Artistic Representation and Thematic Meaning
Drake Monster Lecture Notes

The purpose of all art is to create a meaningful representational experience.

The purpose of this experience is normally to convey meaning, usually disguised as just the experience itself; good art seduces us.

The question: how can you write a story that makes us think and experience meaning without ever telling us that meaning? How are we seduced?

Think of Red Riding Hood : it conveys its thematic message without anyone ever really realizing it.

The answer: In art, theme roughly translates to mean “meaning”. Artistic or Representational meaning is constructed, made up of, representative elements (one thing representing another; a signifier representing signified) and the relationships between representative elements.

Representative Elements:

~ Plot: what happens, action, history, movement thru time and space; the stuff that happens

~ Character: who stuff happens to

~ Setting: the physical environment; where shit goes down

~ Style: language, genre, organization, rhythm/repetition of elements: motifs, patterns of repetition. The style of language conveys meaning. How we talk changes the meaning of what we say.

Compare: the meanings of “Get out!”
Compare: rap and country and western; compare The Godfather and Get Shorty

~ Symbols: We can represent complex concepts by using concrete images. NOTE some arts have different symbols at their disposal: sound, feeling, music etc.

Metaphor: How we picture things. Comparing one thing to another; representing (signifying) an unknown thing or idea by comparing it to a known thing or idea.

Metonymy: Representing the whole by referring to part of the whole. A part represents the whole.

“The Crown of England”  refers to The actual royal monarchy; the entire system, not just the physical crown itself

“I’m gonna kick your ass!” refers to doing violence to your entire body, not just your butt. (This is also a metaphor, since I’m not going to physically kick your butt, and I may not even kick you or do anything physical).

Relationships Between Representative Elements (how the above shape and define each other. Key example: hero can’t be defined without monster). Look for:

~ How plot shapes character

~ How characters conflict with and shape each other’s actions and beliefs (development)

~ Representational qualities of setting; how place shapes plot, character, theme

~ Repetition/Rhythm: what happens or is represented repeatedly in shifting patterns throughout plot.

~ Irony: inverted logic

~ Combining, tweaking and juxtaposing metaphor/metonymy: Darth Vader (color, mask, father, Dark Side, physical deformity and so on…)