Introductions: Theory: Examples: Summaries: Applicaitons: Process:
It may be easier for you to work with texts through comparison/contrast. Pitting media texts in relation to each other is often easier than dealing with a single text. It also helps to compare things of a similar genre.
You should ask:
1) What are the important signs and what do they signify? (denote and connote)
2) What is the system within which these signs make sense?
3) What connotations seem to be involved?
4) What cultural assumptions are called upon in order to read the text- to derive meaning from the text.
5) What seems to be the preferred/widely accepted reading, and by whom?
6) Does this accepted reading reflect dominant or marginal values?
7) What alternative readings seem possible/plausible?
8) Does the text allude to other texts in the same genre?
9) Does the text allude to other texts in different genres or media?
10) How does is compare/contrast with these other texts?