![]() Causality, rather than conflict, is the vehicle in this type of storytelling. Instead of having goals and subgoals that carry the plot from beginning to end, the classical Japanese story grammar is guided by a series of actions and reactions that lead a character to a thematically significant resolution. The plot progresses as she encounters opposition to that.Ĭan a Japanese model of storytelling really be that much more complicated? Source: Utako Matsuyama Take “Cinderella” as an example of this Western model of storytelling, she has a clearly defined goal: Go to the ball to hit on the prince. Bits of story, called episodes, are steered by subgoals that the protagonist needs to accomplish in order to conquer his or her main goal and the successes or failures of that character in meeting those goals determine the outcome. In a Western story the plot is moved forward by the character’s goals. To understand how Japanese story grammar is different from the Western model, let’s take a look at the story grammar that a typical Western folk tale might follow, as diagrammed by storytelling scholar Utako Matsuyama: Source: Utako Matsuyama Think of it as a more nuanced version of the model that is taught in primary school. One of the tools for visualizing how stories are organized is story grammar which is a (sometimes) simple model that displays the ways that a story’s basic structural components interact to further the plot to a resolution. This is the sort of thing that is much easier to do visually by using some established narrative diagramming. The first thing we need to do is look at the differences in storytelling between the Japanese and Western models. Visualizing Stories in Japan and the West In this article, the first of a series about this topic that is so near and dear to my horror-loving heart, I aim to illuminate how plot structure and organization, the blood-soaked backbone of story, contribute to the uniqueness and resonance of Japanese horror. It’s easy to forget how important story structure is to an effective narrative, but the simple details of plot organization and structure determine just about everything that a viewer experiences in a story. ![]() They prompted Hollywood remakes and they captured the dark imaginations of movie-goers across the globe.Įvery last aspect of a classical Japanese horror story’s construction, from structure, to mechanics, to themes and motifs, are integral to the unique sensibilities that have made J-horror so famously eerie. ![]() Japanese horror films, like Ringu and Ju-On: the Grudge, essentially jump-started a love for Asian horror cinema outside of Japan. One of the amazing things about Japanese horror is that even with its direct link to traditional folklore and culture, it has proven incredibly popular outside of its country of origin. Japan, of course, developed its own tradition of creepy tales entirely independently from the rest of the world. ![]() The horror genre was born from folklore and oral tradition that explored death, sadness, and the unexplained, and grew into a contemporary form of entertainment with a host of exemplary graphic novels, literature, games, and film. It only makes sense-a lot of scary crap happens in life. Mankind has been telling scary stories ever since we decided to start telling stories at all. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |