From: Grant Callaghan (grantc4@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat 07 Dec 2002 - 15:46:38 GMT
I would agree, except I would say the narrative viewpoint is the cause
rather than the result. I suspect that Chomsky was right about the genetic
structure of some elements of language and that the narrative viewpoint is
one of them. It's part of our grammar and the hunger for order. A story
without beginning or end fails to satisfy the reader more often than not. I
remember feeling that way when I read the second book of Lord of the Rings.
It wasn't until I found out that the trilogy was supposed to be a single
book that I lost that feeling disappointment. I also find that need for a
beginning and end in the literature of China and Japan. That doesn't make
it universal, but it sure spreads it over a wide range of human behavior.
Grant
>
>Jeremy, this is fascinating and a most useful concept. Strands of memes,
>with, we automatically assume, defined beginnings and ends. Yes, we
>complain when movies leave questions unresolved, or when an ending is not
>satisfactory. The shape of the initial part of the strand creates in us,
>thanks to the 'literary conditioning', expectations about how it will
>'end' -- and that it must.
>
>Excellent. I am very interested in what else you might share on this.
>
>Cheers,
>Lawry
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
> > Of Jeremy Bradley
> > Sent: Saturday, December 07, 2002 5:46 AM
> > To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> > Subject: RE: Why Europe is so Contrary
> >
> >
> > SNIP.......Steve:
> > >Also,implicit in your statement seems to be the idea that social
> > evolution
> > has a
> > >destination? Society changes, and good or ill are relative to
> > the society of
> > >the observer.
> > >
> > >Regards
> > >
> > >Steve.
> > >
> > Hi Steve
> > In my study of narrative form I developed a theory that the linear
> > rhetorical form of outcome based narratives, such as we all grew up
>with,
> > normalise the notion that outcomes and destinations are the inevitable
> > result of existence.
> > In my memetics, subtle cultural notions such as these are part of a
>coded
> > sets of information ( culture memes which form a complete 'strand', or
> > cneme, for want of a better word) which constrains the production of
> > culture so that evolution can't happen outside of previously set
> > perameters.
> > It is the 'cenemes', of which I have only mentioned one, which make
>memes
> > appear to be good or bad to different peoples (as our current case-study
> > clearly shows).
> > Like the mapping of the human genome, the mapping of a cultural cneme is
> > possible through the analysis of the most enduring elements of
> > that culture
> > - its narratives and their form.
> > 'owzat Steve?
> > Jeremy
> >
> >
> >
> > ===============================================================
> > This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
> > Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
> > For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
> > see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
> >
>
>
>
>===============================================================
>This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
>Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
>For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
>see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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