Cultural Criticism A Quick Introduction COMM 142 John A. Cagle

Assumptions of Narrative Analysis Walter Fisher n Humans make sense of their world by the stories they tell about it n Beliefs and behaviors are based on good reasons n Narrative is a persuasive and vital form of interpretive discourse n Stories are symbolic actions that create social reality

Nature of Stories n Stories are linked to experience n Stories are linked to values n Narratives are based on experience, is a product of the memory, has a sense of chronology, is coherent, defines a central subject, and has closure. n Narratives advance persuasion by disarming listeners, awakening dormant experiences and feelings, and exposing some sort of propositional argument.

Characteristics of Narrative n Theme n Plot n Structure n Characters n Narrator n Setting n Time and Causality

Criticism of Narratives n Mythic n Narrative paradigm n Dramatistic n Fantasy theme analysis n Fictitious n Archetypal n ETC.

Narrative Critical Probes n Does the narrative spring from a Master Narrative (older narratives)? n What propositional content is the narrative designed to reveal? n What propositional content is the narrative designed to mask? n How effectively and how faithfully does the narrative deal with its subject matter?

Dramatism: Kenneth Burke n The range of rhetoric is wide. n All life is drama. n Drama features human motives. n Hierarchy is fundamental to human symbolism. n Rhetoric promises transcendence. n Rhetoric is fueled by the negative.

Rhetorical Analysis of Narrative n Kenneth Burke’s Pentad: act, scene, agent, agency, and purpose n Pentadic ratios can be used to define the central relationship of any story: scene-act, scene-agency, scene-purpose, act-purpose, act-agent, act-agency, agent-purpose, agent- agency, and agency-purpose.

Burkean Critical Probes n Can principles of hierarchy be found in discourse? n What is rhetor’s vocabulary of motives? n Who or what is being scapegoated? n Are strategies of transcendence in evidence?

Myth: the Substance of Culture n Myths are master stories that describe exceptional people doing exceptional things and that serve as moral guides to proper action.

Types of Myth n Cosmological myths: why we are here. n Societal myths: the proper way to live. n Identity myths: what makes one cultural grouping different from another. n Eschatological myths: quo vadis?

Why use myth? n Heightened sense of authority n Sense of continuity n Sense of coherence n Sense of community n Sense of choice n Sense of agreement

Structuralism: Claude Levi-Strauss n Critic should track the source of the myth n Effectiveness is tied to how mythic elements are combined n Task is to discover the unique harmony (of emotions, images, ideas, etc.) myth provides

Structuralism continued n Standard chronology vs. synchronic time n Narrative elements that share same context lead to myth’s basic argument n Dialectical forces in myth to discover its motivational base

Fantasy themes: Ernest Bormann n Fantasy themes are mythic shorthand n Fantasy themes are local variations on mythic themes, prized tales of mankind in general n Purpose is to dramatize ideas for listeners n Listeners or readers lack the imagination needed to see what the world will be like if they accept new beliefs

Fantasy Themes Critical Probes n What are people like? n What are possibilities for group action? n On what people can you most depend? n What is mankind’s purpose on earth? n What are measures of right and wrong? n How can success be measured? n What information is most valuable? n Why do things happen as they do?

Value Analysis in Criticism n All statements express a belief about specific persons, places, things, or situations. n A value statement expresses a judgment about what is the preferred end state or means of actions. n Stories are linked to experience and to values. n Humans make sense of the world by identifying values with it. n All statements can be interpreted for values. n Values and beliefs are linked together in cognitive systems. n Value systems define the individual and the culture.

Methods of Value Analysis n What words are used to articulate positive values? n What words are used to articulate negative values? n What values are implied in belief statements without specific value terms? n What values are implied by the formal elements used?

Major American Value Systems Puritan-Pioneer: activity, community, dedication, dignity, virtue vs. dereliction, disgrace, infidelity, laziness, waste Enlightenment: democracy, fact, freedom, liberty vs. book burning, dictatorship, error Progressive: change, efficiency, future, modern vs. backward, old-fashioned, impossible Transcendental: affection, brotherhood, friendship vs. anger, insensitive, mechanical Personal Success: career, dignity, family vs. coercion, disease, dullness, poverty Collectivist: brotherhood, cooperation, humanitarian aid vs. disorganization, inequality, greed

Defining a Culture n What is the emphasis of the value system? n What relationships exist among the values? n What is the relationship between implied and stated values? n What is the relationship between positive and negative values? n What values are not present in the text that might be expected?