Tales." Marvels & Tales: Journal Of Fairy-Tale Studies 22.1 (2008): 52-66. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

This article highlights why romance novels are so popular. They compare romantic novels to fairy tales and show their multitude of similarities. The author suggests that a romance novel is a "Folkloristic inquiry into popular culture". They the examine how the eroticism within these works invert traditional fairy-tale structure. Linda J. Lee is a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania in the Folklore & Folklife program. This gives her a backing within the realm of fairytales and folklore. She believes that our taste for fairy tales doesn't change only the way we write them. ______________________________________________________________________________ Parrish, Paul A. "The Loss Of Eden: Four Novels Of Elizabeth Bowen."Critique: Studies In Modern Fiction 15.1 (1973): 86-100. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

The idealism of a romantic relationship often overshadows any threats that may be perceived by the protagonists. This article views how this idealism may doom them to anguish. The author compares this to Eden and truths that must be realized. Often trying to keep lovers in this different idealistic world will only lead to heartbreak and from the perspective of the reader, knowing that a relationship will not last. ______________________________________________________________________________ Jackson, Sandra. "Terrans, Extraterrestrials, Warriors And The Last (Wo)Man Standing." African Identities 7.2 (2009): 237-253. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

Based on he analyzation of two movie franchised Alien and Predator this article views the idea of the last woman standing. This passage examines females and femininity within these narratives and how they relate to the situations they are in and their role. This passage also analyzes this on the basis of race,gender, power and heroism within stories. The conflict of their struggle for survival shows that non-stereotypical heroes offer possibilities for other factions within thriller and action franchises. ______________________________________________________________________________

"Rooting for Affairs: The Blurry Lines of Pop Culture Romance." Mockingbird. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. <http://www.mbird.com/2013/05/pop-culture-affairs-and-the-search-forlove/>.

This blog entry gives examples and challenges our culture's open support of affairs within literature, cinema, and television. As a whole our society has a completely negative outlook on affairs, they are seen as immoral and distrustful things to do, yet in these stories we root for them. We find justification for it by using the excuse of romance, or love yet if any of this happened to real people we might think different. This creates view of what is acceptable within the realms of fiction and the realms of reality. ______________________________________________________________________________ Baelo Allu, Sonia. "The Aesthetics Of Serial Killing: Working Against Ethics In The Silence Of The Lambs (1988) And American Psycho."Atlantis: Revista De La Asociacin Espaola De Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos 24.2 (2002): 7-24. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

This analysis of serial killers and murder mysteries in pop culture shows how we suspend of disbelief and forget the serious implication of murder. This turns serial killing into entertainment. The author explores the thought of ethics overriding the aesthetics of serial killer fiction. He analyzes The Silence of the Lambs and American Psycho. ______________________________________________________________________________ Eagleton, Terry. "Class, Power And Charlotte Bronte." Critical Quarterly 14.(1972): 225-235. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

This passage is about the concept of balancing both love and social propriety within the scope of Charlotte Brote's novels. The internal conflict of a outward private life versus a private outward life is a struggle against the confines of victorian society. These novels focus on allowing romantic satisfaction while not disrupting social convention. ______________________________________________________________________________ Hogan, Patrick Colm. "The Brain In Love: A Case Study In Cognitive Neuroscience And Literary Theory." Journal Of Literary Theory 1.2 (2007): 339-355. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

This passage gives a neurocognitive account of romantic love within literature. Romantic love being not only sex with a lover but being close to them and being in pain when they are separated. Why does romantic love so idealized that is is the way to gain happiness. The prevalence of romantic tragedies and comedies give truth to this testament. Fairy tales give way to this mind set swell with their "Happily Ever After". How can we rectify this view with real life? The example of Hamlet is used in how he deals with his plot for revenge and his love for Ophelia.