ENGFLM 1703 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Dance Moms, Recycling Symbol, Melodrama
15 Nov 2017
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Visual signs: symbol (recycling symbol, icon- something that represents what it actually is, male and female bathrooms, telephone for phone app, index- real at its basis, cinema, photograph. Kaplan: historical question of how mothers positioned: ignored by patriarchy, ignored by feminist p-a theory, seen from pov of child as mother, mother is spectator, mother tries to live through her daughter. Aspirational but also reproduces patriarchal role with her. Games, joy), reality tv (dance moms, toddler"s and tiaras, say. Yes to the dress), step mom (like in cinderella, monster in law, Parent trap: normally just seeing the mother from the child"s perspective. Williams: women"s film/maternal melodrama devalues and debased actual mothers while sanctifying institution of motherhood, women"s story not allowed to be tragedy b/c tragedy is universal. Here, women speak to women in language that grows out of specific social roles: empathy is the strongest character trait and viewing trait, turns spectator into ideal mother.
