I knew from my preliminary research that I wanted to focus on the glamorisation of killers in media, both online and offline as I am deeply intrigued by the way the image of criminals can be manipulated. In my first meeting with my supervisor, my major issue was finding a single focus and I was able to narrow the subject of my essay from general criminals to school shooters, specifically the Columbine shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, as concentrating on one event would give room for deeper analysis. We decided on the core text being a Guardian article written by Dave Cullen, the original Columbine author, in order to keep the Columbine shooting as the basis of the essay and use supporting texts to see how the perpetrator’s public persona compares to that of other criminals. The discussion allowed me to find a focus and shape the direction of my forthcoming research.
