The subjects of this study, The X-Files (Carter, 1993-2002) and Supernatural (Kripke, 2005-), can be seen as innovative pioneers of ‘narrative complexity’ and of the ‘monster-of-the-week’ (MOTW) concept. Mittel identifies narrative complexity,
‘At its most basic level, narrative complexity is a redefinition of episodic forms under the influence of serial narration—not necessarily a complete merger of episodic and serial forms but a shifting balance. Rejecting the need for plot closure within every episode that typifies conventional episodic form, narrative complexity foregrounds ongoing stories across a range of genres. Additionally, narrative complexity moves serial form outside of the generic assumptions[.]’ (Mittel, 2006, p.32)
The monster-of-the-week concept is rather self-explanatory, but can be described as telling standalone stories that literally feature a monster, or enemy, every week however, The X-Files have challenged the serial, standalone nature of the concept (Kruse, 1997-8, p.110).
The X-Files stars FBI agents, Mulder and Scully, as they take charge in investigating the ‘X’ files (cases that occur through unknown phenomena). Mulder, the believer, and Scully, the sceptic, face corrupt government officials and monstrous mutants while trying to uncover the meaning to unknown phenomena that otherwise, cannot be explained. The episodic and formulaic series allow Mulder and Scully to face phenomena after phenomena while being spliced with an undercurrent of the more serial format of a greater ‘mytharc’ concerning government corruption and of the alien colonisation of earth. Supernatural tells the story of Dean and Sam Winchester, brothers-in-arms, who also, within formulaic and self-contained episodes, hunt monsters...
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...d Everyday Life in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In: M. Hammond and L, Mazdon, eds. 2005. The Contemporary Television Series. Edinburgh: Edinburg University Press, pp.159-182.
Hodges, L., 2008. Mainstreaming Marginality: Genre, Hybridity, and Postmodernism in The X-Files. In: J. P. Tellote, ed. 2008. The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader. Kentucky: Kentucky University Press, pp.231-246.
Mittel, J., 2007. Film and Television Narrative. In: D. Herman, ed. 2007. The Cambridge Companion to Narrative. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.156-171.
Mittell, J., 2006. Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television. The Velvet Light Trap, 58(32), pp.29-40
Nixon, N., 1998. Making Monsters, or Serializing Killers. In: R. Martin and E, Savoy, eds. 1998. American Gothic: New Interventions in a National Narrative. Iowa: Iowa University Press, pp.217-236.
The story A Television Drama, by Jane Rule is an exciting story about an unusual event, which the main character, Carolee Mitchell, experiences the end of. The story is about her quiet street becoming unusually busy with police officers, and how the man who is being chased by these officers ends up being outside her front door. Through the point of view of the story, the characterization and character change of Carolee Mitchell, and the setting of the story, A Television Drama is an exciting read. The story conveys how important it is to be aware of ones surroundings, and what is happening around oneself through these elements.
...rs were and still are very active, but how we decide to define these monsters is changing. As our understanding of these monsters becomes clearer, our perception of the monsters will change. In his article and book chapter Monsters and the Moral Imagination and chapter 5 of On Monsters, Stephen Asma suggests that monstrosity, as we know it, is on the rise as humans progress and how we perceive monsters can often define monstrosities in itself, providing evidence of reasons why monster cultures are on the rise, and showing how human progress has evolved our perception of how we think on the topic that is monsters.
The change from differing mediums, novel and film, reveal characteristics and possibilities of narratives. Through the advancement of technology, modern writers
In The Pathos of Failure, Thomas Elsaesser explains the emergence of a new ideology within American filmmaking, which reflects a “fading confidence in being able to tell a story” (280) and the dissolution of psychologically relatable, goal-oriented characters. He elaborates that these unmotivated characters impede the “the affirmative-consequential model of narrative [which] is gradually being replaced by another, whose precise shape is yet to crystallize” (281). Christian Keathley outlined this shape in more detail in Trapped in the Affection Image, where he argued that shifting cultural attitudes resulted in skepticism of the usefulness of action (Keathley). In Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, this crisis of action is a key element of the main characters’ failure, because it stifles the execution of classical narrative and stylistic genre conventions.
Tuchman, Gaye. The TV Establishment: Programming for Power and Profit. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., l971.
Tyrell, William Blake. "Star Trek as Myth and Television as Mythmaker." Journal of Popular Culture, 10 (Spring 1977), 711-719.
To accurately discern what does and does not happen in fictional stories, one must develop a kind of “story competence,” which Livingston describes in “What’s the Story?” Story competence relies on making judgements based on reasoning about characters’ motives and authors’ intentions. Only the latter is of concern here, which Livingston refers to as the “intentional heuristic:” a moderate form of intentionalism.
...f the adventure that shapes a hero. The ladies in “Pretty Little Liars” are shaped into heroes through their hardships and trouble, and their ability to over come it all together. As compared to the texts read and viewed in class, the show may be set in modern time, but the idea of myth is carried on from centuries before. A myth doesn’t need a love story, or bloody battle scenes to comprise a reader’s interest. It needs a core built up of strength and perseverance which creates the hero of it’s journey. My modern television show choice is a prime example of an ongoing story with the heroes continuing to the best of their abilities to make it out alive. As I have learned, a myth can never die out, and in this story the legend of the strong ladies will never die out in their town. The dedication they have to each other and their own prosperity is not to be forgotten.
Some of the characteristics of Modernism are: a desire to break conventions and established traditions, reject history, experiment, remove relativity, remove any literal meaning, and create an identity that is fluid. The rejection of history sought to provide a narrative that could be completely up for interpretation. Any literal meaning no longer existed nor was it easily given; essence became synonymous. Narrative was transformed. Epic stories, like “Hills Like White Elephants”, could occur in the sequence of a day. Stories became pushed by a flow of thoughts. The narrative became skeptical of linear plots, preferring to function in fragments. These fragments often led to open unresolved inconclusive endings. This echoes in the short story’s format. The short story functions in fragmented dialogue. Focusing on subjectivity rather than objectivity. Creating characters with unfixed, mixed views to challenge readers.
“A Cultural Approach to Television Genre Theory” argues that the application of film and literary genre theory do not fully translate when analyzing television, because of “the specific industry and audience practices unique to television, or for the mixture of fictional and nonfictional programming that constitutes the lineup on nearly every TV channel. 2” The goal of media genre studies, Mittell asserts, is to understand how media is arranged within the contexts of production and reception, and how media work to create our vision of the world.
The X-Files is generally acclaimed as the television cult hit of the 1990’s. The pilot that aired in September of 1993 introduced FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Together the two work to uncover the truth behind unsolved cases that defy normal investigation, the cases that the government has buried or ignored, labeling them the “x-files.” The two agents are wonderful examples of modernism and post-modernism world views.
...verything around us is made by our actions. Positive or negative they cause an effect that will ultimately lead to a different story base on how we interpret life. Narrative elements are used as a bridge by the directors in their film to create any master plot that is currently known. Any modification at any narrative element used by the director at important moments inside the story can help you portray a different master plot. This used of narrative elements can be best described as an ever changing process that takes place inside an individual’s head. Depending on the individual that may be exposed to those narrative elements can create different meanings. This new interpretation can be different for everyone. We have to be aware that one change in the surface scenery can lead to many ideal outcomes in our minds and that is the main power the audience has.
Smith, Aaron. “Transmedia Storytelling in Television 2.0.Strategies for Developing Television Narratives Across Media Platforms” A discussable version of Aaron Smith’s thesis for Middlebury College. (2009) Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
In applying genre theory, I will proceed to analyse how the television series, The Big Bang Theory falls into the situation comedy as a genre. Firstly an understanding of genre is needed before an analysis can begin. ‘Genre derives from the French word meaning type’ (Bignell 2008: 116). Broadly used in, literary and media, more recently linguistics, to referring to a distinctive type of 'text'. (Chandler 1997). The term ‘Can be defined as patterns/ forms/ styles/ structures which transcend individual art products, and which supervise both their construction by artists and their reading by audiences.’ (Ryall, 1975: 28). Genres allow us to organise material into smaller categories, identify the ‘artistic product we want’ (Creeber, 2008). Having begun with the Greek philosopher Aristotle when he began to outline different works in to categories the term is still in use today and, now in television genres are used to differentiate a number of diverse television shows from each other, distinguish the comparisons between them in the content, style, and format of the show. Genre in television has become a sign...
It is evident that Twin Peaks offers different levels of complexity and in doing so opens up possibilities of using different copying strategies in understanding its paradoxes, riddles, and its perplexing plot architecture. It invites viewers to find meaning where there is none, to experience cognitive inconsistencies and offers more questions than possible answers. Because of the show’s textual qualities further research on the effect of cognitive dissonance is suggested. The diversity in narrative complexity in the television serial is paralleled with its hybridization of genres and distortion of temporal and spatial aspects. The simplistic world of the detective genre is juxtaposed with dramatic elements and the existential atmosphere typical of film Noir, including mental pathological aspects and multiplication of characters. Thus constructed perplexingly Lynch’s show invites viewers to actively navigate and orientated inside and outside the storyworld, in order to effectively interpret surreal, unusual events that somehow amalgamate to create meaning. In addition, it invites viewers to cognitively and narratively map the show’s plot architecture.