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Some research has been done on this subject, although sparsely. The purpose of this study is to determine how, why, and to what extent representation in fiction matters, in regard to socially stigmatized groups of people, focusing on mental health, sexuality, and gender roles. The main focus is on bonding with fictional characters, how it relates to representation and its importance. Eleven (cis)female participants shared their own experiences with this. Each written reply was condensed, eventually narrowed down to three main components considered central to this phenomenon; (1) a sense of isolation, (2) an inability to cope, and (3) relatability in characters. These components can all be connected to loneliness, which suggests that loneliness plays a large part in one's sense of self-worth. Thus, representation can be argued to be vital, due to its function of including and speaking for stigmatized groups of people, granting a sense of belonging and support.

abstract: The purpose of this study is to explore the shifting cultural norms of copyright law, and that concept’s impact on the performance and practice of artists producing original works of authorship. Although related concepts predate it, and today it exists as a subset of a broader category known as intellectual property, the purpose of copyright beginning with the United States Constitution was to allow for a temporary economic monopoly to an author of a fixed creative work. This monopoly was meant to incentivize authors to contribute to the public good with works that promote progress in science and art. However, increases over time in the scope and duration of copyright terms grant broader protections and controls for copyright owners today, while advances in technology have provided the public with the potential for near-limitless low-cost access to information. This creates a conflict between proprietary interest in creative works and the public’s right and ability to access and build on those works. The history of copyright law in America is rife with efforts to balance these competing interests. The methodology for this study consisted of flexible strategies for collecting and analyzing data, primarily elite, semi-structured interviews with professional artists, attorneys, and others who engage with the cultural and legal norms of intellectual property regimes on a regular basis. Constant comparative analysis was used to maintain an emic perspective, prioritizing the subjective experience of individuals interviewed for this research project. Additional methods for qualitative analysis were also employed here to code and categorize gathered data, including the use of RQDA, a software package for Qualitative Data Analysis that runs within the R statistical software program. Various patterns and behaviors relevant to intellectual property reforms as they relate to artist practices were discussed in detail following the analysis of findings, in an effort to describe how cultural norms of copyright intersect with the creation of original works of authorship, and towards the development of the theory that the semiotic sign systems subject to intellectual property laws are not themselves forms of real property, as they do not meet the categorical requirements of scarce resources. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Journalism and Mass Communication 2018

<p>Register clashes are a linguistic phenomenon that occurs in both real and fictional interaction. This study, based on the theory of register as developed by Halliday, examines the functions of register clashes in the television drama series <em>Gilmore Girls</em>. It was hypothesized that the function of register clashes is to create humor, to characterize some characters on the show as sophisticated and witty and some others as lacking in communicative competence, or what is popularly referred to as <em>geeky</em> or <em>nerdy</em>, as well as to characterize the show. A total of 1,306 cases of register clashes were identified, of which 761 cases (58.3 percent) were clear cases and 545 cases (41.7 percent) were somewhat more doubtful. Nearly all cases of register clashes found were considered to have been used to create humor. Eight out of the ten most productive characters with respect to the utterance of register clashes were found to be characterized as witty; the other two characters produced register clashes in a way that characterized them as geeky. Each of the six episodes examined in this study was found to contain many instances of register clashes, regardless of the fact that each was written by a different author. The results thus suggest that the function of register clashes in <em>Gilmore Girls</em> is indeed to create humor, to characterize the characters, and to characterize the show.</p>

I argue that one cannot hold a Meinongian ontology of fictional characters and have a causal theory of reference for fictional names. The main argument presented refutes Edward Zalta's claim that storytelling should be considered an extended baptism for fictional characters. This amounts to the claim that storytelling fixes the reference of fictional names in the same way that baptism fixes the reference of ordinary names, and this is just a claim about the illocutionary force of these two types of utterance. To evaluate this argument, therefore, we need both a common understanding of the Meinongian ontology and a common taxonomy of speech acts. I briefly sketch the Meinongian ontology as it is laid out by Zalta in order to meet the former condition. Then I present an interpretation of the taxonomy of illocutionary acts given by John Searle in the late 1970s and mid 1980s, within which we can evaluate Zalta's claims. With an ontology of fictional characters and a taxonomy of speech acts in place, I go on to examine the ways in which the Meinongian might argue that storytelling is an extended baptism. None of these arguments are tenable-there is no way for the act of storytelling to serve as an extended baptism. Therefore, the act of storytelling does not constitute a baptism of fictional characters; that is, storytelling fails to ground a causal chain of reference to fictional characters.

I argue that one cannot hold a Meinongian ontology of fictional characters and have a causal theory of reference for fictional names. The main argument presented refutes Edward Zalta's claim that storytelling should be considered an extended baptism for fictional characters. This amounts to the claim that storytelling fixes the reference of fictional names in the same way that baptism fixes the reference of ordinary names, and this is just a claim about the illocutionary force of these two types of utterance. To evaluate this argument, therefore, we need both a common understanding of the Meinongian ontology and a common taxonomy of speech acts. I briefly sketch the Meinongian ontology as it is laid out by Zalta in order to meet the former condition. Then I present an interpretation of the taxonomy of illocutionary acts given by John Searle in the late 1970s and mid 1980s, within which we can evaluate Zalta's claims. With an ontology of fictional characters and a taxonomy of speech acts in place, I go on to examine the ways in which the Meinongian might argue that storytelling is an extended baptism. None of these arguments are tenable-there is no way for the act of storytelling to serve as an extended baptism. Therefore, the act of storytelling does not constitute a baptism of fictional characters; that is, storytelling fails to ground a causal chain of reference to fictional characters.

Orientador: Tania Celestino de Macêdo / Banca: Hiudéa Tempesta Rodrigues Boberg / Banca: Guacira Marcondes Machado Leite / Resumo: O presente estudo pretende realizar uma classificação das personagens nos contos de João Antônio, já que constituem um dos elementos estruturais dos textos ao lado do foco narrativo, responsável pela transformação na maneira de apresentar as figuras que permeiam a ficção desse autor. Para a realização do trabalho, tomamos como ponto de partida os seus dois primeiros livros, Malagueta, Perus e Bacanaço (1963) e Leão-de-chácara (1975), nos quais encontramos quatro grupos distintos de personagens. Aos malandros e "otários" que habitam as páginas da primeira obra, adicionamos as figuras de um bandido e um "merduncho" na observação dos seres da segunda publicação. / Abstract: This dissertation is aimed at the classification of the characters in João Antônio's short stories, since they are one of the text structural elements together with the narrative focus, responsible for the transformation in the way of presenting these characters. The starting point of this research was Malagueta, Perus e Bacanaço (1963) and Leão-de-chácara (1975), which show four distinct groups of characters. To the "malandros" (roguish) and "otários" (suckers) that inhabit the pages of the first book, the figures of a "bandido" (bandit) and a "merduncho" (poor common people) of the second book were added. / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2003-01-24Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:27:11Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 correa_lc_me_assis.pdf: 339857 bytes, checksum: 1a1fadedb4cb10a14da1064120896af4 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O presente estudo pretende realizar uma classificação das personagens nos contos de João Antônio, já que constituem um dos elementos estruturais dos textos ao lado do foco narrativo, responsável pela transformação na maneira de apresentar as figuras que permeiam a ficção desse autor. Para a realização do trabalho, tomamos como ponto de partida os seus dois primeiros livros, Malagueta, Perus e Bacanaço (1963) e Leão-de-chácara (1975), nos quais encontramos quatro grupos distintos de personagens. Aos malandros e otários que habitam as páginas da primeira obra, adicionamos as figuras de um bandido e um merduncho na observação dos seres da segunda publicação. / This dissertation is aimed at the classification of the characters in João Antônio's short stories, since they are one of the text structural elements together with the narrative focus, responsible for the transformation in the way of presenting these characters. The starting point of this research was Malagueta, Perus e Bacanaço (1963) and Leão-de-chácara (1975), which show four distinct groups of characters. To the malandros (roguish) and otários (suckers) that inhabit the pages of the first book, the figures of a bandido (bandit) and a merduncho (poor common people) of the second book were added.

The growth and development of worldwide products and services containing fictional characters has been exponential due to development, among others, of technology. This article examines the protection of fictional characters through copyright and reflects on its legal treatment. / El crecimiento y desarrollo de productos y servicios a nivel mundial de obras que contienen personajes de ficción ha sido exponencial, debido al desarrollo, entre otros factores, de la tecnología. El presente artículo examina la protección de los personajes de ficción a través del derecho de autor y reflexiona sobre su tratamiento legal.

The aim of this thesis was to deepen our understanding of how audiences represent male and female dark fictional characters (DFCs) by exploring how Harry Potter fans discuss four of these characters on Reddit. Drawing on affective disposition theory as a guiding framework as well as previous investigations of gender representation and online fan cultures, I collected and analyzed 117 posts (containing 9,693 comments) about four DFCs from the Harry Potter franchise. I chose two male DFCs (Lord Voldemort and Severus Snape) and two female ones (Bellatrix Lestrange and Dolores Umbridge) for my investigation. The data were analyzed using a productive hermeneutics approach. Fans’ representation of these characters intersected with the extent which the characters’ fictionality was salient, how they were visualized, the online culture of Reddit, and fans’ presumed identification with these characters. Bellatrix was defined by her portrayal by Helena Bonham Carter in the films and her combination of valuable masculine and feminine traits. Moreover, she was a figure of pure fantasy, which allowed fans to love her depravity. Umbridge and Snape, by contrast, were hated for intruding into the fantasy that Harry Potter offered, reminding fans of bullying and overly controlling teachers. Snape, however, was redeemed by his complexity and embodiment of geek masculinity. Voldemort was valued for his intellect and power but also criticized as a peer failing to rise to his intellectual potential; fans at turns identified with and undercut him through humor. Taken together, the results indicate a need to qualitatively explore how DFCs are received by audiences, as it can add further nuance to our understanding of how morality and gender influence media consumption.