Alright everybody, here goes!
The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund contains many important literary elements, which give the story a natural flow and rhythm. With this, it is difficult to notice such elements, but they are deeply seeded in every page. The setting of any book tells the place, time, atmosphere, mood, state of characters, where the story may go, and more. Setting in The Postcard Killers plays a major role with plot movement and even the understanding character’s roles. The beginning of the Postcard Killer’s murders began in the United States and the move onward to all regions of Europe. I want to further understand how and why Europe makes the story immobile and what movement and murders mean in relation to location. Within this paper, I would also like to compare the cultural boundaries and walls between Jacob and the Swedish police because of their different exposures to the United States and Europe. Throughout the book it is evident that Jacob has a concrete opinion of how the European police work versus how he works back in the United States. Jacob is often labeled as “the American” and the European characters have a similar title related to their background. Jacob’s anger obviously surrounds his daughter’s vicious murder, but it is also directed at the law and agents he is working with across the ocean. The setting seems to displace Jacob and make him an outsider, especially with language because he cannot understand Swedish. He is not a conventional character within Europe, nor is Dessie even though she has resided all over Europe. This book would be extremely different if it had taken place in the United States, which is small compared to the size of Europe. Also, it seems that authors are still portraying Europe as almost “mystical,” spacious, and full of opportunities. Many horror movies take place in Europe, as well. It seems that this would faze an American audience, especially someone who has not been abroad, more than someone who lives in Europe. In this paper I will research how setting can highlight a lot of social and cultural differences between characters, drives the plot and murders, and how it also enhances the imagination of a reader or specific audience.
If you can't tell, my thoughts and ideas are all over the place. Any suggestions or ideas would be amazing to hear. Thanks, everybody and have a great, relaxing weekend!
Hey Hannah!
ReplyDeleteI actually think you don't sound very "all over the place" at all. I really like your idea of exploring why the setting for the murders was all throughout Europe and what this adds to the story. Was it all part of the killers' genius and avoiding being caught? Knowing that their pattern would take longer to be noticed and probably knowing that investigators from the various countries would want to solve it themselves first and be less inclined to work together with other nations? Would they have been caught much sooner if they had stayed in the US, or even at least one country? I really like where you're going with this and I'm interested to see what you wind up doing with it!
-Joanne
Your proposal is one of the strongest one I've seen so far. You are actually centering your remarks on the novel and engaging with Patterson's literary craft. You write, "I will research how setting can highlight a lot of social and cultural differences between characters, drives the plot and murders, and how it also enhances the imagination of a reader or specific audience." This statement is quite broad, and you should work on narrowing it down. Find a good glossary of literary terms (Abrams or the Bedford St. Martin ones are useful) and find the definition of setting. Connect it to specific sections of the novel. Perhaps you can find some material on the role of Europe in American literature. I know there are lots of books about modernist texts which take up the relationship between the US and Europe, but you should see how that relationship changes in the late 20th century. Looking at books on nationality and literature would also be helpful.
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