THE TELEVISION TEEN DRAMA AS FOLKTALE By
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THE TELEVISION TEEN DRAMA AS FOLKTALE By: Denna Jones S204043395 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Artium in Applied Media Studies in the Faculty of Arts at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University JANUARY 2011 SUPERVISOR: Mrs. Bianca Wright, HOD Department of Journalism, Media and Philosophy, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University DECLARATION I, DENNA LOUISE JONES, in accordance with Rule G4.6.3, hereby declare that: This treatise is the result of my own original research and that this work has not previously been submitted for assessment to another university. This research contained in this treatise is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Artium in Applied Media Studies in the Faculty of Arts at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. All sources used or referred to in this treatise have been documented and recognised. I hereby give consent for my treatise, if accepted, to be made available to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Library and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. SIGNED: DENNA LOUISE JONES ……………………………………………….. DATE: 28 JANUARY 2011 2 CONTENTS Abstract 6 CHAPTER ONE : INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH 1.1. From the tribal campfire to the modern lounge – the evolution of storytelling 7 1.2. Television in the home 8 1.3. Television is built into the rhythms of everyday life – a critical view 9 1.4. Television – the inheritor of popular culture 10 1.5. The teen television drama 11 1.6. Propp’s Morphology 13 1.7. Justification and Significance of Study 14 1.8. Problem Statement 15 1.9. Aim 15 1.10. Objectives 15 1.11. Research Design and Methods 15 1.12. Delimitations of Study 15 1.13. Conclusion 16 CHAPTER TWO : LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Introduction 17 2.2. Fairytales 17 2.3. Narrative Theories 22 2.4. The role of stories in society 25 2.5. Storytelling 2.0 and the changing role of the author 29 2.6. The advent of television and impact on society 32 2.7. The Teen Drama 40 2.8. Conclusion 43 CHAPTER THREE : RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS 3.1. Introduction 44 3.2. Research Framework 44 3.2.1. Research Question 44 3 3.2.2. Aims and Objectives of Study 44 3.2.3. The teen television dramas analysed 45 3.3. Research Design and Methods 45 3.4. Ethical Considerations 49 3.5. Conclusion 49 CHAPTER FOUR : RESEARCH FINDINGS 4.1. Introduction 50 4.2. Gossip Girl 50 4.3. The O.C. 61 4.4. One Tree Hill 68 CHAPTER FIVE : DISCUSSION 5.1. Introduction 73 5.2. The absence of a family member from home 73 5.3. The Villain 74 5.4. Lack and Desire 75 5.5. The Tests 76 5.6. The hero 76 5.7. The magical agent 77 5.8. The fairytale ending 77 5.9. Conclusion 78 CHAPTER 6 : CONCLUSION OF RESEARCH 6.1. Introduction 79 6.2. Summary of Research 79 6.3. Limitations of encountered during the study 79 6.4. Conclusion of Study 80 6.5. Recommendations of further study 81 4 ADDENDA Addenda A – Propp’s Functions of the Dramatis Personae 82 Addenda B – Gossip Girl Transcript of Pilot Episode 89 Addenda C – The O.C. Transcript of Pilot Episode 124 Addenda D – One Tree Hill Transcript of Pilot Episode 149 5 ABSTRACT In 1927 Vladimir Propp published a book in which he defined the characteristics and morphology of fairytales. His work was a groundbreaking one that forced scholars to question the way in which stories and storytelling affect the fabric of society and its ideals. Since 1927 much has changed with regards to the way in which stories are told. Technology has changed the way in which people interact and communicate with each other. Media conglomerates such as Walt Disney, Time Warner Company and News Corporation are driven to create stories and media that will deliver consumers to their advertisers. This paper sought to examine the way in which the teen drama has redefined the fairytale, and to establish whether Propp’s work on the morphology of fairytales can still be seen as valid today. Following an in depth literature review that sought to establish the foundations of fairytales, narratives, Propp’s morphology, the development of television as well as the teen television drama, the findings of this paper were established through a detailed content analysis of the first season of three modern teen television dramas – The O.C., One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl. The research found that while some of Propp’s functions may have been adapted to take on a more modern role and a few others became defunct, the majority of the functions of the dramatis personae could be found almost unchanged within the teen television drama. Gossip Girl, in particular demonstrated that it was highly aware of its allusions to the fairytale analogy with numerous references throughout its first season to fairytales such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. More than any of the other shows, Gossip Girl appeared deliberate in its references to the world of fairytales, a world in which the damsel in distress is always rescued by her knight in shining armour, and where monarchy reigns supreme. While humans have continued to evolve and the modes of storytelling have changed significantly since Propp first published his paper, the teen television drama has not yet redefined the characteristics of Propp’s morphology. At most it has modernised them making them relevant to the 21st century viewer. 6 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH 1.1. From the tribal campfire to the modern lounge – the evolution of storytelling For as long as there have been people walking the earth there have been stories told. We find evidence of this in the rock paintings of earliest man, and the legacy continues today in the radio, newspapers, books, films, plays and television shows that we listen to, read and watch every day (Tomaščikovā 2009:281). From the moment that humans are able to understand speech they are surrounded by narratives. Whether tales, jokes, novels, films, television news or cartoons, the fairytales, myths and legends of our ancestors continue to weave themselves into the fabric of society (Tomaščikovā 2009:281). Whether these narratives are simple or complex, individuals must be able to find a way of understanding the narrative and its function in order to make sense of the world around them (Tomaščikovā 2009:281). From the moment that we are born, humans learn to “draw” and “tell” stories about their inner lives and experiences in the form of narrative (Tomaščikovā 2009:287). These stories and narratives serve as a means for individuals to understand their past experiences, as well as provide possible explanations and mediations of present experiences (Tomaščikovā 2009:287). Throughout history, stories have been used to teach and to pass the wisdom of the elders down from one generation to the next in order to ensure survival. As the years progressed, these stories became a part of culture and were turned into myths, legends and fairytales, captivating generations of young children and adults and helping them to learn about and engage with the world around them, as well as to understand the social customs and expectations of their societies (Ryan 2004:1). Homi Bhabha (1990) writes that there cannot be identities “without a story which gives a sense of shape, space and time to the people”, and Thornham and Purvis suggest that without narrative “history becomes obscure, people less familiar and space and time less clear...Narratives are the principle means by which the past is made intelligible in the present” (2005:30). As humans have developed over the years, so too have the channels of narration. Where once a story could only be passed on from one person to the next orally, today millions of stories are told every minute through access to thousands of television channels, radio stations, cell phone technology and the Internet. The world’s population has grown and developed exponentially since the end of the nineteenth century requiring fundamentally different forms of communication in order to make an effective or even tolerable society (Ellis 2000:6). As populations swelled, the nature of society and the role of individuals within society became fundamentally altered. Cities became more complex and subdivided and new forms of organisation in public infrastructure led to 7 the development of the “white collar worker”, an educated, industrial proletariat (Ellis 2000:7). Consumer industries began to develop as “white collar workers” began to demand better and more diverse goods. Towards the end of the nineteenth century homes began to acquire luxury goods such as pianos, gramophones and eventually electricity. Cinema was introduced as a means of entertainment followed by radio and television (Ellis 2000:9) In the sixty years following the introduction of television into households, the medium has come to be considered by many as one of the principle storytellers of the 20th century (Tomaščikovā 2009:281). 1.2. Television in the home John Ellis describes the twentieth century as “the century of witness” (2000:9). Photography, cinema and television have allowed people to begin to perceive a world that exists beyond their immediate experience. Through these channels individuals have been brought face to face with the great events and horrors that have occurred over the past century. Many will remember watching on their television sets at home as the second plane crashed into the Twin Towers on the 11th of September 2001.