1. Introduction
This paper will deal with a critical analysis and comparison of the novel McTeague: A story of San Francisco, written by Frank Norris and published in 1899, and the 2 hour version of the movie Greed produced in 1924 by Erich von Stroheim.
First of all, I will give a short summary of the novel, pointing out several aspects that make it a typical naturalistic novel.
Then I will go on by giving some brief background information on the production of the movie, describing its metamorphosis from a nine hour epos to a commercial film of about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
According to this, I will discuss this shortening, give examples of what was left out of the original version and try to give reasons for that. Furthermore, I will look at the effects this had on the original story and discuss the question whether the film version can still be regarded as belonging to the naturalistic genre. Doing so, I will discuss complete scenes and shorter passages which are mentioned in the book and not in the novel and vice versa, and passages that are slightly changed.
I claim that Greed is still a naturalistic piece of art though in a weaker form by pointing out striking elements that remained in the movie.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. What happened to the story of McTeague
2.1. A brief summary of “McTeague”
2.2. The naturalistic elements in this novel
2.3. The production of the movie Greed
2.3.1. Deleted characters
2.3.2. Deleted or changed scenes
2.4. Is Greed still naturalistic?
3. Conclusion
Research Objective and Core Topics
This paper provides a critical analysis and comparison between Frank Norris’s 1899 novel "McTeague" and the 1924 film adaptation "Greed" by Erich von Stroheim, aiming to evaluate whether the shortened film version retains the essential elements of the naturalistic literary genre.
- The influence of heredity and environment on character development
- Naturalistic themes such as alcohol abuse, sexual desire, and the operation of chance
- The impact of film production constraints on narrative structure and character depth
- A comparative study of explicit brutality and symbolism in both media
Excerpt from the Book
The naturalistic elements in this novel
I will not try to give an exact definition of what naturalism is and how it can be differentiated from realism or romanticism since this is a field broadly discussed but never really defined (Pizer 1995, chapter 1). I will stick to certain characteristics that are said to be typical for naturalism and try to discuss them in regard to McTeague. Norris himself said that “naturalism […] resolved the conflict between realism and romanticism by selecting the best from these two modes” (Pizer 1967, page 34). Naturalistic novels are concerned with several themes, and I will mainly talk about the following, as there are heredity, the influence of the environment, conspicuous consumption, the uncontrollable power of the past, sexual desire, animal imagery, influence of alcohol and the operation of chance. Doing this, I will focus especially on Trina and Mac since they are the main characters in the novel and they are the best examples to show these typical naturalistic elements.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The author outlines the scope of the paper, which is to compare the novel "McTeague" with the 1924 film "Greed," specifically addressing how the shortening of the film affected its naturalistic tone.
2. What happened to the story of McTeague: This chapter provides a plot summary, analyzes specific naturalistic elements within the novel (such as heredity, environment, and chance), and details the production constraints that led to the heavy editing of the film version.
3. Conclusion: The author concludes that while the film adaptation is significantly different and less complex than the source material, it remains an important, uncompromising work of naturalism.
Keywords
Naturalism, McTeague, Greed, Frank Norris, Erich von Stroheim, film adaptation, heredity, environment, conspicuous consumption, alcohol abuse, sexual desire, animal imagery, operation of chance, silent film, literature analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the critical analysis and comparison of Frank Norris's novel "McTeague" and the 1924 film adaptation "Greed," examining the stylistic and thematic differences between the two.
What are the central themes discussed in relation to the work?
The central themes include heredity, the influence of the environment, conspicuous consumption, the impact of the past, sexual desire, animal imagery, the role of alcohol, and the operation of chance.
What is the core research question?
The research seeks to determine if the 1924 film "Greed," despite its heavy editing and shortening, can still be classified as a naturalistic work of art.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The paper uses a comparative literary and cinematic analysis, focusing on narrative structure, character development, and the presence or absence of specific naturalistic motifs in both the book and the film.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body covers the plot of the novel, an in-depth analysis of naturalistic elements, the historical production background of the movie, and a detailed breakdown of deleted characters and changed scenes.
Which keywords best characterize the study?
Key terms include naturalism, film adaptation, heredity, environment, social Darwinism, and narrative transformation.
Why did the film production company cut so much material from the original version?
The studio deemed the original version too long and commercially unviable for the cinema, leading to significant cuts that ignored the coherence of the original story.
How does the representation of "gold" differ between the novel and the film?
While gold is a central, pervasive theme in the novel representing greed and environmental influence, it is significantly downplayed in the film, where several key symbols—like the golden molar—are omitted.
What role does the cat play in the film version?
The cat is a new cinematic element that appears in scenes involving the character Marcus, functioning as a symbol of the danger he poses to the main characters, Mac and Trina.
- Quote paper
- Steffanie Bauer (Author), 2007, What happened to the story of McTeague?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/154409
