Narrative Analysis

EPISODE ANALYSIS: DAWSON’S CREEK

I actually found this episode really interesting to analyze.  If one thing stood out from this kind of analysis, it would be how short the beats in this episode are.  The majority of the beats were around 50 seconds long – far shorter than average.  This sets up really interesting pacing, since the opening and (almost) closing beats are more than three and four minutes long respectively.

Here’s how I saw this episode break down:

The episode is roughly 44 minutes long with 29 beats broken into four acts.

Beats and Acts
Act I is 15:33 long with nine beats, the shortest being 0:47 and the longest 3:22.
Act II is 11:55 long with ten beats, the shortest being 0:15 and the longest 1:39
Act III is 8:56 long with six beats, the shortest being 0:47 and the longest 2:03
Act IV is 8:13 long with four beats, the shortest being 0:19 and the longest 4:11

The shortest beat of the show is 0:15 and the longest is 4:11.

Plots
‘A’ Plots:
Dawson & Joey (A1):  7 beats total (2+2+2+1) – it is easy to see that this is the most important plot because it has the two longest arcs and bookends the episode
Dawson & Jen (A2):  9 beats total (3+3+2+2) – many of these beats overlap with beats from other arcs

‘B’ Plots:
Dawson’s Film (B1):  3 beats total (2+1+0+0) – this could possibly be considered a ‘C’ plot
Pacey & Tamara (B2):  6 beats total (1+3+1+1) – this could arguably be considered an ‘A’ plot
Joey & Jen Rivalry (B3): 3 beats total (0+2+1+0) – this plot also appears to a lesser degree in other plots’ beats

‘C’Plots:
Dawson’s Family (C1):  4 beats total (2+0+1+1)
Joey’s Family (C2): 2 beats total (1+0+1+0)
Jen’s Family (C3): 2 beats total (0+1+1+0)

Arcs
Since this is a pilot episode, all of these arcs were opened here.  None have yet been closed.

Essay Two

ESSAY TWO – GENRE STUDY

Due:
Via email by 11:59 pm, April 1

Assignment:
For your second essay, you will conduct a study of the formal qualities and critical issues associated with any one of the television genres we have considered in class or another genre approved by me. Your study should elucidate the genre you are studying, explain the formal qualities that identify a program as part of the genre, and discuss programs which best exemplify the genre. Additionally, you should explain the primary critical issues associated with the genre and postulate where critical studies of the genre are poised to go in the immediate future. You must use both primary sources and secondary critiques in this essay.

Parameters:
1200-1500 words (4-5 pages)
MLA format
Times New Roman font
Works Cited that includes both your outside sources and any episodes of programs explicitly mentioned in your paper
DO NOT use Wikipedia

Hints:
This paper will be significantly different from your last.  Whereas the main focus of your last paper was analyzing a program, the main focus of this one will be explaining a genre.  Therefore, all examples you use from programs should serve to illustrate how the genre works.

This essay will likely consist of four parts:

1. An explanation of the genre – its themes, concerns and formal characteristics;
2. An explanation of the major critical concerns associated with the genre;
3. A brief history of the genre, including programs that played an important role in its formation or development;
4. An examination of one show that exemplifies the genre, using examples from the program to show how formal aspects and critical considerations associated with the genre play out on screen.

You will want to use ample secondary sources for this essay.  Of most help to you will be critical considerations of the genre, works on genre history, and critiques of specific shows within the genre that demonstrate common critical approaches.

Use the library databases liberally.  You will need to examine many articles (even if you don’t use all of them) to gain a complete picture of the critical issues most associated with a genre.

Cite every article or book you refer to in your essay, even if you refer to it only in passing.

Make sure to pay attention to subgenres and focus your discussion on a particular subgenre if necessary.  For instance, you’ll get much more fruitful analysis if you focus on, say, the workplace sitcom rather than the sitcom in general.

Perhaps most importantly, email me or post a response to this entry if you have any questions.

Resources:
Purdue University MLA PowerPoint Presentation
Purdue University MLA Overview and Workshop
Google Scholar (If you search here while on campus or connected to the library VPN, many of the articles you find can be accessed automatically – this can be easier than using the library databases sometimes.)

Week 11 Schedule

Monday
Class Activity:
Drama: Procedural/Medical
Discuss Essay Two
Assignments:
Tait – “Autoptic Vision and the Necrophiliac Imaginary in CSI” (e-reserve)

Wednesday
Class Activity:
Screening – CSI
Assignments:
Blog post
Lee – “Trauma, Form and the Screen Phenomenon of Law & Order” (e-reserve)

Friday
Class Activity:
Show Critique
Integrating quotes into Essay Two
Assignments:
Jaramillo – “The Family Racket” (listserve)