Media Studies Research

Continuing my English SURF Research, I chose to further my research by looking at the movie adaptations of both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. My research consists of four parts: a literature review of Lee’s love styles, a literature review of Gerbner’s cultivation theory, a film analysis of Wuthering Heights (2011) directed by Andrea Arnold and Jane Eyre (2011) directed by Joji Fukunaga, and a discussion section.

For this research I first had to establish what love is and what it looks like. Understanding love and its different variations is crucial when trying to analyze different relationships. Psychologist, John Lee, explores these topics in his book, Colors of Love: An Exploration of the Ways of Loving, where he identifies six distinct love styles. The styles are as follows: eros, ludus, storge, mania, and pragma. Each love style corresponds to a different type of love with different characteristics. After the release of his book, in 1986 Hendrick and Hendrick published “A Theory and Method of Love” using Lee’s work to develop an attitude scale, an instrument for research on love.

After I researched what love looks like, I had to prove that media consumption has an effect on the individuals who partake in it. To prove this I turned to cultivation theory, one of the most influential and commonly cited theories in terms of prolonged media effects pioneered by George Gerbner in 1976. I additionally looked at several different studies published about the association between television viewing and views on love. Proving that the more one watches television portraying different love styles the more their expectations and views around love change.

After this, I then moved into my film analysis. I used a qualitative approach to both films and focused on a close reading of the principle relationships. I focused on several elements such as verbal conversations, physical actions, and perceived emotions through non-verbal communication. From then I used the Hendrick and Hendrick Love Attitude Scale (1986) test as a basis for what love styles are the most prevalent. I then determined each character in the partner pairings’ most applicable love style to their least applicable love style.

I found that for Wuthering Heights, Catherine and Heathcliff both had similar scales, with their most applicable love style being mania. While in Jane Eyre, Jane’s most applicable love style was agape and Mr. Rochester’s was ludus. These findings highlight the diverse ways in which romantic love is depicted in media and film. Additionally, these findings were found to have been influenced by individual character traits, social contexts, and the historical period present. The comparison of these two films, both originating from the same era but ultimately diverge in their portrayal and emphasis of particular love styles, underscored the complexity and multifaceted nature of romantic relationships portrayed in media.