The Usefulness of Structuralism as an Analytical Tool for Uncovering Ho

In the words of Michael OShaughnessy, communicatorys, or stories, are a basic way of making sense of our experience (1999 266). As a society and a culture, we use stories to comprehend and share our experiences, typically by constructing them with a beginning, middle and an end. In fact, the order that a narrative is structured will directly impact the way it is understood, particularly across cultures. This idea originated through Claude Lvi-Strausss concept of structuralism in anthropology which is concerned with show the common structural principles underlying specific and historically variable cultures and myth in pre-industrial societies (Strinati 2003 85). In terms of media studies, structuralisms inherent objective is to light beam beneath the surface of a media text to identify how the structure of a narrative contributes to its meaning. Structuralism encompasses a large range of analytical tools, however, this seek will examine Joseph Campbells monomyth and Claude Lvi-S trausss theory of double star oppositions. Through analysis of Victor Flemings film, The Wizard of Oz (1939), it will be shown that although the monomyth and binary oppositions are useful tools with which to unveil how meaning is generated in this text, structuralism can undermine the audiences ability to engage with their own interpretations of the film. In the simplest form, on that point is a basic structural pattern to narratives, as expressed through Tzvetan Todorovs explanation of narrative movement between two equilibriums. A narrative begins in a stable position until something causes disequilibrium, however, by the end of the story, the equilibrium is re-established, though it is different than the beginning (OShaughnessy 1999 268). Joseph Cam... ...an adequate mechanism for unveiling the techniques used to hold messages in a text. Works CitedCampbell, Joseph (1968), The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, pp. viii-97.Eco, Umberto (1979), Narrative structures in Fleming, in his, The Role of the Reader Explorations in the Semiotics of Texts, Bloomington, Indiana University Press, pp. 144-172.Hartley, fast one (2002), Communication, Cultural and Media Studies The Key Concepts, London, Routledge, pp. 19-21.OShaughnessy, Michael (1999), Media and Society An Introduction, Melbourne, Oxford University Press, pp. 266-290.Strinati, Dominic (2003), Structuralism, semiology and popular culture (extract), in his An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture 2nd Ed., London, Routledge, pp. 82-85.The Wizard of Oz (film), 1939, Director Victor Fleming.