1st Edition

Reading Contemporary Serial Television Universes A Narrative Ecosystem Framework

Edited By Paola Brembilla, Ilaria A. De Pascalis Copyright 2018
    252 Pages
    by Routledge

    252 Pages
    by Routledge

    Reading Contemporary Serial Television Universes provides a new framework—the metaphor of the narrative ecosystem—for the analysis of serial television narratives. Contributors use this metaphor to address the ever-expanding and evolving structure of narratives far beyond their usual spatial and temporal borders, in general and in reference to specific series. Other scholarly approaches consider each narrative as composed of modular elements, which combine to create a bigger picture. The narrative ecosystem approach, on the other hand, argues that each portion of the narrative world contains all of the main elements that characterize the world as a whole, such as narrative tensions, production structures, creative dynamics and functions. The volume details the implications of the narrative ecosystem for narrative theory and the study of seriality, audiences and fandoms, production, and the analysis of the products themselves.

    Acknowledgements





    List of Figures and Tables





    List of Contributors





    Editors’ Introduction



    Part I – Theory



    Chapter 1: New Paths in Transmediality as Vast Narratives: The State of the Field



    Matthew Freeman





    Chapter 2: Crossing the Boundaries: Narrative Ecosystems as Semiospheres



    Marta Boni





    Chapter 3: Evolution in Vampire-Centered TV Ecosystems



    Héctor J. Pérez and Fernando Canet





    Chapter 4: Audiences and Fan Studies: Technological Communities and Their Influences on Narrative Ecosystems



    Paul Booth





    Chapter 5: Spin-offs, Crossovers, and World Building "Energies"



    Derek Johnson





    Chapter 6: The Evolution of Characters in TV Series: Morphology, Selection and Remarkable Cases in Narrative Ecosystems



    Veronica Innocenti and Guglielmo Pescatore





    Part II – Analysis





    Chapter 7: An Italian Ecosystem: Gomorra



    Ilaria A. De Pascalis





    Chapter 8: Thank God I'm a Country Series. Interacting Environments and Networks in Nashville



    Paola Brembilla





    Chapter 9: You’re Sherlock Holmes, wear the damn hat! Character Identity in a Transfiction



    Roberta Pearson





    Chapter 10: The Specificities of the North-European Seriality: Strong Local Voices in a Global Media-World



    Heidi Philipsen





    Chapter 11: Event TV Drama within Narrative Ecosystems: Extended Seriality and Differing Paratextual Orientations in the 50th Anniversaries of Cult TV



    Matt Hills





    Chapter 12: The Game of Game of Thrones: Networked Concordances and Fractal Dramaturgy



    Andrew Beveridge and Michael Chemers

    Biography

     



    Paola Brembilla is a Adjunct Professor in Television and Media Studies at Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy



     



    Ilaria A. De Pascalis is Assistant Professor in Film and Television Studies at Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy.