Explore how a change between Pygmalion and one of the more modern adaptations (My Fair Lady or She’s All That) impacts the way a particular theme evolves.
Your essay should include at least one scholarly source (an academic article or a chapter from a book) in addition to the play and one of the movies. Below are some suggestions of changes you might choose to focus on, as well as themes we’ve discussed as a class. These are not exhaustive lists; you are of course welcome to write on a different change or theme you identify. All paper topics must be approved.
Some suggestions of changes:
1. Explore the inclusion of the musical numbers in My Fair Lady. What do they contribute?
2. Examine the effect of including additional scenes in My Fair Lady that do not appear in Pygmalion (or that happen off-stage).
a. What is the effect of showing Higgins’ lessons?
b. What is the effect of showing the garden party in the movie?
3. How does Higgins (or his She’s All That stand-in) operate as a love interest (or not) in Pygmalion and either one of the films?
4. Explore the difference in the relationship Laney has to her father in She’s All That and Eliza’s relationship to Mr. Doolittle.
5. Who, if anyone, stands in for Mrs. Pierce/Colonel Pickering/Mrs. Higgins in She’s All That? What is the role this character plays in relationship to Eliza and the overall plot?
6. What is the effect of giving Laney a support network (her father, her brother, her best friend) outside of her relationship? How does this differ from Eliza’s position?
Some suggestions of themes:
1. Gender
2. Social class
3. Art, fine arts, and philosophy
4. Intelligence
5. Manners, dress, and appearance
6. Language
7. Kindness