Tomas Axelson

Vernacular Meaning Making: Examples of Narrative Impact in Fiction Film Questioning the ‘Banal’ Notion in Mediatization of Religion Theory

Abstract The outcome of an audience study supports theories stating that stories are a primary means by which we make sense of our experiences over time. Empirical examples of narrative impact are presented in which specific fiction film scenes condense spectators’ lives, identities, and beliefs. One conclusion is that spectators test the emotional realism of the narrative for greater significance, connecting diegetic fiction experiences with their extra-diegetic world in their quest for meaning, self and identity. The ‘banal’ notion of the mediatization of religion theory is questioned as unsatisfactory in the theoretical context of individualized meaning-making processes. As a semantically negatively charged concept, it is problematic when analyzing empirical examples of spectators’ use of fictional narratives, especially when trying to characterize the idiosyncratic and complex interplay between spectators’ fiction emotions and their testing of mediated narratives in an exercise to find moral significance in extra-filmic life. Instead, vernacular meaning-making is proposed.

Movies and the Enchanted Mind Emotional Comprehension and Spiritual Meaning Making Among Young Adults in Contemporary Sweden

The outcome of an empirical audience study in Sweden, including questionnaires, focus groups and 10 in-depth individual interviews discussing favourite films, supports claims about viewers as active and playful (cf. Frampton, 2006; Hoover, 2006; Plantinga, 2009). The soft side of mediatization processes is illustrated showing young adults experiencing enchantment through films (Jerslev, 2006; Klinger, 2008; Oliver and Hartmann, 2010; Partridge, 2008). The outcome is in line with a growing number of empirical case studies which support conclusions that both thinking and behaviour are affected by film watching (Axelson, 2014; Marsh, 2007; Oliver and Hartmann, 2010; Suckfüll, 2010). The results of the interviews exploring specific scenes of idiosyncratic relevance support theories about fiction films as important sources for moral and spiritual reflection (Lynch, 2007; Partridge, 2004; Plantinga, 2009; Zillman, 2005). The concept of ‘thick viewing’ is proposed for capturing these moments of film experience when profound and enchanted emotional interpretations take place.

Vernacular Meaning Making

Abstract The outcome of an audience study supports theories stating that stories are a primary means by which we make sense of our experiences over time. Empirical examples of narrative impact are presented in which specific fiction film scenes condense spectators’ lives, identities, and beliefs. One conclusion is that spectators test the emotional realism of the narrative for greater significance, connecting diegetic fiction experiences with their extra-diegetic world in their quest for meaning, self and identity. The ‘banal’ notion of the mediatization of religion theory is questioned as unsatisfactory in the theoretical context of individualized meaning-making processes. As a semantically negatively charged concept, it is problematic when analyzing empirical examples of spectators’ use of fictional narratives, especially when trying to characterize the idiosyncratic and complex interplay between spectators’ fiction emotions and their testing of mediated narratives in an exercise to find moral significance in extra-filmic life. Instead, vernacular meaning-making is proposed.

Vernacular Meaning Making: Examples of Narrative Impact in Fiction Film

Abstract The outcome of an audience study supports theories stating that stories are a primary means by which we make sense of our experiences over time. Empirical examples of narrative impact are presented in which specific fiction film scenes condense spectators’ lives, identities, and beliefs. One conclusion is that spectators test the emotional realism of the narrative for greater significance, connecting diegetic fiction experiences with their extra-diegetic world in their quest for meaning, self and identity. The ‘banal’ notion of the mediatization of religion theory is questioned as unsatisfactory in the theoretical context of individualized meaning-making processes. As a semantically negatively charged concept, it is problematic when analyzing empirical examples of spectators’ use of fictional narratives, especially when trying to characterize the idiosyncratic and complex interplay between spectators’ fiction emotions and their testing of mediated narratives in an exercise to find moral significance in extra-filmic life. Instead, vernacular meaning-making is proposed.