Date of Award
Fall 12-19-2012
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Communication
First Advisor
Dr. Greg Smith
Second Advisor
Dr. Alisa Peren
Third Advisor
Dr. Ted Friedman
Abstract
Much of the existing academic discourse surrounding opening title sequences suggests that they function primarily by providing viewers with information concerning a program’s characters, settings, genre and themes. Such accounts seemingly fail to recognize more nuanced concurrent functions. Utilizing the concept of paratexts originally proposed by Gerard Genette in combination with a neoformalist approach to analysis, this project identifies patterns, narrative components, stylistic elements and various industrial and authorial characteristics within the field of American televisual opening title sequences in order to explore some of these underlying concomitant functions, and classify the segments that perform them accordingly.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/3476968
Recommended Citation
Clabaugh, Erik K., "First Impressions, Second Appraisals: Going Beyond the “Paratextual Contract” in The American Televisual Opening Title Sequence." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2012.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/3476968