I first read Kenneth Burke’s Terministic Screens for a film class (Hollywood Cinema with Dr. Christina Parker, I highly recommend it!) as part of our discussion of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. We discussed how each ‘window’ that the main character, L.B. Jeffries, looked into represented a cinematic terministic screen. The dancer represented a musical, the couple who lowered their dog from their balcony via basket a comedy, the newlywed neighbors represented a romance, and so on. Each 'window' held elements specific to genre conventions at the time, functioning as individual parts of a greater whole. Although each of these representations were film genres, there were specific differences in how each was viewed and presented. Even now, a few semesters later, I find it difficult to separate terministic screens from genre.Terministic Screens function as lenses through which something, be it a discourse, a film, or a field of study, is viewed. In order to further define terministic screens, Burke gives the example of the differences between the observations of a child psychologist and a behaviorist. While both men study infant behavior, the terminology used to describe their observations differed due to the slight differences in their field. “In contrast with Watson’s terminology of observation regarding the nature of infantile reflexes, note that Bowlby adopted a much more social point of view.” (Burke, 49)
Even though these two men both worked in the field of science, and both wrote within the academic genre, their terministic screens allowed for slightly different interpretations.
Genre, on the other hand, can stand for many things. In general, it is a “…conventional category of discourse…” (Miller, 163)
However, when examined in depth, genre becomes more fluid and complicated.
As Carolyn B. Miller states, “Genre is distinct from form: form is the more general term used at all levels of the hierarchy.” (Miller, 163)
Returning to the example of Rear Window, if we take ‘film’ to be a genre of discourse, we can examine certain types of films as terministic screens.
A slasher thriller film, while belonging to the same larger genre as a romance, uses a different lens of understanding to create meaning for the viewing audience, and is viewed through a much different terministic screen.
Is it possible that terministic screens fall under the heading of Genre, functioning as a sub category?
That even within specific genres, there are terminology-influenced lenses that influence meaning making?
-Caitlin Lang
Caitlin,
ReplyDeleteAs a film minor myself, you application of terministic screens to film genres struck a chord with me. I enjoyed your explanation of the characters each representing a genre within the film "Rear Window." Although, do you think that these characters may have represented more than the one genre you have assigned them to?
With the expansion of film, tv, and books continuing to break new genre boundaries, I find it difficult to place one film into one genre. If we use the Twilight series as an example, we could assign it to many specific genres, including sci-fi, fantasy, romance, thriller, comedy, and so on. It's almost as if genres are becoming void in today's society.
With that being said, I think the answer to your first question, would be yes. Terministic screens can fall under a genre heading, but I think the real question is, what genre do they fall under, or do they fall under a sub-category? Furthermore, who's position is it to choose if a genre can be defined using a terministic screen? The audience, the author, or someone else?
Pretty sure we're in the same film theory class and have not realized it yet (HA!) anyway, it never occurred to me to use Hitchcock's Rear Window as an example! I do agree with everything that you say and the argument you made was very well put! It actually helped me understand the idea of terminisitc screens a little bit more. Considering that we did discuss this in Parkers class, I knew I had heard the term "terministic screen" but I still for some reason didn't put two and two together. And the questions you ask at the end, whether terministic screens fall under the heading of Genre functioning as a sub category, I would have to say that they do, when compared to Miller's definition of Genre.
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