"SEMIOTICS OF PERFORMANCE, THE" (MARCO DE MARINIS).   Term Paper ID:22749 Click to get this paper

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Paper Abstract: Critical review of work on theatrical communication process, speech, audience, text. Paper Introduction: The Semiotics of Performance by Marco De Marinis provides a thorough analysis of the theatrical communication process. I recommend this book with reservations, however. The information is not presented in a user-friendly fashion; few diagrams aid the reader in understanding some of the more complex concepts that De Marinis discusses. An index, always useful in interpreting scholarly works of this length, is not provided. Numerous references are made to classical works, such as those of Plato and Aristotle; more references should have been included that are recognizable to the modern reader. On the other hand, the depth of De Marinis's analysis is clearly evident throughout his book. The author quotes extensively from a wide variety of sources; the endnote section is nearly 50 pages long. Unfortunately, most of the bibliography Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Intertextual practicesconsist of involuntary similarities and influences and voluntaryreferences. In terms of the book's significance for speech communication, I foundChapter Six "Toward a Pragmatics of Theatrical Communication" and DeMarinis's discussion of the types of performance codes used in theater mostrelevant. 11 ). De Marinis claims that aModel Spectator cannot exist because of the complete equality of the senderand the receiver. Extra-stage speech acts are directed towardthe audience. Television and film performances influence the lives ofaudiences on a daily basis. The first type is basedon fiction, representation, and simulation. The general conventions of theater define the specific andgeneral terms of theatrical representation. The purpose of a theatrical performance is to createperlocutionary effects in the audience. Only with the existence of a Model Spectator can completecommunication occur in a theatrical performance. 155). In his Chapter Six discussion of the pragmatics of theatricalcommunication, De Marinis claims that theaters attempt to manipulate theiraudiences. De Marinis's book is important for the field of speech communicationbecause theaters must question themselves about the effectiveness of theirstyles of relaying messages to their audiences. According to De Marinis, a theatrical production must meet twoconditions in order to be classified as a performance. It is DeMarinis's textual analysis of performance that readers may find mostdifficult to grasp. The author quotes extensively from a widevariety of sources; the endnote section is nearly 5 pages long.Unfortunately, most of the bibliography refers to works written in Italian,which hinders the English-speaking reader's efforts to do further research. General andparticular conventions transform codes while distinctive conventionsinstitute codes (p. . ThisModel Spectator is familiar with all the performance codes and conventionsand is able to interpret correctly the sender codes in the frame ofreference intended by the receiver. These effects include aestheticpleasure, feelings, ideas, beliefs, actions, etc. An index, always usefulin interpreting scholarly works of this length, is not provided. For example,sender codes from television commercials assume a particular frame ofreference in the viewing audience. It would be interesting to perform an analysisof the performance codes and conventions of this media. It is the theater's performance codes that supply the audience withenough preexisting information to interpret a given theatrical event.Theatrical conventions are specialized codes. The sender group includes writers, directors,actors, etc. The serious speech acts that a performance transmits are themessages conveyed to the audience. The implications of De Marinis's book go beyond live theaterperformances. Open performances allow the audience awide margin of interpretation because senders do not expect the audience torespond and react in a predictable manner. In seeking to manipulate the Model Spectator, theaterperformances can be either closed or open. Distinctiveconventions involve rules imposed by the performance itself. The information is not presented in a user-friendly fashion; few diagrams aid the reader in understanding some of themore complex concepts that De Marinis discusses. The semiotics of performance.Bloomingnton: Indiana University Press.----------------------- 1 Cultural codes precede the performance text andits conventions and are a part of a general text. 117). De Marinis classifies thesecodes as general conventions, distinctive conventions, and particularconventions. De Marinis concludes that in most instances, onlypartial communication is established (p. This difficulty is probably due to the fact that theaverage layperson is unfamiliar with the actual written text of theaterperformances, e.g., stage direction. " (De Marinis, 1993, p. Thesubjects of intertextual practices are also multiple and can includeplaywrights, actors, costume designers, and musicians (De Marinis, 1993, p.133). De Marinis identifies two types of theater. According to De Marinis, theatrical performances achieve a doublelevel of communication. I believe The Semiotics ofPerformance would be more useful if it included a foreword by a differentauthor that assisted the student in applying the book's concepts to otherareas of speech communication. The communication that is established in a theater ranges from zeroto partial to complete. De Marinis argues that a clearly defined boundary does notexist between theater and social life. Intertexuality is multiple and can include texts from anotherperformance, artistic and architectural works, and literary texts. 114). Distinctive and particular codes are present inall performance texts. This type of theaterincludes past and present ritual performances, sporting events, and folkfestivals. As De Marinis observes, " . . . These performances transmit fictional speech actsand they also transmit serious speech acts. On the other hand, the depth of De Marinis's analysis is clearlyevident throughout his book. The second type of theatertends to present real events and authentic facts: "These are productionsrather than re-productions, presentations rather than re-presentations ofan action . .. The performance changes the audience'scognitive and emotional state, resulting in the audience responding to andreacting to the performance. Theaters try to make the audience act and make the audiencebelieve. First, the senderof communication and the receiver of communication must be physicallypresent simultaneously. . forms of theater committed to asking questions about the languages andtechniques they use, or to introducing the analytic element into thecreative process itself, by reflecting on the phenomenon of acting, on theorigins and commonalities of physical expression within and betweencultures, on training, on the dynamics of communication between the actorand the audience, and so on" (De Marinis, 1993, p. I recommend this bookwith reservations, however. 13). De Marinis sees theater as a theoretical object, the textual elementof which can be described in terms of a model of performance. 142). De Marinis's concepts of performance codes and conventions, culturalcontext, intertextual practices, closed and open performances, and audiencemanipulation have implications for interpersonal speech communication aswell. (1993). theusual noncoincidence between sender codes and receiver codes means thatnumerous analyses and readings are possible for a given performance text:in each case, many more than those 'foreseen' by the text and more or lessexplicitly 'inscribed' in it" (p. (De Marinis, 1993, p.138). For instance, the theaterrepresents the real world and the actor represents a fictional character.De Marinis describes particular conventions as involving a very smallnumber of performance texts (De Marinis, 1993, p. The Semiotics of Performance by Marco De Marinis provides a thoroughanalysis of the theatrical communication process. Closed performances aredirected to specific types of audiences, e.g., children's theater orreligious theater. These concepts can be modified and transferred to analyze theeffects of a sender's message on a receiver. The receivers are the spectators to whom the performance isaddressed. The theater's performance text presupposes a Model Spectator. Onstage speech acts areinternal to the performance. As De Marinis describesit, theater semiotics is helpful for the following types of theater: " . References De Marinis, Marco. Also influencing the performance text are cultural context andintertextual practices. Numerousreferences are made to classical works, such as those of Plato andAristotle; more references should have been included that are recognizableto the modern reader. Audiences are expected to respond and react to theseperformances in predicted ways. Second, the theatrical production and the communication mustalso take place simultaneously. The theatrical performance itself can be viewed in terms of anaction performed on the audience. An example of aparticular convention is genre, e.g., tragedy or comedy. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.