• Title/Summary/Keyword: Narrative Distance

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The Aesthetics of Conviction in Novel and Film Mephisto (소설과 영화 속 '메피스토'의 사상성 미학)

  • Shin, Sa-Bin
    • Journal of Popular Narrative
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    • v.25 no.1
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    • pp.217-247
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    • 2019
  • This research paper intends to examine the intertextuality of Klaus Mann's novel Mephisto (1936) and István Szabó's film Mephisto (1981) and how the derivative contents (i.e., film) accepted and improved the schematic aesthetics of conviction in original contents (i.e., novel). In general, the aesthetics of conviction is applied to criticize the state socialism of the artists of the Third Reich or the ideology of the artists of East Germany from a biased ethical perspective. Mephisto is also based on the aesthetics of conviction. Thus, it would be meaningful to examine the characteristic similarity and difference between Klaus Mann's real antagonist (i.e., Gustaf Gründgens) and fictional antagonist (i.e., Hendrik Höfgen) from a historical critical perspective. In this process, an aesthetic distance between the real and fictional antagonists would be secured through the internal criticism in terms of intertextuality. In this respect, the film aesthetics of István Szabó are deemed to overcome the schematic limit of the original novel. The conviction in both the novel and film of Mephisto pertains to the belief and stance of a person who compromised with the state socialism of Nazi Germany, i.e., succumbed to the irresistible history. Klaus Mann denounced Mephisto's character Höfgen (i.e., Gründgens in reality) as an "Mephisto with evil spirits" from the perspective of exile literature. For such denunciation, Klaus Mann used various means such as satire, caricature, sarcasm, parody and irony. However, his novel is devoid of introspection and "utopianism", and thus could be considered to allow personal rights to be disregarded by the freedom of art. On the contrary, István Szabó employed the two different types of evil (evil of Mephisto and evil of Faust) from a dualistic perspective (instead of a dichotomous perspective of good and evil) by expressing the character of Höfgen like both Mephisto and Hamlet (i.e., "Faust with both good and evil spirits). However, Szabó did not present the mixed character of "Mephisto and Hamlet (Faust)" only as an object of pity. Rather, Szabó called for social responsibility by showing a much more tragic end. As such, the novel Mephisto is more like the biography of an individual, and the film Mephisto is more like the biography of a generation. The aesthetics of conviction of Mephisto appears to overcome biased historical and textual perspectives through the irony of intertextuality between the novel and the film. Even if history is an irresistible "fate" to an individual, human dignity cannot be denied because it is the "value of life". The issue of conviction is not only limited to the times of Nazi Germany. It can also be raised with the ideology of the modern and contemporary history of Korea. History is so deeply rooted that it should not be criticized merely from a dichotomous perspective. When it comes to the relationship between history and individual life, a neutral point of view is required. Hopefully, this research paper will provide readers with a significant opportunity for finding out their "inner Mephisto" and "inner Hamlet."

Reapearance and Introspection of Mysterious Reality : The Realistic Characters and Acts of Director Lee Chang-dong's Film (2018) (미스터리한 현실의 재현과 성찰 : 이창동 감독의 영화 <버닝>(2018)의 사실적인 캐릭터와 연기)

  • Lee, A-Young
    • Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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    • v.13 no.6
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    • pp.123-133
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    • 2019
  • Director Lee Chang-dong saying that the most important thing is to let the audience experience, find its meaning, interpret, and feel the pure sensation (whether it's image, sound or music) that the film has instead of narrative giving you the answers, through the film presenting the pure natural landscape as it is, but all the familiar things that can be taken as a riddle are conveyed in images, and all the elements that make up the film share its presence with each other and let us experience a mysterious weight of reality that cannot be defined through its strange symbolism and metaphors, and it reflects various human emotions, reflecting curiosity of reality, the words that are hardly spoken, meanings of life that we were not being aware of. Rather than having one definitive figure, through the character's personality expressing an imperfect character with a complex ambiguous behavior asks about the things that can't be explained logically and the fact of life that can't be divided into truth or lie. Also, the acting approaches emotionally and primitively rather than using artificial expressions, showing the invisible elements of emotions that are latent inside humans through temperate acting style, leads the audience to distant themselves and reflect more deeply into life. This study analyzed the characters and acting of the film based on director Lee Chang-dong's directing style.

The Types, Roles and Socio-semiotic Features of Visual Materials in Elementary Science Textbooks (초등 과학 교과서에 실린 시각 자료의 종류, 역할 그리고 사회-기호학적 특징 분석)

  • Kim, Hyoungjin;Shin, Myeong-Kyeong;Lee, Gyuho;Kwon, Gyeong-Pil
    • Journal of Science Education
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    • v.38 no.3
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    • pp.641-656
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    • 2014
  • This study aimed at analyzing visual materials included in school science textbooks, specifically the textbooks for first semester courses of 3rd to 6th graders. The purpose was to provide directions for future textbooks by understanding the functions of the images in both pedagogical and social perspectives as well. The study was conducted by investigating the types, roles and socio-semiotic features of the images in science textbooks. The results were as follows. Firstly, the most used types of images in 2007 curriculum textbooks were photographs and drawn pictures. Uses of other visual aids than above were extremely rare. It was also found that as the educational level rises, the use of images for decorative functions drastically declined. The majority of the images were used in providing supplementary explanations or examples. This implies that the images effectively play the role of helping science education. In addition, more use of worksheets images was found, indicating that as educational level increases, students participate more actively in research sessions or data analysis. In socio-semiotic perspective, visual images showed high accessibility to students in 'Type of visual image', 'Function of visual image', 'Distance of shot', 'Horizontal angle of shot', 'Color moduation'. It was implied that there will a close correlation between the type, role and the socio-semiotic characteristics of visual images in textbooks. For example, photograph-type visuals were mostly used as supplementary references. And when applying the socio-semiotic analysis to photograph-type visuals, they showed 'real type', 'narrative-metaphor type', and 'shadow effect' among socio-semiotic features. Such correlations implied that knowing the type of the visual image may help determining the role of the image in the textbook to some extent, and also corresponding socio-semiotic characteristics. As a result, it was possible to infer how accessible certain visual images are to students. The above results have implications for the effective use of visual images in future textbooks.

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The Method and Meaning of the Archiving Project of Suicide Survivors (자살유족 기록작업의 방법과 의미)

  • Lee, Young-nam
    • The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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    • no.59
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    • pp.207-275
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    • 2019
  • This archiving project of the survivors of suicide was done with the survivor supporting team of the Seoul Suicide Prevention Center. The survivor supporting team was operating a Self-help Support Group for the emotional support of the survivors of suicide. A Self-help Support Group is a place for the survivors of suicide to regularly meet and share their suffering by talking of topics hard to discuss elsewhere. As the Self-help Support Group progressed members who acted as the leader of the group appeared. They formed an essay group that writes together. Two fathers who lost their sons, two mothers who lost their daughters, a mother who lost her son, a wife who lost his husband. The essay group met each week in a place facing Sajik Park. Through the windows that took up the whole side of the room, evening was coming in. The things that happened during the day went away towards Inwang mountain following the setting sun. Ten people (six members of the essay group, three from the survivor support team, a historian for unique conversation) sat around a table, facing each other. "Now, what shall we do?" History for unique conversation is a time that archives life by sharing conversations. At times a complete stranger, and other times people who share their ordinary lives sit around together (3-9 people, sometimes about 15). On the table there is coffee, bread, fruits and salads, and sometimes a dish someone heartily prepared. When a bottle of wine is placed on the table, each takes a glass. Morning, afternoon, the time the evening is welcomed in, late night. It does not matter which. For six months, 3 hours when meeting every week, 6 hours when at every other week. A room where the ambience is like that of a kitchen where sunlight enters, or a cozy living room is the best location. However, there are many times when it is held in a multipurpose room in the suburbs where many meetings are held, or in a classroom of a school. The meeting place is decided according to different situations of the time. There are no participation requirements as it is said to be for themselves to write down according to archiving form while looking back their lives thoroughly, and they are the only ones to stop themselves. The archives landscape from far away would seem like trying to do some talking. However, when going into a microscopic situation one must leave themselves to the emotional dynamics. It is because it archives the frustration and failures one experienced through life. A participator of history for unique conversation must face the sufferings of their life. The archiving project took place in 2013 to 2014. Many years have passed. Has the objective distance for archiving the situation of that time been secured? That may be uncertain, but I will speak of a few stray thoughts on archiving while depicting the process and method of operation.

A Study on the conflicts between the grandfather and the grandson contained in Mukjae Lee Mun Geon's 『Yangarok』 (묵재(默齋) 이문건(李文楗)의 『양아록(養兒錄)』에 나타난 조손(祖孫) 갈등(葛藤)에 대한 일고(一考))

  • Jeong, Si-youl
    • (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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    • no.50
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    • pp.179-209
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    • 2013
  • This study takes as its text "Yangarok", the record written by Mukjae Lee Mun Geon (1494-1567) about his grandson rearing and examines the conflicts between the grandfather and the grandson. The reason it is focused on the conflicts between the grandfather and the grandson particularly among many aspects of Yangarok is that the paper notices the dual feelings of love and hatred lying in the mind of Mukjae, the subject of the narrative. Because the record of grandson rearing plainly reflects the dual elements of the grandfather, love and hatred, expectation and disappointment, and hope and resignation, it shows the acute conflicts between the two persons well. At the time of the grandson's birth, Mukjae went through a gloomy period both in family and socially. He had to taste tremendous frustration in the status as an exile pushed back from the center of the political world, and his only son was handicapped, so he could not expect his caring after that. Spending each day in such frustration, he faced the birth of his grandson just like a miracle. However, the excitedness and expectation he had in the beginning of the child raising were turned into disappointment and complaining as time went by. His change lets us think about the distance between love and hatred existing in human relations. This study analyzes Yangarok but is focused on the conflicts between the grandfather and the grandson for further discussion, so it attempts to understand Yangarok from a different perspective. First of all, Chapter 2 of this article notices the fact that cause results in effect and examines the ultimate factors raising grandfather-grandson conflicts. Next, Chapter 3 considers the concrete aspects of grandfather-grandson conflicts. Based on the above examination on the causes and aspects of the conflicts, Chapter 4 focuses on the value that Yangarok has as the material for introspection and lays the ground to think about the messages that this record implies for contemporaries.