week8

How does Dick’s essay (1999; 1964) illuminate his use of Nazism as a motif in High Castle?


According to Dick (1995), “it is sub rational; it is psychological, not logical”. The man who illuminate the castle to highlight how the fear of Nazism, for example, Dick (1995) argues  why some people  fear of cats, dogs, or darkness, it is psychological and intellectual (maybe it is rooted in the past) but it is not logical. Deeper level of this research, unlike Nazism, is caused by adverts or brainwashing. However, we can see how the Jewish people would prevent others being with the same treatment as the other coming to their defense. 



References:
Dick, P.K. (1995). Nazism and the High Castle. In Sutin, L. (Ed). The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick (pp. 112-117). New York: Vintage. 

Week 9

Hills (2004) lists a number of defining characteristics of cult TV that contain similarities to the defining characteristics of pop genres (e.g. fantasy, science fiction) discussed earlier in the Pop Genres paper. Can you identify these and discuss why you think that these characteristics are repeatedly viewed as underpinning popular genres.

The defining characteristics of cult TV that Hills (2004) refers to are made up of three different types. The first considers it to be a text dependent analysis which and is often associated with fiction, fantasy and horror (Hills, 2004).

The second defines the characteristics through inter-text analyses and is influential on which meanings are portrayed on television. It also circulates the main message intended in the primary text and is likely to persuade viewers.

The third, however, is primarily reliant on practices fans are engaged in; which can raise questions of what these fan driven activities are.

There are similarities between cult TV and the likes of fantasy in that narrative closure is never really satisfied for viewers. They are often left wondering and asking the same question. For example like the sisters on Charmed, in Buffy is it even possible for her to have a successful love interest? With there being just the one slayer in existence at any one time, why is there more than one as the seasons progress? Also on Xena Warrior Princess, are Gabrielle and Xena more than just friends? Another similar feature with these different forms of popular genre is that they provide viewers with an in-depth fantastic universe with self-governed rules.

Fans of cult TV, fantasy and science fiction may meet online, at conventions or be immersed in comic culture etc, as referred to in ‘Definition III’ (Hills, 2004); they keep cult TV among other pop genres alive, strong and well.

Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R. C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.

Week 6 - Sarah Hosking

Finally, with reference to Cavallaro (2006), what distinguishes Mononoke technically as being – it is generally agreed – a great work of anime?


"One of the principal reasons behind the film's tremendous popularity in its homeland is undoubtedly Japan's fascination with legend, mythology and folklore,.."(Drazen 2003, .39) Drazen here explains to the reader an essential explaination as to why this film and ones like it succeed in Japan. Titanic was the only film to over take it in box office earnings. This popularity I think is due to not only the story but also the medium in which is was crafted.
As we know Anime is hugely popular in Japan and a story such as Princess Mononoke delivered in this form reached out to not only people interested in Mythology and Japanese culture but to a technology buff these new advancements and the fact it was anime I think contributed to its success as an Anime film.

REFERENCES
Cavallaro, D.(2006).The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. London: McFarland & Company.

Week 10-Ashleigh

HOW DOES BUFFY DECONSTRUCT TRADITIONAL LITERARY NOTIONS OF GOOD AND EVIL?

Good versus evil thematic in literature dates as far back to the beginning of the literature itself. The distinction between what is considered to be good and what is considered to be evil is based on social morals or ideals that attempt to categorise and structure the right and the wrong in mankind. The traditional text will end in the pure good conquering over the evil.

Cult television series, like Buffy, tend to develop their storylines to comment on society. Buffy breaks down the norm of literary texts in that there is no clear-cut good or bad character. In an essay by Braun (2005) on ‘The Ambiguity of evil’, she instead comments that the characters in Buffy are “morally inconsistent” and that “with many characters demonstrating both decent and demonic traits and behaviors” the evil in Buffy is often less “fixed”. A good example of this ambiguity is when the character Maggie leader of ‘the initiative (supposedly the ‘goodies’) tries to kill Buffy. Maggie has deviated from the traditional moral stance of being on the good side trying to triumph over the bad and has herself converted into what she is fighting against. Another example is of Spike who is a character who internally is conflicted with wanting to continue to be evil but who lacks that capacity to do so. Refering back to Braun’s (2005) essay, she explains the storyline of Buffy as a representation of reality and how humans actually behave.

The storyline of Buffy is enjoyable to me in that it attempts to describe truthful human interaction. Too often we watch a movie and think ‘that would never happen’. The ideals of good and evil are just that. They are what we should do or how we should act but more often then not, it is not how we behave. Essentially it is to say that if we do a ‘bad’ thing we are not a bad person. We are not perfect and that is what makes us human. The Buffy series deviance from the traditional literary notions of good and evil is more to simulate truth that we have the capacity to do both.

WEEK 5-ASHLEIGH

WHAT IS THE SHOJO AND HOW DOES IT FUNCTION IN ANIME?

‘Shoujo’ - meaning ‘little female’ - acts as a sub-genre in anime. Where anime functions as a darker, male-foucsed-topics genre, for example Momotaro’s Divine Sea, shoujo acts as the contrast. The primary target audience is girls aged 12-13 (Cavallaro, 2006) and a shoujo character is a young female character of similar age as the audience. The characters often have similar ‘dream-like’, magic-infused qualities as the storyline. Characters or creatures and storylines are developed to reflect the genres’ target audience and what they are interested in. The focus of the genre is less to do with the plot and more to do with the internal conflict, for example in Miyazaki’s ‘Princess Mononoke’ the character Askitaka struggles between his love for Princess Mononoke versus his loyalty to his village.

Another example in this film is the forest spirits that are designed in a ‘cute’ fashion to reflect shoujo audiences obsession with cute things (Cavallaro, 2006).

In a battle between Shoujo vs. traditional anime I would defiently go for the former. In western society, where female audiences tend to not watch a lot of anime, shoujo would be a good starting point and a good alternative to the Hollywood romcom that we so dearly love. Shoujo tends to deal with the issues that are related to being in the awkward phase between adult and childhood. More specifically, it involves those confusing feelings and conflicting issues of being still innocent but aware of your surroundings. For myself, shoujo tends to attempt to explain to the audience this process and what is going on around them. Davis’ study (as cited in Mazzarella, 2005) describes Shoujo narrative as the internal confliction of “Who am I? What kind of person do I want to be? What would I be willing to do for love?”. For this reason, shoujo functions as a way to explain the world so that we may better our understanding of our surroundings.

Week 10

How do you think Buffy has influenced the contemporary vampire drama “True Blood” and the “Twilight” series of novels and films?

The contemporary vampire/romantic gothic drama has (in my opinion) been influenced by Buffy to a large degree. Meyer's Twilight novels/the subsequent movies and the tv series True Blood provide fans with issues similar to that of Buffy (young characters overcoming obstacles for the greater good), which subsequently is further shared with classics such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Rose, 2002). Using similar ideologies, all three examples develop characters and three relatively similar plots surrounding the romantic/gothic dramatic concept. The only blatant difference is the degree of sex featured in each of the examples. Twilight featured somewhat sexually attractive cast members and True Blood is based on sex (from what i have been told). I have not read the two/watched the two texts, however i believe that the hearsay i have heard has allowed me to justify any claims that i make.

Buffy established the idea of a hero defeating vampires whilst maintaining a relationship and displaying qualities that readers can relate to, much like Twilight and True Blood. Examples of such include the episode 'Goodbye Iowa', in which Buffy deals with the problems created by the Initiative, then moves on to discussing her relationships problems with Anya - "Riley was meant to be Mr. Joe guy. We were gonna do dumb things like hold hands through the daisies" (Goodbye Iowa, 2000). This reflects the themes of both Twilight and True Blood, where similar situations occur.

Rose, A (2002) Of creatures and creators: Buffy does Frankenstein, in R. Wilcox & D. Lavery (eds) Fighting the
forces: what’s at stake in Buffy the vampire slayer. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.

Goodbye Iowa (Season 4 script from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Retrieved 20 September, 2005 from: http://www.pukkie.net/reference/btvs_transcripts_season_4.pdf=

Week 9

What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult TV?

Within the given extract, the concept of cult TV is constantly defined by the level of engagement reflected by the fans. As Hill (2004) points out, a cult show generally becomes successful when "the fantastic takes on a quality of everydayness by virtue of its repetition, familiarity and narritive iteration" (Hills, 2004). This means that the idea of vampires/demons and the like become commonplace and the archetypes explored are developed as the series itself develops, becoming less of a stereotypical vampire/demon and more of a character that expresses traits that can be justified by the previous episodes viewed. The character can also face problems that occur in the real world, and thus fans can relate to a greater degree. This relationship between character and fan can act as an indirect fuel to the construction of cult tv. The idea that fans create an intertextual network help to establish links with other similar programs; a link which is not established by the producers of said program (created by the fans themselves). Secondly, fans freely use the word cult to help explain their relationship to the show and may infact develop appreciation groups dedicated to the program of their choice. These groups may create a market for memorabilia related to their given show, and indirectly help to establish the cult behind their program even further.

How is new media central to this?

New media (primarily the internet) is central to the formation of cult tv, as it allows fans from all across the world to voice their opinions on certain programs (as well as much more). In addition to sharing opinions, it allows for file sharing - fans can share their favourite programs with like minded individuals to further develop their 'cult'. The intertextual network can also help get fans of one program into other programs, using the shared interest as a gateway into many different programs enjoyed by a similar audience. For example, a modern day cult tv program might include the Big Bang Theory - a program that has a global fanbase and is relatively different other tv programs, yet shares a similar audience. The internet has allowed a greater degree of fan interaction than any program 20 years ago. The format is also similar to that of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - as each episode can stand alone, yet story lines are developed and characters evolve over the different seasons.

Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R.C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.