ROUGH NOTES ON LOVE STORYMAJOR CHARACTERS•OLIVER BARRETT IV. NARRATOR•JENNIFER CAVILLERI•OLIVER BARRETT III, FATHER•PHIL CAVILLERI, FATHERPLOT LINES[A PLOT IS A STORY WITHIN A NOVEL OR FILM THAT HAS A BEGINNING,MIDDLE AND AN END.]JENNY AND OLLIE -- LOVE BETWEEN MAN AND WOMANOLLIE AND FATHER -- LOVE BETWEEN FATHER AND SONAUDIENCECLASS: MIDDLE RACE: WHITEAGE: TEENS--UP, BUT FOCUS ON 16-21GENDER: FEMALEORIGINAL PLACE OF PUBLICATION: LADIES HOME JOURNALORIGINAL PUBLICATION DATE: 1970, CO-ORDINATED WITH FILM VERSIONTHAT ALSO CAME OUT IN 1970. SEGAL WORKED WITH FILM.MAJOR TOPICSCLASS AND MONEY. AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF A RICH BOY’SATTEMPT TO FIND INDEPENDENCE FROM HIS FAMILY TRADITIONS,THERE IS HIS LOVE FOR A POOR ITALIAN GIRL.OLIVER IS THE PRINCE WHO IS TRYING TO FIND HIS OWN WAY ANDBECOME INDEPENDENT OF THE KING, HIS FATHER, BY TAKING A POORGIRL <CINDERELLA> AS HIS BRIDE. IN SO DOING, HE MAKES HER HISPRINCES.THE STORY OF OLIVER’S STRUGGLE TO GAIN THE RESPECT OF HISFATHER BEGAN BEFORE THE STORY OF JENNY AND OLIVER ANDCONTINUES ON AFTERWARDS.NOTE: IT IS THROUGH HIS FATHER THAT OLIVER MAINTAINS HIS TIES TOMAJOR (SERIOUS) WEALTH AND FAMILY TRADITIONS (HIS BARRETTNAME). THEREFORE, IT IS IMPORTANT <TO THE AUDIENCE> THATMARRYING THE POOR GIRL DOES NOT CAUSE THE PRINCE TO LOSE HISWEALTH.THE MAJOR CONFLICTS BETWEEN JENNY AND OLLIE AFTER THEY AREMARRIED DEAL WITH HIS RELATIONSHIP TO HIS FATHER, NOT WITHTHEIR RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER OR HER RELATIONSHIP TO HERFAMILY/COMMUNITY OR HER PERSONAL MUSICAL GOALS.ONCE AGAIN, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO SEGAL AND HIS AUDIENCE THATOLLIE’S MARRYING JENNY DOES NOT TURN HIM COMPLETELY AWAYFROM HIS WEALTH <FATHER>.THIS IS A STORY OF UPWARDS MOBILITY FOR JENNY, NOT DOWNWARDSMOBILITY FOR OLLIE.QUESTION: WHY DOES JENNY LOVE OLLIE?QUESTION: WHY DOES OLLIE LOVE JENNY?NOTE: LOVE STORY THE NOVEL IS A PRODUCT. IT WAS WRITTEN WITHONE GOAL IN MIND: SALES.“LOVE STORY” THE FILM IS ALSO A PRODUCT: IT WAS ALSO PRODUCEDWITH ONE GOAL IN MIND: SALES.SINCE SEGAL WAS INVOLVED IN BOTH THE BOOK AND THE FILM, WE CANREASONABLY ASSUME THE FILM IS AN ACCURATE DEPICTION OF HOWSEGAL WANTED HIS NOVEL TO BE READ AND UNDERSTOOD.THEREFORE, IT IS CRITICAL TO SEE THE WAYS IN WHICH THE FILMDIFFERS FROM THE WRITTEN TEXT AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHYSEGAL WANTED <ALLOWED> THESE CHANGES.FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE BOOK IT IS CLEAR THAT SHE ALREADY KNOWSWHO HE IS WHEN SHE FIRST STARTS AFTER HIM IN THE LIBRARY. IS THIS CLEAR IN FILM OR IS THERE THE SUGGESTION THAT SHE ONLYFINDS OUT WHO HIS AFTER THEY ARE HAVING COFFEE? THIS DISTINCTION IS CRITICAL TO UNDERSTANDING HER MOTIVES. OLLIE SAYS THAT HE <LOOKS RICH> AND THAT JENNY HAS <PRETTYEYES>. THE COMMENTS HE MAKES SHOWS OLLIE SEES HER AS A<SNOTTY RADCLIFFE BITCH> -- HE SEES HER WAY OF SPEAKING(SWEARING> AND ACTING IS SEEN AS PART OF HER BEING A ‘CLIFFIE,NOT AS AN ASPECT OF HER LOWER CLASS BACKGROUND. IT SHOWSSHE IS A <TRUE RADCLIFFE GIRL.> ON THE OTHER HAND, WE LATER SEE HER SPEECH IS VERY SIMILAR TOPHIL’S. SO WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO THINK?IN THE BOOK, OLLIE SAYS JENNY IS <BEAUTIFUL AND BRILLIANT> BUTDRESSES TOO <BOHO> (BOHEMIAN) FOR HIM.HE ASSIGNS AN A- TO HER LEGS, BUT DIDN’T LIKE HER <COSTUME>. “IESPECIALLY LOATHED THAT INDIAN THING SHE CARRIED FOR AHANDBAG” WHICH HE LATER FINDS SHE DESIGNED HERSELF.WHAT IS THE AUDIENCE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH ALL OF THESESEEMINGLY INCONSISTENT ELEMENTS?WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE IN THE FILM? HOW MANY OF THESEINCONSISTENCIES DISAPPEAR?NOVEL/FILM AS ESSAYLET’S LOOK AT THE NOVEL AND THE FILM AS AN ESSAY. LET'S SUPPOSEIT IS AN EDITORIAL ESSAY IN WHICH SEGAL IS TRYING TO PROVE HISTHEME.THEME STATEMENT: LOVE CONQUERS ALL OF LIFE’S PROBLEMS(EXCEPT DEATH.)IN OTHER WORDS, THE MESSAGE TO THE TARGET AUDIENCE IS THAT IFA MAN AND A WOMAN LOVE EACH OTHER THEY CAN CONQUER ALL OFLIFE’S PROBLEMS -- WHETHER THEY ARE BASED ON CLASS, RACE,GENDER OR AGE. THIS IS WHAT THE NOVEL IS SUPPOSED TO PROVE.THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT SUPPORTING ARGUMENTS RELATE TOCLASS AND RACE/RELIGION.AS EVIDENCE, JENNY AND OLLIE OVERCOME A SERIES OF CONFLICTS,EACH OF WHICH IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT SPECIFIC ARGUMENTS.USE YOUR PW/CT MODELS WHENEVER THEY APPLY.THE LOGIC OF THE FILM/NOVEL IS BASED UPON WHAT KIND OF LOGICTHE MIDDLE CLASS TEEN FEMALE AUDIENCE WILL ACCEPT TO ACCEPTTHE THEME.THIS "LOGIC" MAY BE BASED ON DIFFERENT MODELS FROM THAT USEDIN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (PW/CT).HINT: LS IS THE ONLY NOVEL/FILM WE ARE DOING THAT IS ADDRESSEDTO A MIDDLE CLASS
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