2. Media Language- Theories Flashcards
Steve Neales Genre Theory.
Genres are instances of repetition and difference.
Difference is essential to the economy of genre.
Whose is the Genre Theory?
Steve Neale.
Roland Barthes’ Theory of Semiotics.
Texts communicate meaning through SIGNIFICATION.
Not all audiences will decode in the same way. It depends on cultural experience and context.
Action Code.
Refers to any action it event that indicates something else is going to happen.
Incorporates Enigma Codes to keep the audience guessing.
Enigma Code.
Information is withheld, keeps unanswered questions meaning the audience will want to carry on watching/reading.
Semantic Code.
Refers to the connotations in the story that give additional meaning beyond literal description.
Symbolic Code.
Similar to Semantic, but acts at a wider level.
Organises semantic meanings into broader and deeper sets of meaning.
Symbolism is used within the text to represent broader ideas or qualities eg pathetic fallacy.
Cultural Code.
Refers to an external body of knowledge.
Cultural, Scientific, Historical, Political, or Social which add meaning to the text.
Tzvetan Todorov’s Narratology Theory.
He claims all narratives share the same basic structure:
Equilibrium - Disruption - Recognition - Repair - Return to Equilibrium.
Claude Levi-Strauss’ Structuralism Theory.
He suggests meaning is created through a set of Binary Oppositions which create conflict within a narrative.
