Vimarsh

Welcome Dear colleagues and fellow researchers. Today, in the discussion on Semiotics, I would like to elaborate upon the concept of Absent Signifiers. Definition: Signifiers which are absent from a text but which (by contrast) nevertheless influence the meaning of a signifier actually used (which is drawn from the same paradigm set). Background: In semiotics and psychoanalysis, the "absent signifier" refers to a missing or absent element that, despite its absence, is crucial for understanding a system of meaning or a concept, often highlighting the structure of that system. Detailed Explanation: Missing but Present: The absent signifier is not simply a blank space, but a significant element that is missing but nonetheless shapes the meaning and structure of a system. For example: Consider the concept of "legality." The "illegal" immigrant is the absent signifier, and their absence highlights the structure of legal citizenship.  Not ju...

Hello Dear Film Enthusiasts Today, I would like to talk about the 1990 American film entitled Jacob’s Ladder. The film is directed by Adrian Lyne. Film, upon its release, was not very successful, but gradually it received a cult status, moreover, the special effects and non-linear story-telling became really popular and influential.  The film can be identified as a physiological horror, though it is directly associated with the background of war. It is 133 minutes long. It tells a story of Jacob Singer, an American infantryman whose experiences during his military service in Vietnam result in strange, fragmentary visions and bizarre hallucinations that continue to haunt him. As his ordeal worsens, Jacob desperately attempts to learn the truth. The film is portrayed in first person narrative, as we see and experience everything through the character of Jacob. We, as an audience, know exactly what Jacob knows and eventually through his ordeal we understand and experience his trauma, ...

Hello dear Colleague and Fellow Researcher Today, I would like to discuss a chapter entitled  "DOCUMENTARY, EXPERIMENTAL, AND ANIMATED FILMS" from the book FILM ART: AN INTRODUCTION written by DAVID BORDWELL and KRISTIN THOMPSON. This is an introductory book on the art of films, making, and appreciation. David Bordwell (1947 - 2024) & Kristin Thompson (1950 - ) ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S): David Bordwell was an American film theorist and film historian. He has written more than fifteen books on the subject of cinema. He was also associated with a methodological approach known as neoformalism in cinema. Kristin Thompson is an American film theorist and author whose research interests include the close formal analysis of films. She has written extensively on neoformalism. WHAT IS THIS CHAPTER ABOUT? This chapter provides an in-depth exploration of documentary, experimental, and animated films, differentiating them through their production methods and a...

Hello and welcome dear colleagues and fellow researchers. Today, let us discuss the concept of Aberrant Decoding , also known as Aberrant Reading . Definition:   This term is proposed Eco which refers to decoding a text by means of a different code from that used to encode it.  Background:   The concept was proposed by Italian Semiotician Umberto Eco in his 1972 paper " Towards a Semiotic Inquiry Into the Television Message ." Umberto Eco (1932 - 2016) Usage:   The concept is used and is very helpful in fields like Communication, Media Studies, Semiotics, and journalism. According to Eco, aberrant decodings were rare in pre-industrial societies, when most communication occurred between people who shared the same culture. He lists four classes of exceptions where aberrant decodings could have happened: People who did not share the same language.  People are trying to interpret the meanings of past cultures. For example, mediaeval people are looking at Roman art....

Hello and Welcome Today, we will talk about 2024 Malayalam language Horror film Bramayugam . The film is directed by Rahul Sadasivan. The film is based on folkstories of Kerala.  Genre: Period Horror Duration: 139 Minutes WHAT IS IT ABOUT? The movie brings the story of Thevan who belongs to the Paanam caste and is a folk-singer. To escape slavery, Thevan runs away from the palace he was working in. But he loses his way and his companion in the forest. He discovers an old traditional palace in the forest; the owner of the palace - Koduman Pottie - permits him to stay in the palace as a guest. The palace made up of wood is very huge and very old and there were only three people living in the entire palace - Koduman Potti, Thevan, and a servant. Eventually, we get to know dark secrets of the palace and the owner Koduman Pottie. It is becoming more and more difficult for Thevan to leave the palace and save his life. Is Koduman really a king or some sort of devil? Will Thevan ever escap...

Hello and Welcome! Today, I would like to talk about the chapter entitled, "What is Popular Culture?" from the book  Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction (2015) by John Storey. ABOUT THE AUTHOR John Storey  is Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies at the Centre for Research in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Sunderland, UK. He has published widely on cultural theory, popular culture, consumption and utopianism. He is the author of numerous books on the topics of Cultural Studies, Popular Culture, and Consumerism. WHAT THE CHAPTER IS ABOUT? The chapter  explores the complex and contested definitions of popular culture, highlighting its ever-shifting meaning depending on its relationship with other cultural forms like high, mass, folk, and dominant cultures.  The text argues that popular culture is not a fixed entity but rather an "empty conceptual category" filled by various interpretations shaped by context and theo...

  Semiotics: The Basics Author: Daniel Chandler Year: 2003 (First Indian Reprint) London & New York: Routledge Pages: 273 This book,  Semiotics: The Basics  by D. Chandler, serves as an introductory guide to the field of semiotics, the study of signs and symbols and their interpretation. It systematically explores fundamental concepts such as the nature of signs and codes, examining various models from key figures like Saussure and Peirce, and investigating how meaning is constructed through connotation and denotation. The book delves into how semiotics can illuminate our understanding of representation, reality, and the analysis of texts and cultural practices, providing tools like paradigmatic and syntagmatic analysis. Ultimately, it aims to equip newcomers with a foundational understanding of semiotic theory and its applications in deciphering the meaning-making processes that shape our world. Daniel Chandler (born 1952) is a British visual s...

Hello and welcome Today, I will continue talking about Peircean semiotics. Today, we will discuss three basic elements in Peircean Semiotics. As discussed earlier, there are three components in the Peircean Sign structure which are Representamen, Interpretant, and Object. A representamen (or sign) represents in the fullest sense of "represents". It might be interpreted as saying something about something. It is not always symbolic, verbal, or manufactured. An object (or semiotic object) is the subject matter of a sign and its interpreter. It can be anything that can be discussed or thought about, such as an object, event, relationship, quality, legislation, argument, or even a work of fiction. All of these are special or partial objects. The object most correctly represents the universe of discourse to which the partial or special object belongs. An interpretant (or interpretant sign) is the sign's more or less clear meaning or effect, a type of form or concept...

Hello and Welcome! Today I would like to talk about the movie, To be or not to be , a 1942 American film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. The film is adapted from a short story by Jewish-Hungarian writer, Melchior Lengyel. It is a black comedy and its run-time is 99 minutes. WHAT IS IT ABOUT? This film brings the story of Nazi-occupied Warsaw. There is a drama troop who had enough Nazi uniforms and courage to transform themsleves into pseudo-soldiers and save the place from Nazi plans and atrocities. These drama actors assume the roles of real people and fool the Nazis. WHY SHOULD WE WATCH IT? The film is recognized as socially, culturally, and aesthetically significant by US Library of Congress and decided to preserve it in 1996. 2008 Hindi film Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam  was an adaptation of the same film with an Indian backdrop which is also equally hilarious film. The film is a perfect blend of situational comedy and black humor that gives a good lough in tough situation. So if you l...

Hello and Welcome Today, I will talk about the chapter entitled "The Beaubourg Effect: Implosion and Deterrence" from the book Simulation and Simulacra   by Jean Baudrillard.  ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jean Baurillard (1929 - 2007) Jean Baudrillard was a French sociologist and philosopher with an interest in cultural studies.  He is best known for his analyses of media, contemporary culture, and technological communication, as well as his formulation of concepts such as hyperreality.  Baudrillard wrote about diverse subjects, including consumerism, critique of economy, social history, aesthetics, Western foreign policy, and popular culture.  His work is frequently associated with postmodernism and specifically post-structuralism. Nevertheless, Baudrillard had also opposed post-structuralism, and had distanced himself from postmodernism. WHAT IS THIS CHAPTER ABOUT? Centre Pompidou (Beaubourg) This chapter dissects the Centre Pompidou colloquially known as Beaubourg a...

Hello and welcome dear colleagues and fellow researchers.  Today, I will continue talking about Peircean semiotics. Today, we will discuss the Basic Sign Structure in Peircean Semiotics . In one of his many definitions of a sign, Peirce writes: "I define a sign as anything which is so determined by something else, called its Object, and so determines an effect upon a person, which effect I call its interpretant, that the later is thereby mediately determined by the former." (EP2, 478) What we see here is Peirce’s basic claim that signs consist of three inter-related parts: a sign or representamen, an object, and an interpretant. For the sake of simplicity, we can think of the sign or representamen as the signifier, for example, a written word, an utterance, smoke as a sign for fire, etc. The object , on the other hand, is best thought of as whatever is signified, for example, the object to which the written or uttered word attaches, or the fire signified by the smoke....

Hello Today, I would like to talk about 2023 Malayali film Kaathal - The Core which was directed by Joe Baby. GENRE: Family Drama DURATION: 114 Minutes WHAT IS IT ABOUT? The film centres the character of Matthew Devassy who is a retired bank secretary and lives happily in a small town with his wife, Omana, daughter, Femy, and old father, Devassy. He enters into village politics reluctantly and participates in by-election. He is a well-respected citizen of his town, and everything looks fine in his life. And suddenly, he comes to know that his wife Omana has filed a petition for divorce stating the allegation that Matther is homosexual. Now, this is a huge challege for Matthew to overcome. It is difficult for his social and political image, but more than that, his own love and feelings for Omana are at stake. He doesn't want to separate himself from Omana.  Will he be able to prove himself and save his marriage? What will happen to his electoral candidature? How will town-people a...