Title: The Television Series from the Perspective of Methodological Innovation.

Acceptance of articles for the Notebook section: from December 15th to January 15th.

 

The purpose of this call for papers is to promote innovative research of television series narratives in order to identify and explain their specific properties. 'Innovative' in this context refers to studies that make effective use of resources drawn from other scientific disciplines and that formulate relevant theories based on new methods. With this in mind, we are especially interested in contributions that draw on current concepts and theories in cognitivism and neuroaesthetics, although methodologically innovative contributions in dialogue with other disciplines are also welcome. We thus hope to be able to offer a significant contribution to the definition of the identity of a narrative form whose major role in contemporary culture is beyond dispute. The main objective of our initiative is to encourage aesthetic/narrative analysis of the characteristics that are most specific to the television series. The most important of these is time, an element that shapes the two main distinctive narrative features of television storytelling. First of all, the time-span of the series determines the design of the appeal generated by the characters. Is there a type of engagement that is particular to characters in television fiction? Is this aspect the most important in terms of engagement? Are there other elements that have a significant impact on these processes?

Secondly, the availability of a longer narrative time-frame in television series has resulted in the predominance of a multi-plot structure, a common feature of a wide range of cognitively and aesthetically rich television offerings. What are the distinctive cognitive features of this type of structure? What is the relationship between the multi-plot structure and the development of complex narratives? In what ways can the relationship already identified in television studies between the narrative complexity and the aesthetic/artistic condition of contemporary series be extended?

Finally, a third highly interesting aspect would involve the strategic orientation of the age-old question of the relationship between content and form towards the realm of the series. The value of the television series cannot be understood as a question that depends exclusively on innovation or perfection of form; rather, it must be viewed in terms of the interaction of these aspects with cognitive and moral values. If fiction is a powerful generator of the conceptual, moral and/or social construction of meanings in our world, what role does the television series play today? Is the rupture with narrative practices and codes a cognitive stimulus that can meet the challenges we face in explaining our world and its problems?

We welcome contributions aimed at analysing uniquely significant case studies, as well as conceptual approaches that build on our understanding of the achievements of the television series in aesthetic and/or artistic terms. Priority will also be given to research that engages with current debates in studies of television fiction and cognitive media theory, that makes productive use of specific scientific theories on key aspects (such as memory), or that offers or discusses contributions from other strategically complementary fields such as cognitive literary studies, neuroaesthetics or emergent theories in the social sciences. We also encourage contributors to bear in mind that their research of narrative elements should be aimed at a detailed consideration of the ultimate aesthetic objective of the productions studied.

By way of example, we illustrate and complement the possibilities outlined above with the following areas of interest:

-As yet unexplored processes of character engagement related to aspects such as multiple narratives, or the construction of non-archetypal characters.

-The relationship of familiarity between viewers and characters.

-Analysis of how stylistic aspects of visuals and sound interact with the overall aesthetic effects or cognitive and moral values of the series.

-Analysis of the aesthetic role of the television series in processes of "world-building".

-Analysis of coherence and interactions between the elicitation of emotions integrated into the narrative design.

-Studies of the relationships between innovation in the multiple-plot structure and the unique nature of the emotional, cognitive and aesthetic experience that the series aims to provide.

Bibliography

Noël Carroll/Lester H. Hunt (Hg.), Philosophy in The Twilight Zone, Chichester 2009.

Elliott Logan, ’Quality Television’ as a Critical Obstacle. Screen 57:2 Summer 2016.

Jason Mittell, Complex Television: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling. UNY Press, 2015.

Ted Nannicelli 'In Defence of the Objectivity of Evaluative Television Criticism.' Screen 57:2 Summer 2016.

Ted Nannicell and Paul Taberham, Cognitive Media Theory. London: Routledge, 2014.

Murray Smith, Engaging Characters: Fiction, Emotion, and the Cinema. Oxford: OUP, 1995.

 

L’Atalante. Revista de estudios cinematográficos accepts the publication of original essays on interdisciplinary or single-topic subjects related to theory and/or cinematographic praxis that stand out for their innovative nature. Some matters to be considered:

• Only unpublished work will be accepted, it must also follow the journal’s style guidelines and fit the standards and rigour expected from an academic journal.
• The originality of the topic will be valued, especially if it has already been issued in the journal. The repetition of subjects and themes may be a reason to dismiss a manuscript. The contents of previous issues can be consulted in our webpage.
• The Executive Editorial Board will submit the articles to a process of external peer-evaluation, which will respect both the authors’ and evaluators’ anonymity (peer review system) in order to prevent potential bias. If the number of proposals received is too high, the Executive Editorial Board will first select the articles that will then be peer-reviewed, dismissing those considered as less adequate. If the initial conditions of originality and style are not fulfilled, the essay will be dismissed without a prior external consultation.
• The acceptance of a manuscript will be communicated to the author within the following six months.
• The manuscripts (whose length must be between 5000 and 7000 words including all sections) must be sent through the journal webpage (OJS), saved only in Rich Text Format (.rtf) and using the provided text template. The author’s statement (.pdf) and the images (.psd, .png, .jpg, .tiff) must be attached as complementary files. The detailed submissions guidelines and process can be found in our webpage. Those manuscripts which do not comply with these rules will be dismissed.
• If it is decided that the manuscript is to be published in a bilingual issue, the author will provide the translation and cover the costs derived from proofreading (in some cases, such as students and unemployed scholars who prove their situation, this cost will be zero).
• L’Atalante does not offer any compensation for the published articles.

For further information, please contact info@revistaatalante.com