extendedconfirmed
4,625
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 6:
Line 6: − + + + − +
Subtext and semiotics, Laura Oswald
<small>''Spectators come to the theater to hear the subtext.'' Constantin Stanislavski, the father of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislavski%27s_system method acting]</small>
<small>''Spectators come to the theater to hear the subtext.'' Constantin Stanislavski, the father of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislavski%27s_system method acting]</small>
'''Subtext''' as defined by the Russian director Constantin Stanislavski is the underlying motivation, feelings and emotions behind a character's actions and speech. With a good actor, the audience can pick up on the subtext and interpret the character's thoughts. This is why people say of actors like Ethel Barrymore or Leonard Nimoy that a single gesture or word "spoke volumes".<ref>At least this is true of neurotypical audiences. This is an area where autistics can have difficulty eliciting meaning, and may need to have some things spelled out in more detail.</ref>
'''Subtext''' as defined by the Russian director Constantin Stanislavski is the underlying motivation, feelings and emotions behind a character's actions and speech. With a good actor, the audience can pick up on the subtext and interpret the character's thoughts and feelings. Stage "business" as well as speech contributes to the story behind the story. This is why people say of actors like Ethel Barrymore or Leonard Nimoy that a single gesture or word "spoke volumes".<ref>At least this is true of neurotypical audiences. This is an area where autistics can have difficulty eliciting meaning, and may need to have some things spelled out in more detail.</ref>
Sociologists have observed that the inclusion and placement of women, seniors and minorities in advertising, news media and graphic arts creates subtextual messages about the role of such people in society. If they are shown in a subservient posture (seated while others are standing, for example) or in the background behind the "main" characters), it creates a negative subtext for the audience, both about how they should think of these people, and what the sponsor thinks of them.<ref>Laura R. Oswald in ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=NpH-_tnQN_8C&lpg=PA98&dq=Marketing%20Semiotics%20Pioneer%2010&pg=PA103#v=onepage&q=Marketing%20Semiotics%20%22visual%20codes%22&f=false Marketing Semiotics: Signs, Strategies, and Brand Value]'' (Oxford University Press, 2012) gives as examples the male and female images on the Pioneer 10 spacecraft and a McDonald's commercial showing two men standing and shaking hands while a woman sits behind them, looking up. She also analyzes the coding of insurance commercials aimed toward "baby boomers" for whom the 1950s-1960s youth culture is still a living, vibrant reality and who would not react well to images of nursing homes and rocking chairs.</ref> (See [[Misogyny in Fandom]] for more on the placement of female characters relative to their perceived value.)
In fandom, subtext is content in [[canon]] (or, sometimes, [[fanworks]]) that is meant to be understood by the audience without being explicitly stated.
In fandom, subtext is content in [[canon]] (or, sometimes, [[fanworks]]) that is meant to be understood by the audience without being explicitly stated.
In dramatics, subtext does not necessarily have to be deliberate on the part of the author. There have been many debates over whether certain subtext exists in canon whether or not the [[authorial intent|writer intended to put it there]].
In dramatics, subtext does not necessarily have to be deliberate on the part of the author. There have been many debates over whether certain subtext exists in canon whether or not the [[authorial intent|writer intended to put it there]]. K.M. Weiland argues that subtext ''must'' be intentional in order to be subtext in the first place. <ref>[http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/5-ingredients-need-story-subtext/# The Only 5 Ingredients You Need for Story Subtext], Sept. 12, 2016.</ref>
Subtext is extremely subjective, and not all fans will agree on their validity or application to a particular relationship in a show or film.
Subtext is extremely subjective, and not all fans will agree on their validity or application to a particular relationship in a show or film.