Desde a década de sessenta os guitarristas de rock são considerados ícones da cultura musical popular. Venerados por uma comunidade fiel de entusiastas, alguns deles são chamados de deuses, heróis e mitos. Suas histórias pessoais e artísticas são constantemente narradas e celebradas na mídia, tanto nos meios de comunicação tradicionais quanto nos ambientes digitais. E toda essa adoração pode ser visualizada concomitantemente no culto tecnológico à guitarra elétrica, um dos instrumentos musicais mais vendidos no mundo. Mesmo que tantos fãs, jornalistas e críticos musicais construam discursos fantásticos para se referir aos guitarristas heróis, uma investigação mais aprofundada sobre a estrutura dos arquétipos e símbolos presentes no compartilhamento de sentido entre os amantes do rock é uma tarefa ainda inacabada. Nossa hipótese parte do princípio de que diversos mitos e narrativas heroicas são atualizados continuamente nas práticas culturais contemporâneas cuja experiência transforma e orienta a visão de mundo dos atores sociais envolvidos na sua disseminação. Essa comunhão em torno da imagem sagrada dos guitar heroes extrapola a esfera artística e se constitui em um estilo de vida com significações múltiplas, sejam elas, comportamentais, estéticas e sexuais. O objetivo é compreender como essas representações sociais refletem e atualizam a própria visão idealizada de que como a sociedade se vê. Outro objetivo é enfatizar a importância desse fenômeno na prática de consumo associada à guitarra elétrica onde o mito desempenha uma função simbólica essencial. / Since the sixties, rock guitarists have been considered icons of popular music culture. Venerated by a faithful community of enthusiasts, some of them are called gods, heroes and myths. Their personal and artistic stories are constantly narrated and celebrated in the media, both in traditional media and in digital environments. And all this worship can be seen concomitantly in the technological cult of electric guitar, the one of the best-selling musical instruments in the world. Even though so many fans, journalists and music critics create fantastic speeches to refer to guitar heroes, further research into the structure of the archetypes and symbols present in the sharing of meaning among rock lovers is a task rarely addressed and still unfinished. Our hypothesis sustain that various heroic myths and narratives are continuously updated in contemporary cultural practices whose experience transforms and guides the world view of the actors-net involved in its dissemination. This communion around the sacred image of guitar heroes goes beyond the artistic sphere and constitutes a lifestyle with multiple meanings, that is, behavioral and aesthetic. The objective is to understand how these social representations reflect and actualize the idealized vision of how society sees itself. Another objective is to emphasize the importance of this phenomenon in the practice of consumption associated with electric guitar where the myth plays an essential symbolic function.

Desde a década de sessenta os guitarristas de rock são considerados ícones da cultura musical popular. Venerados por uma comunidade fiel de entusiastas, alguns deles são chamados de deuses, heróis e mitos. Suas histórias pessoais e artísticas são constantemente narradas e celebradas na mídia, tanto nos meios de comunicação tradicionais quanto nos ambientes digitais. E toda essa adoração pode ser visualizada concomitantemente no culto tecnológico à guitarra elétrica, um dos instrumentos musicais mais vendidos no mundo. Mesmo que tantos fãs, jornalistas e críticos musicais construam discursos fantásticos para se referir aos guitarristas heróis, uma investigação mais aprofundada sobre a estrutura dos arquétipos e símbolos presentes no compartilhamento de sentido entre os amantes do rock é uma tarefa ainda inacabada. Nossa hipótese parte do princípio de que diversos mitos e narrativas heroicas são atualizados continuamente nas práticas culturais contemporâneas cuja experiência transforma e orienta a visão de mundo dos atores sociais envolvidos na sua disseminação. Essa comunhão em torno da imagem sagrada dos guitar heroes extrapola a esfera artística e se constitui em um estilo de vida com significações múltiplas, sejam elas, comportamentais, estéticas e sexuais. O objetivo é compreender como essas representações sociais refletem e atualizam a própria visão idealizada de que como a sociedade se vê. Outro objetivo é enfatizar a importância desse fenômeno na prática de consumo associada à guitarra elétrica onde o mito desempenha uma função simbólica essencial. / Since the sixties, rock guitarists have been considered icons of popular music culture. Venerated by a faithful community of enthusiasts, some of them are called gods, heroes and myths. Their personal and artistic stories are constantly narrated and celebrated in the media, both in traditional media and in digital environments. And all this worship can be seen concomitantly in the technological cult of electric guitar, the one of the best-selling musical instruments in the world. Even though so many fans, journalists and music critics create fantastic speeches to refer to guitar heroes, further research into the structure of the archetypes and symbols present in the sharing of meaning among rock lovers is a task rarely addressed and still unfinished. Our hypothesis sustain that various heroic myths and narratives are continuously updated in contemporary cultural practices whose experience transforms and guides the world view of the actors-net involved in its dissemination. This communion around the sacred image of guitar heroes goes beyond the artistic sphere and constitutes a lifestyle with multiple meanings, that is, behavioral and aesthetic. The objective is to understand how these social representations reflect and actualize the idealized vision of how society sees itself. Another objective is to emphasize the importance of this phenomenon in the practice of consumption associated with electric guitar where the myth plays an essential symbolic function.

This study considers the visual representation of the alchemical idea of the philosopher’s stone (lapis philosophorum) in the Harry Potter films: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Columbus 2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Columbus 2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron 2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Newell 2005), andHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Yates 2007). The lapis philosophorum was believed to turn base metals into gold and produce an Elixir of Life. As such, it is envisioned as the ultimate alchemical idea, and this study emphasises how the lapis can function as a signifier for an alchemical worldview within the Harry Potter films. Because the concept and symbolism of the Harry Potter films is largely based on JK Rowling’s (1997; 1998; 1999; 2000; 2003; 2005; 2007) original novels, this study provides a detailed comparison of how alchemical imagery is used in the novels and contrasts this with the visual imagery of the films. This study undertakes a hermeneutic analysis of the transmission of alchemical ideals from the literary to the visual medium. It also provides a detailed analysis of interrelated visual icons in the Harry Potter films that represent the idea of the lapis as an embodiment of alchemical perfection. In addition, by studying the interplay between alchemical imagery in the Harry Potter novels and films, and comparing the worldviews represented by each, this study is able to analyse the dynamics of the hermeneutic process. This study concludes with a consideration of how alchemical theory relates to the discipline of hermeneutics, how it influences the process of interpretation, and ultimately the relationship between the alchemical worldview and current perspectives on authorship. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Visual Arts / unrestricted