A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CASSANDRA

CLARE’S “THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS:

CITY OF BONES” AND ITS MOVIE
ADAPTATION

Ms. LUINITA RAJAN

170130150
Uni. Reg. no. 1713351011150
III year B.A. English Literature
Meenakshi College for Women
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank Dr. K.S Lakshmi, Secretary, Meenakshi

College for Women (Aut) for granting us the permission and
encouraging us to work for the project. I am grateful to Mrs. S.
Jayanthi, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Meenakshi
College for Women (Aut) for her guidance and support throughout
the process of project. I also extend thanks to all the members of
English Department for their encouragement.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Ever since the 2013 movie, “The Mortal Instruments: City
of Bones,” was released, many critics and fans thought of it as
a content and box-office flop. In spite of the complex yet
engaging storyline of the novel by Cassandra Clare, the
adaptation is still thought to have not stayed true to the
storyline. Thus, I sought to finding out if there are any such
faults in the adaptation by comparing the book and its movie
adaptation, and focussing on the structure of the two.
INTRODUCTION TO THE
BOOK AND THE MOVIE
BOOK
 a set of written, printed, or blank sheets bound
together between a front and back cover
 any subject - non-fiction to fiction

 read by many people – lost in the world of

imagination
 new set of ideas in the minds of the public
MOVIE
 a recording of moving images that tells the story and that people
watch on a screen or television
 motion picture that tells a story

 visual story telling

 appeals to the eyes - a definite representation - no need for

imagination for interpretation
THE BOOK
“CITY OF BONES”

 Cassandra Clare
 first book in Mortal Instruments series
 Sold over fifty million copies
 translated into thirty five different
languages
 made into a feature film and TV series
THE MOVIE ADAPTATION

“THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS:

CITY OF BONES”
 August 21, 2013
 released by Sony Screen Gems
 starred Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell-
Bower
 produced - Constantin Films
 directed -Harold Zwart
 screenplay - Jessica Postigo Paquette
 WHAT IS THE STORY ABOUT?

 Clary Fray – teenager from Brooklyn

 world inhabited by demons and Downworlders

 descended from a line of Shadowhunters – half-angel

warriors who protect humanity from evil forces
 mother disappears – Clary joins forces with a group of
Shadowhunters
 Clary and her companions – find and protect an ancient
cup – the key to her mother's future
Comparing the structure of the
book and the movie
Structure controls the major elements of a story, including
plot, characters, setting, and theme.

BOOK MOVIE

Plot Both have the same plot Same plot

Characters • Same characters • Same characters as in

• Strong and full-fledged the book
characters Few minor characters
excluded – time
constraint
• Limited character
development
Theme Same themes Same theme as in the
book.
 HOW I COMPARED THE
BOOK AND THE MOVIE?
 EIGHT FACTORS TO JUDGE WHICH IS
BETTER, THE BOOK OR THE MOVIE

Jonathan H. Liu has stated these eight factors in his article,

Great Geek Debates: Books vs. Movies.
1. Time investment
2. Hours of entertainment gained
3. Visual effect
4. Price
5. Entertainment value
6. Portability
7. Quotability
8. Communality
BOOK
Time investment

Hours of entertainment
gained

✓
Visual effect

✓
Price

✓
✓ Entertainment value

Portability
✓

Quotability
ANALYSIS BASED ON THE 8 FACTORS

Communality
✓
THE BOOK’S INFLUENCE
ON THE MOVIE GOERS
HOW DOES THE BOOK INFLUENCE THE
MOVIE GOERS?

1. The reader’s inside man

2. Packed and thorough plot
3. Characters are rounded
4. Become the inside informant of the group
5. The real ending
6. Great details of the scenes
7. More exciting – more suspense
 THE MOVIE’S
INFLUENCE ON THE
BOOK READERS
HOW DOES THE MOVIE INFLUENCE THE
BOOK READERS?

1. Comparison
2. Interest
3. Visualization
4. Better understanding of the story
5. Notice differences
6. More detail in book
7. Re-imagining the book
WHAT OTHER CRITICS HAVE
GOT TO SAY ABOUT SUCH
COMPARISONS?
“A movie can enrich the novels they are based on. Not
all movies, but those that are well made and remain
faithful to the original story.”
–Vincent Mars,
Would You Rather Read the Book or Watch The Film

“There is no debate since there is a certain prejudice against

movies as the film is the latest art form among the two
and considered as the inferior one.”
– Jonathan H. Liu
Great Geek Debates: Books vs. Movies
 A research paper presented by Ina Samson, “Comparative
Study Between the Book and its Film Adaptation” –
conducted a survey

 The results of the said survey imply that out of the two
mediums the book was chosen by the students as more
preferable than watching the movie because of the
duration and of the quality of entertainment the books
provide.
 CONCLUSION

 This study was created to compare and contrast

reading the book and watching its movie adaptation.
 similar in the structure aspect- the characters, theme,
and the plot are the same
 different in the presentation of the story, in the
manner of giving details, time consumed and in the
matter of producing scenes.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

PRIMARY SOURCES
Clare, Cassandra. The Mortal Instruments. Walker Books, 2007.

“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.” YouTube, uploaded by YouTube Movies, 14 Jan.
2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEiFGvVyai4

ONLINE SOURCES
Jensen, Heather “7 Reasons Why It's Okay to Read Books after Watching the Movie.” All
Women Stalk, 2014,
https://books.allwomenstalk.com/reasons-why-its-okay-to-read-books-after-watching-the-movie/

Liu, Jonathan H. “Great Geek Debates: Books vs. Movies.” Wired, 2010,
www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/08/great-geek-debates-books-vs-movies/

Pete, Shannon “7 Reasons To Read the Book before Watching the Movie” All Women Stalk,
2012, movies.allwomenstalk.com/reasons-to-read-the-book-before-watching-the-movie

Samson, Ina. “Comparative Study Between the Book and its Film Adaptation.” Academia, 24
Mar. 2014,
www.academia.edu/27742272/COMPARATIVE_STUDY_BETWEEN_THE_BOOK_AND_ITS_FI
LM_ADAPTATION
THANK
YOU