so far im pretty settled on the big sleep as a book its a lot darker and more intresting than the wind and the willows and i would prefer to work with something thats less familiar in order to generate some more origional ideas.
some of the themes within The Big Sleep which should be considered when designing.
orchids ( seem to appear a lot within the book link to to death/ the cynical endings perspective)
cigerettes- part of the era/social norms smoke in particular might make a good design aspect
Rain- the weather seems to be synonmous with character Marlowes mood throughout the book. perhaps it is also a comment on the society- the city is being drowned in corruption ( corruption of the rich, the poor the police and even the female characters)
blackmail/gambling/ alcohol- emphasises the corrupt 'seedy city'. one of the main sisters Vivian plays roulette which could also make an intresting design.
femme fatal characters- all the women are apparently dangerous within this novel, they all attempt to use their own sexual power to manipulate Marlowe. and whilst Marlowe is attracted to all of them he does not allow himself to be seduced and even attempts to seduce one of the Sternwood sisters for information.
vivian- calculating/ clever and seemingly elegant contrast to carmen
Carmen - animalistic ( could make for some intresting visual aspects) this animilistic quality contained within her movements could symbolize primal desire which the mystery revolves around, it could also highlight the theme of corruption which is instigated by this human desire. could be caused by drugs its not really clear if she as a character is crazy or if its something else. she also seems to be naked a lot througout the story which again links to her animal nature and the concept of primal desire.
Agnes- silver nails/ tough girl grifter
Silverwig/ Mrs Eddie Mars- curved, beautiful ruthless Marlowe takes a liking to her.
Out of all of the women Carmen appears more within the books and there are far more very striking events pertaining to her that would translate well visually. ( sitting in the chair in nothing but her jade earrings, pushing Brody into her room with a revolver, lying naked predatorially in Marlowes bed etc)
the police/ the gangsters- by assosciation guns,footprints and body marks
the car being dragged out of the pier- a chapter in the book which stands out in my head and would make something visually striking (possible backdrop).
chess is referenced once but it relates well to the story as a whole the mystery itself is a clever and brutal game;
"this was not a game for knights" a cynical reference to the morality of various characters. the embodiment of morality marlowe who ironically enough is the only 'knight' within the novel.
poison- the poison of the blood which is elucidated through the Sternwoods, and the literal poison of cyanide which kills of one of the characters.
dead birds- in relation to snitches.
definate theme of madness- most of the women within the story are somewhat crazy and this theme of madness appears to be synonymous with sex ( the concept of human desire being primal and destructive is further stipulated by this).
im not entirely sure what im going to work with but there are a lot of themes within the book and i would like to try and find something that embodies the world of the story without being cliche and unorigional. smaller aspects ( like the orchid or the jade earrings) could be placed on the spine or used without being overpowering.
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