Letters or images, or both? : a study of how and why people engage in novel- and film versions of popular narratives

Master's thesis in Literacy studiesThis thesis is a study of people’s preferences towards the engagement in narratives in novels and films, with The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson as the main narratives in focus. The study is based on a survey in the form of a questionnaire, three in depth interviews, and different scholars’ theories on the topic. The study includes a sample population of 84 participants, and the answers provided by three interview subjects. The data collected from the survey was carefully analyzed and it presents examples of the participants’ attitudes, habits and engagement patterns towards the experiences of narratives in novels and films. The interviews are more profound individual investigations of the subjects’ thoughts and personal experiences towards the narratives in focus, and towards narratives in novels and films in general. The first chapter of this thesis offers an introduction to the thesis as well as an overview of the background of the two narratives in focus, including the main plot differences between the two forms of each narrative. The theory chapter provides a presentation of some of the theories different scholars hold towards the engagement in narratives in novels and films, including theories based on empirical studies. This is followed by a methodology section, where the design of the methods, the participants, the procedures and the analysis processes of the studies are presented. The results of this study indicated that in the sample population of the survey, as well as amongst the interview subjects, there was a general preference towards engagement in narratives in novels over narratives in films However, it was clear that further research needs to be done in order to provide any accurate answers to this issue. On the other hand, the results showed that there was a genuine interest in the engagement in both versions, and that depending on the different aspects of both experiences, there are differences that affect the experiences of the two forms. In the discussion section the results from the studies were discussed in relation to theories by several scholars, including Gerrig’s (1993) theory of being transported. Some central aspects of the discussion are the process of being lost in a book, the different components included when engaging in narratives in the forms of novels and films, the necessary considerations and challenges met when investigating the experience of different forms of the same narrative, and the emotional and psychological factors which function as motivators towards the engagement in narratives in novels and films