Rear Window English Extension 1 Notes

5/24/2018 Rear Window English Extension 1 Notes

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EXTENSION 1 ENGLISH

Conventions of Crime Fiction

1. A sleuth-hero. The detective - professional or amateur.2. A detailed, plausible setting:

a. A closed settingb. A hostile settingc. A mundane setting

3. A crime to be solved. Investigation.4. Dangerous situations. Suspense.5. A denouement - the climax and resolution

Set Text - Rear Window - Hitchcock (1954)

Conventional Subversive

Detective Sleuth - amateur Not looking for crime,comes to himNot in the habit of solvingcrimes - a one off

Setting Closed/mundaneRealistic and detailedHeavy rain in some partsas nod to classic murdermystery

The window + bambooshades framind device -stage ---> reflects voyerismExtreme heat --->claustrophobia

Crime Murder The story is not awhodunnit so much as awas it doneNot trying to solve crimebut prove its exsistenceBackwards

Investigation Piece together clues tomake deductions, eg: Jeffsees a change in height offlowers, observes dogsdeath ---> deduces there issomething thereFailure of police toimmediately solve the case

Audience is given moreinfo than characters (eg:see Thorwald leave with awoman) and evidence tosay Mrs Thorwald is alive---> we do not immediatelybelieve Jeff, have a differentdeductive processLisas feminine intuition vs.imperical evidence (eg: awoman wouldnt leavehome without her handbag)Intuition --> evidence


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Danger Slueth(s) put themselvesindangerElement of danger isimportant for suspense (eg:

dark lighting as Jeff tries tohide himself from Thorwaldacross the road)

Not Jeff but femalecharacters that putthemselves in most danger,eg: Lisa caught in

Thorwalds apartment asJeff can only watch throughhis camera

Denouement Thorwald entering apt,subsequent policeexplanation ---> Thorwaldsaction confirms guiltShown by very darklighting, no music ordiagetic sound that has

underscored the rest,indicates to audience thatthis is it

Fluid - not one momentwhere Thorwald isconfirmed murderer but aslow build of events

Other Foreshadowing - Stella inopening scene

Diagetic sounds - littlenondiagetic music/soundtrack underscores action(eg: Miss Lonelyheartsalmost suicidechereographed tomusicians playing)The (lack of) crime issolved by Doyle mid waythrough ---> dog murderreignites suspicion

Social/Political/CulturalConcerns

The OtherPost - WW2/ColdWar ContextLars Thorwald -eastern European -represents theOther/evils ofCommunist regime

Roles of womenLisa as dominantpartner (magazineend thing) yetattempted to besubjugated by JeffLisa + Stella doingdangerous/hard work

Marriage/LoveNeighbours allrepresent differentstages of love +relationshipsJeff remains cynicalThorwald representswhat Jeff fears he

will become

Set Text - The Real Inspector Hound - Stoppard (1968)


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Satire of CF

Pastiche + ParodyRadio, Mrs Drudge revealing details in a timely and formulaic manner

Drudge: The drawing room of Lady Muldoons manner one early spring

morning...this is all very mysterious and Im sure its leading up to something.Threats - Ill kill you for this Simon Gascoyne! by multiple charactersRed herringsSecret identities

Magnus: Ive been leading a double life - at least!Magnus is long lost Lord Muldoon, Puckeridge and one of the InspectorHounds - the real one in fact?

Multiple victims/suspects/criminals/stories

Satire of Bourgeios Society

Over the top, melodramatic language from both Moon and Birdboot and the playcharacters ---> satire of CF and of middle class

Cynthia:Youre a cad, Simon! You will use me and cast me aside as you have castaside so many othersSimon: No, Cynthia!- you can make me a better person!Cynthia: Youre ruthless- so strong, so cruel -

Pretentiousness of the middle classMoon: Faced as we are with such ubiquitous obliquity I must invoke the names ofKakfa, Satre, Shakespeare...Dorothy L. Sayers!

Here, Sayers is a joke/further satire of traditional CFTheatre as an elitist/classist enitity, should reflect social concerns yet dwells on thesuperficial, unaccessible

Birdboot and MoonPettiness of Birdboot and Moon reflects shallow consumerism/capitalist middle classlifestyle

Appearance and Reality

Mirror - the audience is forced to confront their own reality, serves to frame the theme ofappearance and realityBirdboot - appearance as an astute critic and convential husband ---> ladies man and

easily swayed by female affectionHypereality of the play within the playNo one is as they appear, secret agendas and identitiesThe fluidity of reality - constant change means whatever is in the present moment must beaccepted as reality (absurdism)

Absurdist Theatre

Lack of meaning/nihilistic view of life presented through ridiculous/nonsensical theatreHere done in a lighthearted manner to satirize CF and the bourgeoisie

Multiple identities/crossover from audience to participantPlay within a playHighly stylised languageRepetition


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Metafictive references/allusionsIntertextuality

Quotes

The card game, each line has a double meaning: Felicity: Ive had my turn, havent I,

Simon?- now, it seems, its Cynthias turn

Additional Text - The Big Sleep - Chandler (1939)


Detective Phillip Marlowe. Hardboiled - sardonic andstreetwise (eg: Tall, arentyou? she said. I didntmean to be....Handsometoo. I grunted.At once a working classeveryman and intelligentdeductive detective

Marlowe integrity in alawless world. Eg: doesnttake advantage of unstableCarmens many attempts atseductionKnight complex, mirroredby stained glass of knightand damsel at beginning -If I lived here, Id have toget up there and help himeventually.

Setting A hostile setting, a world ofcrime

Crime Detective solicited by rich

Sternwood to investigatespecific crime (blackmail)

Leads to a number of other

crimes (2 murders,blackmail) that are solved inquick successionThe real crime - Regansmurder - is not evendiscovered to have beencommitted until near end ofnovel. It is almostbackwards.

Investigation Component of logicaldeduction and investigationby Marlowe (eg: deducingthat Mars is blackmailingVivian after the stagedwinning of money andmugging)

Marlowe often in rightplace right time - he reactsto events rather thanobserving clues (eg:present at the murder ofJoe Brody --> killerconfesses relationship withGeiger)Marlowe uses bribes orcoercion to get info (eg:paying Agnes $200 to tell

him where Mona Mars is)


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Danger Marlowe continuouslyfaces guns, is threatenedby numerous partiesthrough the course of the

investigationTowards end is tied up andalmost killed beforeescaping

Marlowe faces danger withtrademark sarcastic witKills a hitman in the courseof escaping - while Canino

is a very bad criminal, thisdamages Marlowes moralcredibility

Denouement The killer (Carmen) isrevealed in a dramaticfashion (she lures Marloweinto a secluded location andtries to shoot him)Marlowe explains the case

and ties up loose ends

Marlowe does not exactlywork out who the killer is,but has the answer thrustupon himNo justice is served - truthnot reported to police.

Vivian agrees to hospitalizeCarmen, Vivian receives noretribution and Eddie Mars(who has essentially causedall the events of the novel)is left totally untouched

Other The femme fatale - all thewomen are beautiful andsexual (eg: She [Carmen]

was small butdurable...eyes were slategrey...sharp predatory teethshiny as porcelain)Mona as the main object oflust/affection

Social/Political CulturalConcerns

Depression/war timedisillusionment

Sardonic, worldweary hero

Very little distinctionbetween good andbad

Distinction between richand poor/class divides

Rich yetirresponsible/immoral Sternwoods vs.poor yet uprightMarloweMarlowe always

makes a point of hiswage ($25/day +expenses)

Negative view ofsex/sexual desire

Sex is cause ofmost

crimes/problemsMarlowe routinelyrejects sexualadvances on moralgrounds (eg: nakedCarmen in bed,rejected on

Does crime pay?


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Additional Text - The Lady Vanishes - Hitchcock (1938)


Detective Amateur sleuths Young, female protagonistLater joined by maleNeither are trained/lookingfor mystery - forced to solvethrough circumstance

Setting Closed setting, a train Eastern European country,becomes significant to plot

Crime The disappearance of awoman from a train

Not where is she but didshe exist in beginningSolving of crime still leads

many questionsunansweredSmall crime has biggerimplications

Investigation Clues ---> deductivereasoning ---> solving of thecrimeAudience sees events thatlater become clues -->shown in an obvious

manner --> encouragesaudience deductionRed herrings - themagicans equipment, thenew Miss Froy

Iris constantly facesdisbelief/oppositionMisleading clues (eg:everyone denies seeingMiss Froy despite herexsistence) ---> false

conclusionsAudience knows more thancharacters (eg: FROY onthe window after Iris isconvinced she does notexist)Intuition (Iris) vs. deduction(Gilbert) (eg A nun wouldnot wear high heels.,Gilberts disbelief until hesees tea packet)

Danger Protagonists placed insignificant danger

Fight with magicianPoisonGilbert climbingoutside the carriageShoot out

Danger to non relatedparties, shoot out

Scream-like train whistlesignifies dangerDanger used as a symbolof the greater theme (shootout --> British imperialism)


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Denouement Dangerous shoot out +defeat is key moment ofclimax

Fluid - not one moment ofdenoument

Finding of FroyVilliains explanationShoot outRestoration ofjustice as Froy isfound safe

More questions raised witheach realisation

Other Strangling of musician inopening sets scene forsuspense/danger/crimeFailure of authority to

resolve

We know what happenedlong before we know whyRomantic subplotIris/Gilbert develops as the

plot doesMagicians illusionsymbolizes the theme ofvanishing

Social/Politcal/CulturalConcerns

British imperialismNon-British ethniccaricaturesVillains are foreignNun decides tochange sides afterdiscovering victim isBritishShoot outexemplifies this

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Rear Window English Extension 1 Notes