Re: Media narratives as allegories of mortality?

Hi Dana,

I think that Synecdoche, New York would fit the bill, especially given the very last line of direction given to the protagonist.  But no spoilers…

Liam


From: A listserv devoted to Cultural Studies [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Stephanie Wheeler
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2018 2:17 PM
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Subject: Re: [CULTSTUD-L] Media narratives as allegories of mortality?

Hi Dana,

This seems very reminiscent of the Fables plot line -- once someone's story stops being told, they die.

Hope this helps!
Stephanie

On Wed, Sep 19, 2018 at 4:50 AM, Bradbury Rance, Clara <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Dana, this is the very framing device of Rupert Everett’s Wilde biopic The Happy Prince.

CBR


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On 18 Sep 2018, at 20:27, Juan Poblete <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:

Hi Dana: if you haven't already, check out Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig.
Best,
Juan


On Tue, Sep 18, 2018 at 12:07 PM, Dana Polan <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
I’m looking for examples where the playing out of a narrative in some medium is connected to an idea of mortality.  What I mean by this is:

—something like the classic idea of 1001 Nights:  if you finish telling the story, you get executed;
—at the end of the film of Fahrenheit 451 where an old man who’s taught his grandson to memorize and recite a Dickens’s novel that ends with a deathbed scene himself dies as his grandson successfully finishes reciting the novel;
—Yuri Tsivian in his book on Russian film before the revolution notes that the ribbon of film going through a projector was memorialized in some poetry as the ribbon of life.  When the film runs out, the life runs out.

So I don’t mean something like the Ringu/Ring films where the idea is to consume media is to die.  It’s more:  once a narrative ends, life ends.

I’d especially love any example of a record (45 or 48) where the ending of the song is associated with mortality.

Thanks!

—Dana Polan
Professor
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