Contents Preface Acknowledgments xi xv PART I. TECHNIQUES OF INTERPRETATION 1 1. Semiotic Analysis 3 A Brief History of the Subject 3 The Problem of Meaning 5 Social Aspects of Semiotics: The Individual and Society 6 Saussure on the Science of Semiology 7 Signs 8 Forms of Signs 11 Signs and Advertising 12 Material Culture 12 Objects and Identity 13 Activities and Performances 13 Music and Sound Effects 14 Signs and Truth 14 Facial Expressions as Signs 15 Hyperreality 16 Language and Speaking 17 Connotation and Denotation 18 The Synchronic and the Diachronic 20 Syntagmatic Analysis 22 Paradigmatic Analysis 27 Intertextuality 29 Dialogical Theory 30 Metaphor and Metonymy 31 Codes 32 Semiotics of the Television Medium 35 Some Criticisms of Semiotic Analysis 37
A Checklist for Semiotic Analysis of Television 37 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 38 Annotated Bibliography 39 2. Marxist Analysis 45 Materialism 46 The Base and the Superstructure 48 False Consciousness and Ideology 49 The Frankfurt School 51 Class Conflict 52 Alienation 55 The Consumer Society 57 John Berger on Advertising 60 Bourgeois Heroes 61 Hegemony 62 The Problem of Media Consolidation 65 The Danger of Being Doctrinaire 66 Grid-Group Analysis 68 Marxist Criticism in the Postmodern World 70 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 71 Annotated Bibliography 71 3. Psychoanalytic Criticism 75 The Unconscious 75 Sexuality 78 William A. Rossi on Sexual Aspects of the Foot and Shoe 79 The Oedipus Complex 80 On the Importance of Myth 83 Id, Ego, and Superego 84 The Structural Hypothesis Applied to Culture 86 Symbols 87 Defense Mechanisms 89 Dreams 91 Condensation and Displacement 93 Aggression and Guilt 94 Stereotypes and Aggressive Humor 96 Freud and Beyond 97 Jungian Psychoanalytic Theory 98 Archetypes 98 The Collective Unconscious 98 The Myth of the Hero 99 The Shadow Element in the Psyche 99 The Anima and the Animus 100
Psychoanalytic Analysis of Media: A Cautionary Note 101 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 102 Annotated Bibliography 102 4. Sociological Analysis 107 Émile Durkheim on Our Social Nature 108 Some Basic Concepts 110 Alienation 110 Anomie 110 Bureaucracy 111 Class (Socioeconomic) 111 Culture 112 Deviance 113 Elites 114 Ethnicity 114 Functionalism 114 Lifestyle 116 Marginalization 116 Mass Communication and Mass Media 117 Mass Society 117 Postmodernism 119 Race 120 Role (Social) 121 Sex (Gender) 122 Socialization 122 Status 124 Stereotypes 125 Values 125 Uses and Gratifications 126 Genres and Formulas 133 Content Analysis 135 Leo Lowenthal on Content Analysis 135 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 138 Annotated Bibliography 139 PART II. APPLICATIONS 143 5. Murderers on the Orient Express 145 Organizing a Mystery 145 Detectives as Semioticians 147 Social and Political Dimensions 148 Poirot as Revolutionary 149 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 151
6. Seven Points on the Game of Football (And Some Interesting Statistics) 153 Football Is a Game of Signs 153 Instant Replay and the Modern Sensibility 154 Football Socializes Us 155 Statistics About Televised Football 157 Why Baseball Is Boring 158 Football as an Alternative to Religion 160 The Marxist Perspective 161 Football and the Psyche 162 Concluding Remarks 164 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 165 7. The Maiden With the Snake: Interpretations of a Print Advertisement 167 Signs in Signs: A Primer on Applied Semiotics 167 The Maiden in Paradise: A Case Study 169 A Paradigmatic Analysis of the Fidji Advertisement 174 Psychoanalytic Aspects of the Fidji Text 175 An Aside on Moisturizers and Anxiety 176 Final Comments on Perfume and Anxiety 177 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 178 8. All-News Radio and the American Bourgeoisie 181 News and Alienation 181 News and Ruling-Class Ideology 183 Commercials and Anxiety 184 Caught in the Middle 184 News From Internet and Social Media 185 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 186 9. Video Games: A New Art Form 189 Are Video Games an Art Form or a Medium? 192 New Technologies and Video Games 193 Janet Murray on Interactivity and Immersion 194 Video Games and Addiction 195 Video Games and the Problem of Violence 196 Social and Physical Problems Caused by Video Games 197 Video Games and Sexuality 198 Conclusions 199 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 200 10. Cell Phones, Social Media, and the Problem of Identity 201 An Epiphany 202 Media Use by 8- to 18-Year-Olds 202
Social Media 204 A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Youth and Social Media 205 The Cell Phone as Sign: A Semiotic Perspective 208 Marxist Perspectives on Cell Phones 209 Conclusions 210 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 211 Epilogue: Shmoos and Analysis 213 Study Questions and Topics for Discussion 214 Appendix: Simulations, Activities, Games, and Exercises 217 Anatomy of a Tale 217 Paradigmatic Analysis 218 A Lévi-Straussian Analysis of Upstairs, Downstairs 219 Steps in Playing Lévi-Strauss 219 Dream Analysis 220 Writing a Therapeutic Fairy Tale 220 Origin Tales 221 Radio Scripts 222 Television Narrative Analysis 222 The Propp Game 223 An Example 224 Metaphors 224 How to Play the Metaphor Game 225 Things to Consider 226 Advertising Analysis 226 Playing Aaron Wildavsky 227 Textual Analysis 229 Semiotic Analysis 229 Marxist/Ideological Criticism 230 Psychoanalytic Criticism 230 Sociological Criticism 230 Glossary 231 References 247 Author Index 253 Subject Index 255 About the Author 259