RESEARCH SUMMARY
For nearly ten years now, I have been an avid fan of Coraline and anything related to it. However, it wasn’t the novel that I knew, but rather the 2009 animated film. So when we started this project, I was worried that my love for the book wouldn’t match my love for the movie, that it would be too different, too unfamiliar for me to connect to in the same way. This fear was pretty much immediately squashed upon reading, however, as the novel and film and nearly identical—particularly the core themes of the story. This was particularly important (and relieving) to me, as the themes are largely what drew me to Coraline in the first place, and I knew that I would want to address and expand on them in my own adaptation. But having said that, I’d like to mention that the story includes a multitude of themes and ideas, and I won’t be able to focus on all of them, or at the very least I won’t be able to focus on them all equally. Not only that, but the messages put forth in my six sources aren’t necessarily what I’ll be focusing on the most in my adaptation, they just happen to be what I could find. This includes articles that focus on: the use of motifs to strengthen writing, what it was like to be a kid in the early 20th century, how the novel is based on a Victorian cautionary tale, the effect of different parenting styles on a child’s mental health, the nature of self-sacrifice in humanity, and the concepts of uncanny and identity in Coraline. This research will aid me in creating an adaptation that stays true to the core themes of the original, while also being its own story with its own unique setting, cast of characters, and point of view.
Annotated Bibliography
“An Eye for an I: Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Questions of Identity ” *
This academic journal focuses on a psychoanalytical view of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, looking at it through the lens of Freud’s concept of the uncanny, and Lacan’s concepts of the Symbolic and the Real. Article writer David Rudd explains both concepts in depth, as well as how they apply to the novel, such as this quote about Freud’s “uncanny” theory:
“More specifically, Gaiman has given us a quite overt fictional representation of the Freudian uncanny—not merely by invoking the motifs that Freud enumerates in his
essay, but by animating the very etymology of the German term, das Unheimliche:
heimlich, or homely, with its root in Heim, and its mirror counterpart, the unheimlich. As Coraline explicitly comments when in the latter, her mirrored home, there’s ‘‘something very familiar about it,’’ although it is not ‘‘exactly the same’’ (37–38), one of the key points of difference being the ‘‘other’’ characters’ eyes, which are opaque, black buttons” (161).
Rudd’s article will inform my adaptation by giving me an understanding of Freud and Lacan’s concepts and how Neil Gaiman used them in his novel so that I may utilize—or change—these concepts for myself.
“Neil Gaiman’s ‘New Mother’ 1882–2002: How Coraline ‘Translates’ Victorian Fantasy” *
This article expands on the psychoanalytic ideas of the previous source (at times directly quoting Rudd), as well as how Coraline and its many themes are inspired by a Victorian cautionary tale titled ‘The New Mother’. Writer Chloe Buckley compares and contrasts the two stories throughout, at one point stating: “In a sense, this is exactly the lesson which Clifford also seeks to teach, showing us that, in the end, doing what you want and being naughty is hollow and unfulfilling, never living up to the promise it first offers” (42). This article will aid me in my project by not only giving me more information about the themes I want to explore, but also by giving me insight into how the values put forth in Coraline directly encompass the ideals and teachings of the Victorian and Edwardian eras—ie the time period I will be writing about.
“Kids in the Early 1900s”
This short kids activity article may seem basic and unhelpful at first glance, but it does a fantastic job of giving very succinct and easy to understand insights into everyday life for children in the early 1900s. The writer of the article, Betty Debnam, focuses on most—if not all—of the aspects of life for Edwardian children, covering clothing, toys, work, chores, entertainment, health, lifestyle and much more. She also makes sure to mention the difference in how children were treated/raised in the 19th century vs. the 20th century, saying “In the 1800s, children were expected to be seen but not heard. By the 1900s, parents began to treat children more like little people and dressed them like kids, not mini adults” (Debnam). This article will be of great help, not only in showing me how to nail the basics of writing kids in the early 1900s and how they lived, but also of how adults viewed/treated children, and what life was like during that time in general.
“How to Use Motif to Enhance your Writing”
This online article by Joe Bunting looks at motifs in literature and how they can be used skillfully to enhance a person’s writing. Motifs can be a multitude of things, but are most commonly visual or auditory—a color or a song, for example. Bunting explains what a motif is and why it can be so effective, “Motif is when you repeat something in your narrative. Often, authors repeat description, but dialogue, action, or any other element of narrative can be repeated as well. The interesting part is that this repeated thing gains symbolic meaning as you repeat it” (Bunting). One of the things that I noticed when reading Coraline was that the color green came up an inordinate amount. However, upon researching whether this was an intentional motif or not, I couldn’t find anything, and eventually came to the conclusion that it was simply a coincidence (after all, Coraline uses a lot of color words in general in her narration). Despite this, I loved the idea of having the color green as a motif in my own adaptation, and this article definitely helped in teaching me how motifs can be applied well, and in a way that doesn’t feel like it’s shouting at you.
“Parenting style in relation to children’s mental health and self-esteem: A review of literature” *
My third and final academic source, this article looks into four different parenting styles—authoritarian, authoritative, passive, and uninvolved—and how they’ve each been shown to affect children’s mental health across the globe.
Experiences in a person’s life are a major source of how self-esteem develops. In the
early years of a child’s life, parents have a significant influence on self-esteem and can be considered a main source of positive and negative experiences a child will have. Unconditional love from parents helps a child develop a stable sense of being cared for and respected” (2).
This is a pretty spot on reference in relation to Coraline, giving the reader a perspective on how Coraline views her parents’ parenting style vs. what the reality is (thinking they’re uninvolved when really they’re just busy), and also giving them insight into the other mother’s parenting style (authoritarian masking as passive). Not only this, but we get to see how these parenting styles affect Coraline and her outlook on life. This will absolutely inform my project, allowing me to look back on the four different styles and their basic values so that I can correctly portray them.
“The Nature of Goodness”
This electronic version of a traditional text is broken into a total of thirteen different sections, detailing the nature of self-sacrifice in humanity and various different takes on what it really is and if it’s really possible. And despite it being old (seriously it was published in 1903) and just a tad long winded, the general message(s) of the text remain the same now as they did when it was written. There’s still much debate on whether or not self-sacrifice is truly possible and, if so, what designates it as such. The author, George Herbert Palmer, acknowledges this point, while also noting that,
Self-sacrifice is an everyday affair. By it we live. It is the very air of our moral lungs. Without it society could not go on for an hour. And that is precisely why we reverence it so–not for its rarity, but for its importance. Nothing else, I suppose, so instantly calls on the beholder for a bowing of the head. Even a slight exhibit of it sends through the sensitive observer a thrill of reverent abasement. Other acts we may admire; others we may envy; this we adore (Palmer).
And this rings extremely true. Regardless of the debate on whether or not self-sacrifice is real, it is an almost unanimous opinion that if it does in fact exist, it’s something to adore, not to discourage. This source will help in a few different ways. Firstly, in giving me different perspectives on self-sacrifice so that I may choose what I want both mine and the characters’ to be, and in granting me a source on this subject that was published just a year before my adaptation takes place, thus giving me a look into the general opinion towards the act of self-sacrifice at that time
Annotated Bibliography
“An Eye for an I: Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Questions of Identity ” *
This academic journal focuses on a psychoanalytical view of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, looking at it through the lens of Freud’s concept of the uncanny, and Lacan’s concepts of the Symbolic and the Real. Article writer David Rudd explains both concepts in depth, as well as how they apply to the novel, such as this quote about Freud’s “uncanny” theory:
“More specifically, Gaiman has given us a quite overt fictional representation of the Freudian uncanny—not merely by invoking the motifs that Freud enumerates in his
essay, but by animating the very etymology of the German term, das Unheimliche:
heimlich, or homely, with its root in Heim, and its mirror counterpart, the unheimlich. As Coraline explicitly comments when in the latter, her mirrored home, there’s ‘‘something very familiar about it,’’ although it is not ‘‘exactly the same’’ (37–38), one of the key points of difference being the ‘‘other’’ characters’ eyes, which are opaque, black buttons” (161).
Rudd’s article will inform my adaptation by giving me an understanding of Freud and Lacan’s concepts and how Neil Gaiman used them in his novel so that I may utilize—or change—these concepts for myself.
“Neil Gaiman’s ‘New Mother’ 1882–2002: How Coraline ‘Translates’ Victorian Fantasy” *
This article expands on the psychoanalytic ideas of the previous source (at times directly quoting Rudd), as well as how Coraline and its many themes are inspired by a Victorian cautionary tale titled ‘The New Mother’. Writer Chloe Buckley compares and contrasts the two stories throughout, at one point stating: “In a sense, this is exactly the lesson which Clifford also seeks to teach, showing us that, in the end, doing what you want and being naughty is hollow and unfulfilling, never living up to the promise it first offers” (42). This article will aid me in my project by not only giving me more information about the themes I want to explore, but also by giving me insight into how the values put forth in Coraline directly encompass the ideals and teachings of the Victorian and Edwardian eras—ie the time period I will be writing about.
“Kids in the Early 1900s”
This short kids activity article may seem basic and unhelpful at first glance, but it does a fantastic job of giving very succinct and easy to understand insights into everyday life for children in the early 1900s. The writer of the article, Betty Debnam, focuses on most—if not all—of the aspects of life for Edwardian children, covering clothing, toys, work, chores, entertainment, health, lifestyle and much more. She also makes sure to mention the difference in how children were treated/raised in the 19th century vs. the 20th century, saying “In the 1800s, children were expected to be seen but not heard. By the 1900s, parents began to treat children more like little people and dressed them like kids, not mini adults” (Debnam). This article will be of great help, not only in showing me how to nail the basics of writing kids in the early 1900s and how they lived, but also of how adults viewed/treated children, and what life was like during that time in general.
“How to Use Motif to Enhance your Writing”
This online article by Joe Bunting looks at motifs in literature and how they can be used skillfully to enhance a person’s writing. Motifs can be a multitude of things, but are most commonly visual or auditory—a color or a song, for example. Bunting explains what a motif is and why it can be so effective, “Motif is when you repeat something in your narrative. Often, authors repeat description, but dialogue, action, or any other element of narrative can be repeated as well. The interesting part is that this repeated thing gains symbolic meaning as you repeat it” (Bunting). One of the things that I noticed when reading Coraline was that the color green came up an inordinate amount. However, upon researching whether this was an intentional motif or not, I couldn’t find anything, and eventually came to the conclusion that it was simply a coincidence (after all, Coraline uses a lot of color words in general in her narration). Despite this, I loved the idea of having the color green as a motif in my own adaptation, and this article definitely helped in teaching me how motifs can be applied well, and in a way that doesn’t feel like it’s shouting at you.
“Parenting style in relation to children’s mental health and self-esteem: A review of literature” *
My third and final academic source, this article looks into four different parenting styles—authoritarian, authoritative, passive, and uninvolved—and how they’ve each been shown to affect children’s mental health across the globe.
Experiences in a person’s life are a major source of how self-esteem develops. In the
early years of a child’s life, parents have a significant influence on self-esteem and can be considered a main source of positive and negative experiences a child will have. Unconditional love from parents helps a child develop a stable sense of being cared for and respected” (2).
This is a pretty spot on reference in relation to Coraline, giving the reader a perspective on how Coraline views her parents’ parenting style vs. what the reality is (thinking they’re uninvolved when really they’re just busy), and also giving them insight into the other mother’s parenting style (authoritarian masking as passive). Not only this, but we get to see how these parenting styles affect Coraline and her outlook on life. This will absolutely inform my project, allowing me to look back on the four different styles and their basic values so that I can correctly portray them.
“The Nature of Goodness”
This electronic version of a traditional text is broken into a total of thirteen different sections, detailing the nature of self-sacrifice in humanity and various different takes on what it really is and if it’s really possible. And despite it being old (seriously it was published in 1903) and just a tad long winded, the general message(s) of the text remain the same now as they did when it was written. There’s still much debate on whether or not self-sacrifice is truly possible and, if so, what designates it as such. The author, George Herbert Palmer, acknowledges this point, while also noting that,
Self-sacrifice is an everyday affair. By it we live. It is the very air of our moral lungs. Without it society could not go on for an hour. And that is precisely why we reverence it so–not for its rarity, but for its importance. Nothing else, I suppose, so instantly calls on the beholder for a bowing of the head. Even a slight exhibit of it sends through the sensitive observer a thrill of reverent abasement. Other acts we may admire; others we may envy; this we adore (Palmer).
And this rings extremely true. Regardless of the debate on whether or not self-sacrifice is real, it is an almost unanimous opinion that if it does in fact exist, it’s something to adore, not to discourage. This source will help in a few different ways. Firstly, in giving me different perspectives on self-sacrifice so that I may choose what I want both mine and the characters’ to be, and in granting me a source on this subject that was published just a year before my adaptation takes place, thus giving me a look into the general opinion towards the act of self-sacrifice at that time