Narrative Spaces ...

What's the story?

A study of narrative involves looking at narrative objects and looking at images or text. It involves the understanding of narrative theory and understanding how narratives are structured. The elements of the narrative must also be understood and it should also be located within the desired area of practice.

Boy Looking for Fleas on a Dog. 1650s

Pedro Nunez de Villavicencio

What is this image telling us?

The male in the image looks young and the title tells us that he is a boy. From his actions and also from the title we know that he is checking the dog for fleas. From the breed of dog which looks like a poodle, the image suggests that the boy comes from a wealthy family. The date in which the piece was painted was in the 1600s tells us that this was created in the Baroque period. Brett & Kate McKay (2010) explain that Baroque art is styled in a way so that the viewer is drawn into the image so that they feel like they can participate in the scene. The image is also direct and obvious- it is clear that the boy is looking for fleas on a dog. 


Narrative spaces include:

autobiographies
clothing
paintings
diaries
legal documents
scars
photographs
films
radio
public buildings
& more



"Simply put, narrative is the representation of an event or a series of events."

(Abbot 2008 p13)


Abbot argues that without an 'event' or an action there is no narrative.

For example, my dog has fleas.
This is a description of the dog not an action because nothing happens.

My dog was bitten by fleas.
This is a narrative as there is an action- being bitten.


How many events make a narrative and who says so?

2 Events +
Barthes
Rimmon-Kenan


Going Further- A Series of Causally Related Events
Bal
Bordwell
Richardson


No Restrictive Definition
Genette
Smith

Who's Who?


Barthes - philosopher, linguist, educator
Rimmon-Kenan - contempary narratologist, critic, literary theorist
Bal - narratology, professor of literary theory, cultural analysis
Bordwell - film theorist, historian
Richardson - narratology, professor of literary theory, cultural analysis
Genette - literary theorist
Smith - literary critic, theorist



Applying the theory...

It can be argued that this image should fit into the causally related events section of the theory model as the model is sitting and holding the perfume and then looks as though she will pour the perfume over herself. 

This famous image of Michael Jackson dangling his son 'Blanket' over a balcony fits into the category of a series of two+ events as Michael Jackson is looking out and smiling at whatever is below him and he is also holding the baby who is slipping out of his arm. He is also making an effort to make sure that the baby's face remains covered up at all times.


Story telling...

The Quaker Oats brand tells a story of a simple and traditional life. Its promoting healthy living and suggests a natural and organic environment. The use of the name 'Quaker' in the products name also emphasises all of these potential qualities.

Task - to read the brand and create a story about it in a particular style, e.g monologue, love story, flashback,etc.

Facts about Google:

it slightly changes its logo in keeping with current events, e.g. Christmas  the Olympics, etc. It celebrates historical events.

Its the go to search engine (number 1 according to searchengineland.com)

Its name is a play on the world 'Googol' which refers to the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. This suggests that it is set to provide the world's infinite amount of information.

I chose to write my narrative in the style of a fairytale.

Once upon a time, in a far away land called the United States of America, two computer scientists, also known as nerds, created a search engine that could sort through an incredible amount of information. The scientists were called Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They named the search engine Google, which they thought of because the word 'Googol' refers to a number one followed by one hundred zeros- the largest number. There was nothing in the universe this big suggesting Google's potential greatness that would come.

After nearly two decades had passed, Google had become the number one search engine in the world (according to searchengineland.com!). Google had finally found its one true love-the world! Google liked to keep its relationship fresh and entertaining with the public by updating its logo to celebrate world events such as Halloween and the Olympics.

Google lives on providing simple and relevant information throughout the land whilst living happily ever after as the king of the search engines in all the land.

Looking at adverts in a moving picture format...

Clover Advert

ruzhyo12. (2006).

The Clover advert shows people receiving nice gestures and the sentiments behind them. Clover is the common factor in each scene and forms the link between love and Clover. The added text at the end 'Churned with love' finalises the advert and leaves the viewer with the clear message of what it wants to portray. This supports the scenes within the advert. This video was chosen as I liked the over the top approach to how emotional people become over butter. I found this quite amusing.

Aldi Low Fat Cereal Advert

ArmyBike1. (2012).

This advert follows a classic style that Aldi follows whereby it compares a brand name food and Aldi's own brand. Cereal is the main focus in this advert, the comparison being between Kellogs Special K and Aldi's version of the cereal Benefit. The advert starts with just the cereals in sight but has a man's voice speaking. The man then appears in a red dress, a play on the Special K adverts which claim to help you drop a dress size in two weeks and which feature an attractive, slim woman in a fitted red dress. The man sits and eats a few mouthfuls of cereal and then states that his dress is still a bit tight, a direct play on the Special K adverts and their claim of dropping a dress size. I liked this advert because of its humourous approach and the way that there is no direct focus on the man in the dress but the viewer automatically centres on this.