narratives

I had never before considered amusement park rides in light of their narrative qualities, but when I read Janet Murray's chapter on immersion, it became clear to me that these intricately planned environments and machines are examples of some of the most immersive narrative structures available. Murray cites Jurassic Park in her discussion, but I'd like to head over to Disney's Magic Kingdom for my example because that's where my loyalties lie. I've been going to Magic Kingdom since before I could walk or talk, and to this day, I still find the illusion created by the park very enthralling. The whole thing is a huge, immersive show. The staff, the setting and the rides all make you feel like you're in another world outside reality. Each area of the park is designed to take you to a different place. Tomorrowland leaps into the future, while Fantasyland brings fairy tales to life. Within these immersive environments, rides serve to further immerse guests by putting them in the middle of the action. Space Mountain, for example, aims to give riders the thrill of traveling through space, which is made possible in the futuristic environment of Tomorrowland.  read more »

I'm such an advertising major.
As I was reading Chapter 3 of Story and Discourse, about existents and Chatman's definitions of characters and what contributes to making them who we think they are in books and movies, I started thinking about advertisements in today's world.
If you think about it, what are ads but little 30 second to a minute- long stories that try to create relationship between consumers and the companies they buy their products for? The campaigns that work, at least, try to associate some characteristic to the brand they're trying to advocate- namely, to create a brand image that people are able to recognize and have an affinity for.

This seems to correlate with one of Chatman's definitions of character- that they are a set of traits that the reader learns to identify with, and ultimately, to associate the name of that character with. He says that by the end of the story, well-created characters are viewed by readers as "old friends or enemies"- you know who they are, but you can't define exactly what they're like in only one or two terms. In other words, you KNOW them.  read more »