Pictorial runes and Emotions in art comics
In comics, the emotional states of characters can be expressed in at least the following ways:
1. by verbal utterances, that is, by things they themselves say (e.g., “I am angry,” “AAARRRRGH”) or that an external narrator observes (e.g., “Captain Haddock is angry”);
2. by facial expressions, often exaggerated (e.g., smiles, frowns, clenched teeth);
3. by bodily postures, often exaggerated (e.g., shaking, warding off, clasped hands);
4. by more or less conventionalized pictograms surrounding characters’ head and bodies, or instead in their text balloons (e.g., hearts, skulls, musical notes);
5. by formal features of text balloons and panels (e.g., forms, use of colors, font types);
6. by the flourishes surrounding character’s heads and bodies, called “pictorial runes” by Kennedy (1982:600) and “emanata” by Walker (2000).
Pictorial Runes
Pictorial runes can be defined as “non-mimetic graphic elements that contribute narratively salient information” Examples of pictorial runes are lines behind a moving character to indicate movement and/or speed and a semi-circle of droplets around a character’s head to suggest she is emotionally affected. Pictorial runes are to be distinguished from pictograms, which are conventionalized mimetic graphic elements, such as ♫, ♥, and $. Below are some examples of pictorial runes:
In my research I explore following questions:
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How emotions are depicted in static images such as comics and cartoons?
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What role does pictorial runes have in depicting emotions of the character?
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Are pictorial runes universal? Are they culture and language specific?
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Do pictorial runes depict generic emotions or specific type of runes depict specific emotions?
Research Findings:
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Empirically tested different types of pictorial runes analysed by Forceville (Figure 4).
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Empirical studies showed pictorial runes are not culture specific and can be considered universal.
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Pictorial runes are successful in depicting generic emotions while few types of runes may have specific emotions attached to them.
Figure 1. Empirically examined pictorial runes analysed by Forceville (2011a: 877)
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