Participation Week 7
Publish a review of link of article or academic writing
http://litreactor.com/columns/out-of-order-a-discussion-of-nonlinear-narrative-structure
This week’s link is a discussion about the discourse of non-linear narrative through examination of recent major Hollywood film productions and the analysis of the story “Continuity in Parks” by Julio Cortazar. The piece is called “Out of Order: A Discussion of Non-Linear Narrative” by Taylor Houston on litreactor.com.
She begins by simply outlining the construct of a non-linear narrative and the key premise being its manipulation of space and time. As such, the effect of such action is placement of story elements in a juxtaposed fashion that entices a renewed narrative structure that may draw different effects upon audiences in their linear perception of the work. Citing ‘Memento’ as example, such design can be seen as the film presents itself from the end of a story and builds its way back to the start.
What’s crucial in looking into ‘Memento’ is the idea of how the actual story of the film would not have had its web of complexities and narrative flair were it not for the depiction of its story elements in the backwards fashion given the nature of the main character and the premise of focus on the narrative through his perspective.
Ultimately, the article outlines a simple way at looking at Non-linear narrative construction and entices readers to try it themselves. Grab a random plot you have lying around and jumble it around to see what combinations you can come up with.
Reflect on reading for the week and pose thoughts on a symposium question
This week’s reading examines an excerpt from Bettina L. Frankham’s book on Documentary analysis and approaches. The chapter dubbed ‘Complexity, flux and webs of connection’ attempts to unravel the distinguishing characteristic of traditionally unseeingly connected rhetoric of images of placement. She comes to generalize this characteristic of non-linear documentary mode as an interconnected ‘web’ of relations.
Essentially, Frankham claims that the non-linear documentary attempts to incite an audiences critical thinking by providing images and rhetoric in a juxtaposed manner that the lack of over narration of temporal continuity will allow a space in which the viewer can derive a meaning for himself/herself. As such, this would indicate that such documentaries work to produce an aesthetically environment of film in which its viewers may actively participate by forming the understanding of relations between what they are viewing and the sequence in which they are viewing them.
Frankham further delves into this discourse by ascertaining how most films of non-linear fashion to having a list of key elements that work to build the foundation of this networked relationship. She describes this as an approach away from the ‘object-ness’ of art but rather a viewership and appreciation of the relational aesthetic. By interrogating the forms of mosaic and the montage through this lens, she connects the intention of such documentaries utilizing this style of filmmaking to further reinforce the prominence of such a characteristic of non-linear documentaries
Ultimately, Frankham provides a possible approach towards defining such documentaries towards rubrics of relational aesthetics, by which the underlying connection between images is what translates the message to insight critical thought rather than the overshadowing voice of narrative direction. Clearly, Frankham details the difficulty however, in placing such rubrics as by defining it to rubrics may in itself void it of its ability to be beyond the linearity of norms.
As such, the bigger question that is left open to readers is the idea of how we may come to give form to such a formless art form. This follows naturally for society to understand the following implications, or arguably, drawbacks of doing such a thing towards defining the non-linear narrative. Furthermore, the subjective and fragmented nature of associations defined by the viewers towards these relational aesthetics themselves may make it difficult to ascertain such fixed norms of analysis as the whole intention and purpose of the form is prod viewers towards a stream of critical thought. This places difficult when this stream of critical thought is codified and ambitious (as inherent in the nature of documentaries) which could prove a further problem in unifying its definition given the fragmented sense of viewership.
Personal Assessment Matrix
| WEEK | Analysis | Execution | Reflection | Learning | Total |
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
Provide link to single form of multimedia
Viewing this week’s discourse surrounding approaches to assembling non-linear documentary, the week’s link is a short-film called ‘Sound// Mosaic”. The reason I had chosen this film was because I found it interesting how the author had used juxtaposed images to a backing track that have no causal or linear relationship however, he has utilized a linear voiceover to express a particular message that the images rhetoric can be argued to be associated with. As such, the piece attempts to prod the viewer’s ability to build the relational aesthetic with the over narration provided. Overall, it blurs the boundary between a nonlinear demonstration of rhetoric with the linear direction given by over narration. Enjoy!