> > I ralize that this is no doubt an old dichotomy to most of you, but > I'm > > taking a Film class for the first time and am just curious as to the > opinions > > of some people more experienced than I. > > First thing I'd do, Rich, is nail down some definitions of "narratives" and > "spectacles". I say this not to deter you from your research but to shed > light on the veritable cornucopia of meanings embedded in those two terms. And if I could add another definitional angle to the ones Scott suggested, you might also explore how narrative (the story elements) has been counterposed to spectacle (the musical/dance "numbers") in the musical. Richard Dyer discusses this in terms of how pleasure (a sense of "utopia") is generated in that genre. See Dyer's chapter in Rick Altman, ed., _Genre: The Musical_ (London/Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981). Jane Feuer touches on similar themes in _The Hollywood Musical_ (Bloomington: Indiana U. Press, 1982). See, in particular, her chapter on "Spectators and Spectacles." ===================================================================== Jeremy Butler * [log in to unmask] * [log in to unmask] SCREENsite -- a Film/TV-studies site on the World Wide Web: http://www.sa.ua.edu/TCF/welcome.htm Telecommunication & Film Dept. * University of Alabama * Tuscaloosa ===================================================================== ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]