Intermediality

Question 1

What are Intermediality Studies?

Answer 1

• A ‘recent’ research field that has been expanding ever since the 1980s.
• ‘Intermediality’ is an umbrella term that comprises numerous “cultural phenomena which involve more than one medium”.

Question 2

What are the three subcategories of intermediality?

Answer 2

1. Media combination
   a. combination of at least two media
   b. e.g. in opera, film, photographs in texts, graphic narratives etc.
2. Medial transposition
   a. transformation of content from one medium into another – e.g. film adaptations, novelizations, etc.
3. Intermedial references
   a. this involves only one medium, in which the ‘other’ medium is referred to or imitated
   b. e.g. ekphrasis, imitation of filmic techniques such as zoom or montage, etc.

Question 3

Loneliness n. (OED), first recorded in 1586

Answer 3

• Physical absence of others
• Spatial emptiness
• Inner state of disconnection

Question 4

What are some consequences of loneliness on health?

Answer 4

• “Chronic feelings of isolation can drive a cascade of physiological events that actually accelerates the aging process”.
• Increased suicide, drug addiction and violence
• As damaging as “smoking fifteen cigarettes a day”
• Weakened immunity system and higher susceptibility to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer

Question 5

Contemporary loneliness discourses often feature a subliminal nostalgia for

Answer 5

• White supremacy
• Heteronormativity
• Patriarchal, conservative gender roles
• Pre-mass migration times etc. –> Scapegoats: diversity, feminism, immigrants, etc.

Question 6

The Crisis of Connection by May et al

Answer 6

• “Our ideologies [e.g. patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism] and their corresponding stereotypes and values […] lead to a crisis of connection.”
• They have a devastating impact on the physical and mental well-being of people, maintain “hierarchies of oppression”, and split humans into “superior and inferior on the basis of race, class, caste, gender, religion, nationality, and sexuality”.

Question 7

‘ekphrasis’, n. / pl. ‘ekphrases’

Answer 7

• “Verbal representations of visual representations”  e.g. descriptions of paintings, photographs, maps, etc
• invites readers to “see” the subject in their mind’s eye
• an ‘intermedial reference’