Vehicle Strand Narratives

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Vehicle StrandNarratives
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Matrix (1999)
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Why Narrative? ? way of creating meaning
(like semiotics and genre) ? concerned with
sequence of events? employed in many media?
fictional and factual? part of media as vehicles
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• Narratives
• ? Branston and Stafford
• Propp (roles and functions)? Todorov
  (equilibrium)? Barthes (codes)? Lévi-Strauss
  (binary oppositions)? plot and story? narration
  and voice? different media? closed and open
  narratives? commerce
• today Joseph Campbell

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Joseph Campbell? anthropologist? influenced
by Carl Jung ? The Hero with a Thousand Faces
(1949)? universal human nature? many myths
one narrative? key term monomyth
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The Monomyth? the heros journey? a
universal blueprint for achieving human
potential and self-knowledge? you are the hero?
journey is your path through life? follow your
bliss
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Follow Your Bliss? what truly moves and
touches you?? key to potential and happiness ?
society presents obstacles? you must choose
follow your bliss or capitulate? own journey of
self-discovery
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Utility of Campbell(1) use his theory for
studying our modern myths media texts(2)
understand personal enlightenment Any Questions?
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Structure of the Monomyth A hero ventures
forth from the world of common day into a region
of supernatural wonder fabulous forces are there
encountered and a decisive victory is won the
hero comes back from this mysterious adventure
with the power to bestow boons on his fellow
man. (Campbell, 1993, p. 30)
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Structure of the Monomyth? departure gt
initiation gt return? seventeen key stages? not
always in exact order
? apply the monomyth to The Matrix
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Departure 1. The call to adventure A blunder
or chance encounter reveals an unsuspected world.
The hero is drawn into things s/he doesnt
understand. Meaning It isnt really a chance
encounter it represents the beginning of
personal transformation.
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Departure 2. Refusal of the call The hero
initially refuses this call to adventure. Meaning
A refusal to put aside the prior stage of life,
a childish stage, and to take up a new beginning.

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Departure 3. Supernatural aid Having taken up
the call the hero meets a protective figure, who
provides him with an aid or talisman which plays
an important part later on. Meaning The figure
is a benign power of destiny who symbolises the
importance of trust.
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Departure 4. The crossing of the first
threshold The hero meets a guardian standing at
the entrance between his world and a magical
world beyond. Meaning This symbolises the
movement from the conscious to the unconscious.
The threshold must be passed for the hero to make
progress.
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Departure 5. The belly of the whale Though the
hero has conquered or conciliated the guardian of
the threshold, he is then swallowed up by the
unknown and may seem to have died, or be in
mortal danger. Meaning This represents a form
of self-annihilation, the transition from one
world or level of self to another.
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The Call to Adventure
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Refusal of the Call
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Supernatural Aid
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The Crossing of the First Threshold
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The Belly of the Whale
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Initiation 6. The road of trials Having
crossed the threshold the hero must pass through
a series of tests, trials or ordeals in the
strange new world. Meaning This represents
the hero putting their ego to death in order that
he may move forward and survive in the new world.

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Initiation 7. The meeting with the
goddess Surviving the trials, the hero meets a
powerful woman. This meeting is important but
her full power is not yet revealed. Meaning
This woman represents a goddess, universal woman
or queen figure. She represents the heros
progress into the new world and appears to help
him.
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Initiation 8. The temptation away from the true
path The hero is tempted from the true
path. Meaning This represents the hero having
doubts. He must resist this temptation to make
progress.
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Initiation 9. Atonement with the father In
leaving the former world the hero breaks with a
father figure. During this phase he sees the
father figure in a new light and is reconciled
with him. Meaning The hero begins to view the
father, and so the world, more realistically.
The father (world) is no longer all powerful or
evil. The goddess may help here.
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Initiation 10. Apotheosis The hero has now
achieved self knowledge and may appear divine.
He is free of fear, and his potential is
released. Meaning Apotheosis means an elevation
of a person to perfection or god-like. The hero
has broken free of old prejudices and attained
true knowledge.
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Initiation 11. The ultimate boon The hero is
now in complete control and can easily achieve
the next step. Meaning A supreme goal is
achievable.
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The Road of Trials
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The Meeting with the Goddess
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Temptation Away from the True Path
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Atonement with the Father
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Apotheosis
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The Ultimate Boon
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Return 12. Refusal of the return Having
completed the quest the hero must return home,
and travel back to the normal world. At this
stage, he refuses to return. Meaning The return
means to put to use the heros achievements for
the benefit of humankind. The hero finds it hard
to leave the magical realm.
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Return 13. The magic flight The hero begins
his transition from the magical to the normal
world. He is usually chased by the enemy.
Meaning This symbolises another set of
challenges for the hero, which he must overcome
to save humankind. This is often represented by
a big chase scene.
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Return 14. Rescue from without The hero may
need help from the normal world in order to exit
the magical world. Meaning Those from within
the normal world come and get the hero so that he
can be born back into the world from which he
came. This is a re-birth into the conscious
state.
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Return 15. The crossing of the return
threshold The hero must pass another test which
enables the transferral of the new self to the
old world. Meaning The magical realm
represents a dimension of the human world, but
the hero needs to learn how to communicate his
new transcendental self in the normal world.
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Return 16. Master of the two worlds The hero
is now able to pass between both worlds with no
effort. He has mastered them both. Meaning
The heros personal ambitions have been resolved
and he becomes a tranquil, powerful figure, a
mythological anonymous presence able to save
humanity.
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Return 17. Freedom to live The hero is at the
end of his adventures. Meaning All humankind is
saved, calm and free. Salvation has been
achieved and everyone is free to live.
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Refusal of the Return
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The Magic Flight
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Rescue from Without
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The Crossing of the Return Threshold
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Master of the Two Worlds
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Freedom to Live
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Environment StrandThe Laws of Media
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Losing the Plot ? Branston Stafford new
narrative possibilities in contemporary
films? due to impact of digital technology
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Computers? word-processors, browsing, games?
allow us to revisit and revise undo, redo,
delete, cut paste navigate through sites and
back save, replay, modify

• For example
• Audience construction of plot
• Snakes on a Plane.
• ? Wonderbook by JK Rowling

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Printed Text? print text is linear word
follows word, line follows line, page follows
page? print is hot dictates requires
little participation? print is visual
linear, fragmented, self-contained
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Hypertext? hyper above, beyond, outside?
hypertext is interlinked to other texts ? user
decides what to read and in what order?
hypertext is cool engaging and requires
participation? hypertext is acoustic
nonlinear, interactive, connected
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Afternoon, A Story? Michael Joyce, 1990?
first hypertext novel ? narrative is not
linear different routes through novel,
following Peter ? available in library
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253? Geoff Ryman, 1996? online hypertext
fiction ? set on London Underground train? 253
passengers, 253 words ? http//www.ryman-novel.co
m/
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• New Narrative Possibilities? new computer
  environment revisit and revise? encourages
  new narrative possibilities
• e.g. Groundhog Day, Sliding Doors, Pulp Fiction,
  eXistenZ, Videodrome, Memento, Run Lola Run,
  Being John Malkovich, Sin City, Looper, The
  Phantom Menace
• ? For example.

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1. InceptionNarrative structure like a
digital game e.g. episodic levels of
consciousness are tapped into during the process
of inception.
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2. Star WarsRevisit and revise a prequel
(replay)changes understanding of Star Warse.g.
Darth Vaders story
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Laws of the Media? mid 1970s till his death
in 1980? draw together key McLuhan probes ? 2
articles Laws of the Media? book Laws of Media
(1992) ? key term tetrad
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Laws of the Media?? not a rigid scientific
theory? a systematic approach to media ?
provide an ordering of thought and
experience (1975, p. 75)? probes not theories
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The Four Laws of Media(a.k.a. The Tetrad) ?
the four effects of a medium on human
faculties and society 1. A medium will amplify
something e.g. radio amplifies the human
voice 2. A medium will obsolesce something
e.g. radio reduces the importance of print3. A
medium will retrieve something e.g. radio
recaptures oral communication4. A medium will
flip into something e.g. radio leads to
pictorial television
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E.g. Television? amplifies sight? obsolesces
radio? retrieves the (acoustic) visual? flips
into PC
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E.g. Housing? a medium (extension
environment) ? amplifies private, enclosed,
visual space ? obsolesces caves, tents, wigwams
(temporary structures) ? retrieves wagon trains
(semi-permanent clusters) ? reverses (flips)
into high-rise blocks (lots of residents)
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Spirals of Media? that which is enhanced will
later be obsolesced and then retrieved,
e.g.? print enhances the visual? is obsolesced
by radio? retrieved by television ? spirals
change faculties or media e.g. todays
electronic, acoustic space is different
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Many Endpoints? a medium can enhance,
obsolesce, or flip into many things e.g.
TV obsolesces radio and film e.g. TV flips
into PCs, video DVD, holography
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Many Startpoints? many media can flip into
the same thing (converge) e.g. TV, radio,
book, telephone all flip into PC
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Versatile or Vague?? the tetrad needs
fleshing out with specific details? a
probe? useful so long as it provides insights
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Summary? laws of media (tetrad) are a probe?
explore a mediums effects on individuals and
society? four questions enhance, obsolesce,
retrieve, reverse?? good structure for a Case
Study Any Questions?
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Module ForumRemember ? to post 10 or more
comments in sessions Media, Matrix and
McLuhan. ? comments in Miscellaneous will not be
counted in the assessment. ? comments must be
written over several weeks
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Module ForumAssessment ? engage with
theory ? apply theory and ideas to your own
media examples ? interact with others posts
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Before Next Week? read Branston Stafford
Ch. 4 on Questions of Representation? post
on Module Forum