Formalism and Popular Culture

Abstract

T n I: The Concept of Formula he publication of "The Conce t of Formula in the Study of Popular Literature"P was a milestone in Popular Culture Studies. John Cawelti's essay argued that i t is possible t o ascertain recurrent conventional systems, or "formulas," in popular literature that are peculiar t o a given culture, and suggested that these narrative formulas could tell __ us much about the dreams, values and often otherwise unarticulated needs of that culture. Popular Culture scholars were grateful for any tool that would assist them in beginning to organize and analyze the plethora of popular stories. The concept of formula was especially well received, perhaps, by the variously trained Popular Culture constituency because Cawelti's theory embraced the social scientists' methodology (usually content analysis) while exploring primarily literarylhumanistic concerns (plots, themes, characterizations, etc.). David Soneschein's work with romance magazines' and particularly Morton Cronin's essay o n Currier and Ives prints3 are excellent examples of the compatibility of formula and orthodox content analysis techniques. Most of the extended applications of the concept of formula, however, have used analytical rather than quantitative methods, including Cawelti's own examination of the western formula, The Six-Gun M y~t i q u e .~ Cawelti's influence is evident, and acknowledged, in Horace Newcomb's TI.': The Most Popular Art.' In this first serious attempt at forging a television aesthetic, Newcomb utilizes a formulaic approach.Formula studies have proven, often, t o b e cultural analyses in the best sense; they have told us much about American society without ignoring the artistic context of their subject matter. In my study and teaching of popular culture, however, many questions and problems have developed in applying the concept of formula; it will be the attempt t o outline three major problems 384132

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“…John G. Cawelti advocated attending to the formulaic as a methodological feature of popular culture because content-oriented studies tended to overgeneralization [59]. David N. Feldman critiqued and extended Cawelti's formulaic approach by emphasizing benefits of incorporating Russian formalist techniques in popular culture analyses [60].…”

“…Feldman advocates breaking popular narratives into their most basic parts called motifs, which is also what folklorists mean by the term, and labeling them either free (disconnected) from the final resolution or bound (connected) to it. He posits that the free and bound motifs are involved in a predictive method to better understand narrative because re-familiarization, or the final sorting of those motifs, may be a key to appreciating audience reception [60]. The play of free and bound motifs defamiliarizes audiences, if only temporarily, from a predictable, chronological story.…”

“…The play of free and bound motifs defamiliarizes audiences, if only temporarily, from a predictable, chronological story. Feldman explains that there then seem to be two ways to refamiliarize, one he calls "aesthetic" and the other "pragmatic" ( [60], pp. 210-11).…”

“…TV shows in series, setting aside franchises like Scooby Doo, and in specific episodes come to an end, and the aesthetic refamiliarization feels like a payoff if the free motifs have not totally overwhelmed those that turn out to be bound to the final resolution. Pragmatic refamiliarization, according to Feldman, involves how the final resolution resonates with life outside the story, with audience values, expectations, and relevance ( [60], p. 211). According to Feldman's approach, refamiliarization may be the difference between the pleased and contented overall response to the Lost Girl series finale and the disappointed and dejected response to Lost.…”