The Discourses of British Domestic Sitcom [microform] / Jim Bee.
This analysis of the British domestic situation comedy (sitcom) as a genre begins by noting that it is considered basically taxonomical, using the categories of character, narrative, and theme to develop understanding of its discursive strategies. Considered to be preliminary and tentative, the resu...
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| Format: | Microfilm Book |
| Language: | English |
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1986.
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| Summary: | This analysis of the British domestic situation comedy (sitcom) as a genre begins by noting that it is considered basically taxonomical, using the categories of character, narrative, and theme to develop understanding of its discursive strategies. Considered to be preliminary and tentative, the results of this analysis suggest that: (1) the sitcom deploys a small range of character-types that are significantly gender and class differentiated and referred to as a norm of the family, i.e., middle-class and patriarchal; (2) character or sitcom types are predominantly seen as wayward, inept, or rigid males--who dominate the narrative--and normal females--usually the wives--who share a problem of incompatibility because of varying degrees of socialization; (3) sitcom narrative draws in and involves viewers and produces amusement, which interrupts the narrative flow; (4) the basic dynamic of sitcom is set into motion by the interactions among incongruent characters trapped together to produce a steady state of disequilibrium; and (5) these relationships and types motivate the narrative and generate comedy. The discursive operations of sitcom texts are further explored and their ideological effects are assessed. Detailed analyses of the data are presented in six appendices and two recommended sources of information on humor in the seventh. (13 references) (CGD) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Note: Paper presented at the International Television Studies Conference (London, England, July 10-12, 1986). ERIC Document Number: ED293487. |
| Physical Description: | 45 pages. |
| Reproduction Note: | Microfiche. |
| Action Note: | committed to retain |