I cannot accurately describe the purposes of the different cover art, because I do not know how cover art becomes published. Is it commissioned by the author, made by the author, chosen by the publishing companies, I don't know. However, I could surmise that the intention of the different cover art is to draw in various audiences. A reader who is into more gothic literature or mystery may pick up the cover with the organs or the boat, whereas a reader who desires a romantic, positive story may choose to read the novel with the bright covers. While I find that the colors are categorized to please two different audiences, its interesting how there are no clear images in any of the four covers. There is a slight blur to some aspect of each cover, which I believe serves to highlight the blurred lines between science and humanity, and the many transitions to personal accounts in the plot of Never Let Me Go, that can be portrayed as uplifting or depressing.
Dark, broken, danger, scientific, futuristic. The cover on the left is a dark representative of the plot of Never Let Me Go. It portrays the internal anatomy of a human which is quite significant in the novel; as the clones exist to donate their major organs. This cover depicts the viewpoint of the clones, as they begin to envy their future consisting of donations as time passes. A prime example of characters who would share this viewpoint are Chrissie and Rodney as they question Ruth about delaying the inevitable donations while on their trip to Norfolk. The image is best associated with the scientific culture seen in the donations and cloning of the plot. It is likely that a book with this cover would be chosen by someone who is into medicine, mystery, science, and futuristic literature.
Romantic, cheery, unicorns that poop gold, summer, relaxation. The cover on the right depicts a bright, cheery meadow in Never Let Me Go in which a young girl appears to be thinking to herself. It portrays the students' lives at Hailsham as dainty and carefree. This cover depicts the viewpoint of clones outside of the Hailsham upbringing as seen in the first chapters donor who asks Kathy H. to tell him about what it was like at Hailsham in detail. The cover is associated with the carefree culture of the students at Hailsham, where their education solely consists of the arts, and where they have freedom to roam as one does at a private boarding school, or in college. A book with this cover would be chosen by someone who is looking for a romantic love story, or an uplifting novel about how an individual's life changed for the better.
Your analysis of these two covers is very thorough. You connected the covers' overall tone and imagery to main themes in the book and explained which audience members would be most attracted to each cover. The only criticism that I have (I had to think hard about this, because your post was so well-written) is perhaps you could have talked about the theme of alienation with the more bright book cover. This theme could be discussed in regards to different characters or to clones in general. But overall, great job analyzing persuasive devices and connecting them to their effects.
ReplyDeleteI like how you talked about the colors of the covers. I think it is interesting how the colors of the two you chose to discuss are so contrasting. In the left cover, there are only dark colors, while the right cover uses a bright green for the grass and red for the girl's sweater. I like how you described that there is a blur to each cover and explained why. I think that it may be because of the blur between science and ethics. The novel makes the reader question where the line is between the two. I like how you explained the first cover and it definitely emphasizes the dark future that the clones have with donating their organs. I think that the cover on the right depicts Kathy in deep reflection. However, I do agree that the girl appears carefree because of the bright colors. This could be from the point of view of the man who wanted Kathy to describe Hailsham and pretend that they were his memories. The cover appears to cheery for the plot of the novel, in my opinion. Good job analyzing the color and images on these two covers and providing explanation for why they were created.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this analysis. I like how you made the distinction between the colors of each respective cover and how that impacts the reader's perception, as well as the type of consumer that would purchase the covers. Do you think that the brighter cover on the right could also be created from the perspective of other Hailsham students looking at Kathy? Perhaps it is depicting the viewpoint of Tommy, or even Madame, on Kathy and showing how they feel about her. My only criticism would be that maybe you could have thought about the broader potential cultural context of each of these covers. Maybe since the girl in the cover on the right is drawn with blonde hair and conservative, formal clothing she is drawn from a European perspective? Just a thought :) But overall, great post!!
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