Dissertation Notes

Dissertation  Notes:

Chris McNeil- The exorcist

Margaret White- Carrie.

* what are the differences/ similarities between these two characters when dealing with their respective teenage daughters and the transformation they both go through?

* how does the religious sub text play out in both films concerning the two female leads? (chris is an atheist, Margaret is a religious fanatic)

* Do they both experience the same feelings of guilt when dealing with being a single parent?

* how does social status, mental health, the outside world affect them and influence them in their decisions?

*What is their overall character arc?. What is the outcome? How have they changed?

* Is the political climate of the 70's important to these two characters?

Study Resources:

Look into books about single parenting perhaps?:

two maybe worth looking at:

The Defiant Child: A Parent's Guide to Oppositional Defiant Disorder by Douglas Riley

The Single Parents Handbook by Ms Rachel Morris

http://www.circleofmoms.com ( interesting posts about fear of children and fear of children growing up)

Books on horror films of the 70's

Malice in Wonderland: The Political Unconscious in American Horror Films of the 1970s by Bojan Baca

Carrie (Devil's Advocates) by Neil Mitchell.

The Exorcist ( BFI modern classics) by Mark Kermode

Religious Fanaticism:

The Moral Landscape by Samuel Harris.

Notable Words to investigate:

Paternalism.

Matriatchy.

I Need to settle on actual questions for my project!

Parents:  How does their roles as single mothers define their characters and what are their similarities and differences?

Religion: Both characters stand at opposite ends of the religious spectrum, How does this affect their own individual value systems?

Journey:  Both characters face the wrath  of their children, how do these two individuals deal with this throughout their respective stories

Time : Was the period these films were set in important?. Were they important in the progression of the female" lead" in mainstream cinema?

Possible Title for the project:

*Matriarchs of Horror-  A  study of two female characters in 70's horror

* Carrie/The Exorcist-  A study of two female lead characters in 70's horror

*  Chris McNeil/ Margret White - The mothers of 70's Horror

* Carrie/the Exorcist-  A study of the two female leads and their value systems.