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Topic outline

 

  • Time: 15 hours
    Level: Intermediate

 
 

Introduction

  • Introduction Resource
  • This unit deals with a range of printed literary texts which use visual communication as a meaning-making resource. Different aspects of texts, such as typography and images – and the way they are combined...
 

1 Introduction

  • 1 Introduction Resource
  • In this unit you will look at ways in which visual aspects add further layers of meaning to printed literary texts and may be considered to contribute to their poetic function.
 

2 Semiotics

  • 2.1 Some semiotic concepts Resource
  • The first Reading in this unit outlines some useful terms from semiotics, which will occur throughout this unit. Semiotics is a well-established approach to the study of language and other forms of communication...
  • 2.2 Semiotics and paralanguage in literature Resource
  • Linguists generally define paralanguage as features of language (particularly of speech) which are combined with words to create additional meaning, such as intonation, pitch, tempo and tone. In face-to-face...
  • 2.3 Concrete poetry Resource
  • We looked at ‘The Mouse's Tale’ in the first section of this unit. Concrete poetry (also called ‘pattern poetry’) – where the lines are arranged in a specific shape on the page in a meaningful way – has...
  • 2.4 Visual Effects in Poetry Resource
  • Featuring: Mark Lawson (presenter), Peter Porter, Tom Paulin, Ian Macmillan.
  • 2.5 She being Brand Resource
  • This is a recording, by the actor John Sterland, of e e cummings' poem which you studied in Section 2.2.
 

3 Word and image in fiction

  • 3.1 How visual elements function alongside text Resource
  • The rebus is created and enjoyed by both adults and children, but it is a common assumption in some cultures that while literature designed for children contains pictures, adult fiction does (or should)...
  • 3.2 Locating the reader in the fictional world Resource
  • When we read a narrative, we create a ‘text world’ – described by Semino (1997, p. 1) as ‘the context, scenario or type of reality that is evoked in our minds during reading and that (we conclude) is referred...
  • 3.3 Conveying emotion Resource
  • Other uses of images in fiction seem to function at the level of connotation rather than denotation: they add affective meaning but don't seem to have an explicitly narrative function. The Coma, by Alex...
  • 3.4 Characterisation and narrative Resource
  • Many literary works use images as clues to characterisation. A good example is found in Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003), a book widely read by both adults and children....
  • 3.5 Picturebooks and multimodality Resource
  • There are many modern picturebooks where the images assume a central role in telling the story and creating the central meaning(s) of the narrative. This is achieved in a variety of ways. Images are often...
  • 3.6 Image, words: which mode for which job? Resource
  • I've already mentioned the use of maps in books to help the reader ‘see’ where the action ‘happened’ in order to fully enter into the narrative and take part in it. It can be worthwhile looking at which...
 

4 Postmodern multimodal literature

 

5 Valuing multimodal texts

  • 5 Valuing multimodal texts Resource
  • In this unit I have explored a number of ways of looking at and analysing multimodal texts. The examples shown can be said to display creativity or ‘artistry’ in some way, but not all multimodal texts...
 

6 Conclusion

  • 6 Conclusion Resource
  • This unit has shown some of the many ways in which authors and illustrators can use visual communication in their work. There is a huge range of possible signifiers, from non-standard punctuation (as in...
 

References and Acknowledgements

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