Humbug! Hoaxes in Literature and Culture.

prospectus

Tommy Nothing Fancy Prospectus

Here is the link to my prospectus. I hope I did this correctly… Kyra_Watson.Prospectus

1. How does using the perspective of a camera enhance the terror of the film? Different camera angles?

2. What is the history behind a poltergeist? What forms are they manifested in and why have been so famous throughout history?

3. How long has paranormal activity been documented for and how has it effected societies or groups of people or prompted them to act a certain way?

4. What psychological effects do horror movies such as paranormal activity have on people? Why does it effect us so much even though we know it is a fake movie?

1) What is the medical history of the Navajo Native Americans?

2) How does the brevity of Nasdjii’s details effect what the readers thought about the article/ shory story?

3) How does the historical context of the time of the publishing and/or the time of the actual occurence correlate with the story as it is presented?

1. Was this hoax more successful due to repression of women during this time period? Did it have anything to do with this specific industry(art), or was it more of a general thing?

2. How did the medium (film) help to more accurately depict the effects of this hoax? Would any other methods have been more successful?

3. Overall, what made this hoax so successful? The methods behind it, or the fact that no one would have had reason to question it in the first place?

1. Did the times help Frank Abagnale Jr. pull off his hoaxes? How common was bank fraud in the 70s?

2. What made Frank Abagnale Jr. so successful in executing his hoaxes?

3. Did Steven Speilberg portray Frank Abagnale Jr.’s shenanigans successfully? Was he aware of his audience?

1. What was political corruption like in the 1970’s?
2. What’s the legality behind using criminals/conmen to help catch larger felons?
3. How did the economy of the 1970’s influence the society?
4. What’s the history behind conman and people who make forgeries?

Nasdijj tells his story with a voice of pure honesty and portrays the brutal truth of the Native American lifestyle. How does his genuine tone and realistic descriptions contrast to the fact that he was a fraud? How might this be similar to the society we live in?

Discuss the symbolism in the story and how it portrays the life and history of the Native Americans. Consider not only parts of the plot but also the style of prose and sentence structure.

What might have been some motives for the author to pose as Nasdijj? Could there have been some positive intentions? What themes might portray the lessons that the author learned during his lifetime?

What history has there been of Robberies by illusionists  or people associated with a background in being a magician?

What other secret societies are there in the entertainment business?

What secret society is Now You See Me posing as highlighting using the Eye as its symbol?

How many years has the concept of illusion and trickery been used for crime?