DOCUMENT RESUME ED 408 995 IR 018 408 AUTHOR Hlynka, Anthony; Knupfer, Nancy Nelson TITLE A Thinking Person's Comedy: A Study of Intertextuality in "Cheers." PUB DATE Jan 97 NOTE lip.; In: VisionQuest: Journeys toward Visual Literacy. Selected Readings from the Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (28th, Cheyenne, Wyoming, October, 1996); see IR 018 353. PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative (142) Speeches/Meeting Papers (150) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Comedy; Literacy; Popular Culture; Programming (Broadcast); Social Influences; Television Research; Television Viewing; Visual Literacy IDENTIFIERS *Cheers (Television Series); *Intertextuality ABSTRACT This paper addresses the television program "Cheers" and demonstrates one way of interpreting the complexity of messages within the program. The interplay of visual messages within the "Cheers" programming is referred to as intertextuality, or the relation of one text to another to express an idea. Two basic types of intertextuality--horizontal and vertical--serve as a framework for this analysis of "Cheers." Horizontal textuality refers to relations between primary texts "along the axis of genre and content." In "Cheers," genre intertextuality means examining how the show works as a situation comedy, and in particular how it differs from other situation comedies. Content intertextuality refers to the use of specific allusions to other texts. The second type of intertextuality is vertical, defined as the relation between a primary text and those texts which refer to and discuss the primary texts. In the case of "Cheers," this includes analyses in the popular press. These secondary texts work to promote the circulation of selected meanings of,the primary text. The carefully crafted comedic statements in "Cheers" carry social and cultural overtones, presenting an intellectual challenge to the viewer who actively attends to the interplay. After a description of the characters, this paper includes a general and an episode analysis. It then shows how the titles of the shows have been gleaned from classic literature and places "Cheers" in the comedic perspective with other television comedies. (Contains 18 references.) (AEF) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to A Thinking Person's Comedy: AStudy Of improve reproduction quality. Intertextuality In "Cheers" Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent Anthony Hlynka and Nancy Nelson Knupfer official OERI position or policy. Abstract This paper explains the nature of intertextualityconcerning television programming, then analyzes the modern television comedy Cheers,comparing and contrasting it to classic works. The lead author of this paper is a 17-year-oldhigh school student.The paper is a commentary on the level of critical expertise aproperly motivated and visually literate high school student can display. As society places more emphasis on the Historical works of literature can be visual media and less emphasis on reading, portrayed in many ways while maintaining educatorsmust examinethemessages theintendedmessage. Shakespeare's carried through the visual media.Further, great plays are an example.Intended as they must learn to read visual media and in visual works, many people read these plays turn, teach their students to practice critical inbooksandstudy theliterature viewing skills. Televisionisavisual accordingly. Now the video versions are medium that carries powerful messages to available for check-outat most public people and helps to shape their actions, libraries and are indeed often beliefs, and empirical knowledge recommendedasastartingplaceto (DeVaney, 1994).Commercial television understanding a play, prior to reading the employs story, along with visual effects, to text. impart cultural influence upon the viewers. Television programs are not that much li Commercial television is one of today's different. They begin as plays written for major transmittersof culture. Many screenpresentation,buttheviewing aspects of social roles are reflected and audience usually has no chance nor desire even exaggerated in television to read and analyze the printed version of I programming.For example, patterns of theprogram. Thus,visuallyliterate speech, dress, fashion, family rituals, group television viewers must learn to interpret behaviors, andothersocialrolesare the visual and verbal text of what they see simultaneously present in television onthescreenatthetimethatitis programs (DeVaney, 1994).Further, the displayed. visual message employsthe power of In the1600s,there was evidence of motion combined with color and sound to people first believing what they read in call upontheaffectivedomain,thus print through their reactions to employingpowerful,emotionalimpat Shakespeare'sworks. Todaythereis that can greatlyinfluencethe viewers ample evidence of people believing what Advertisers and political campaign, theyseeinthevisual media of film, managers know this and thus, theyutilize television, computer, and other the television medium to its fullest capacity communications media. For example, see to deliver specific messages to targeted the collection ofliteraturedevotedto groups of people. analysis of campaign advertisements on As more television, videos, and television. multimediacarry visuallydependent Toadequatelypreparepeople to messages intoschools and homes, understand visual messages and then to consumers will need to educate themselves, critique their value and believability,it is their children, and their students about necessary to prepare them to bevisually how to read visuals and their literate!This literacy calls upon various accompanying auditory text. The text of theories that are beyond the scope of this television includes thestorywithin the paper, butatitsheart depends upon visual and verbal channels, which work viewers to be able to receive, understand, together to impart the message. Thus, the and critically examine the messages to the grammar of television is one that mustbe point where they can interprethe visual studied, analyzed, and interpreted. media on their own. "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Alice D. Walker 401 EST COPY MAMALE 2 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Thispaperaddressesthetelevision In Cheers,genre intertextuality program Cheers and demonstrates one way examining how Cheers worksas a simei*, of interpreting the complexity of messages comedy, andinparticularhowit h within the program.While Cheers indeed different from other situationcomedies,' properly belongs within the domain of Content intertextuality refersto the oat. pop culture,theexaminationof such of specific allusions to other texts.C programs is critical if one is to fully grasp is full of such allusions and that relationh the impact of television media on society. the major focus of thispaper. Jul Serious analysis of television programs is intertextuality within great literature, underutilizedinmostvisualliteracy as works by Ibsen, Checkov, Dickens, and_ curricula. Yet, it provides a rich variety of Shakespeare, deconstructs the traditional' material from which to choose. opposition of bar versus culture. Ta's series constantly brings culture into the bat,' Intertextuality Defined setting, which of course, is in real life This papershows how studentscan incongruous. The Cheers bar is a cultured examine television content as the literature bar.However, this statement itself canbe of ourtime. Such-visualliterature historically deconstructed.The origina employs interplay among text, imagery, medieval tavern and coffee house was culture, and meaning.This interplay of indeeda centerforlivelyintellectual messages within the Cheers programming debate. -10 willbereferredtoasintertextuality. The second type of intertextualityis Intertextuality is the relation of one text to vertical.Fiske defines this as the relation another in order to get across an idea. In between a primary text and those texts theory, intertextuality proposes that any which refer to and discuss the primary , one text is necessarily read inrelationship texts."Vertical intertextuality consists of to others and further, that a range of a primary text's relations with other texts textual knowledge is brought to bear upon. which referspecificallytoit. These -4-- it. Intertextualityexistsinthe spaces secondarytexts,suchascriticismor between texts and their meanings (Fiske, publicity, work to promote the circulation 1987). of selected meanings of the primary text." The term intertextuality is used in this (Fiske, 1987,p.117). These include' paper according to the usage of Scholes secondary texts, such as critical studies. In andFiske. Scholeswritesthat"the the case of Cheers this includes analyses in common principle is that just as signsrefer the popular press such as Life, TV Guide, toothersigns, rather thandirectlyto SportsIllustrated,andothersources. things, texts refer to other texts" (Scholes, These secondary texts, such as criticism or 1982, p. 145).Fiske, likewise, prefers to publicity,