His Dark Materials: Language and Representations

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 Language and close-textual analysis


1) Write an analysis of the episode - using your notes from the screening in class. Make specific, detailed reference to moments in the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots and movement, editing, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)


Camerawork, editing and sound: the series uses diegetic and nondiegetic sounds in the episode through the types of music played in scenes and the sound effects of props in the show.

Mise-en-scene: there are settings such as the city in ths sky, the submarine and the cave at the beginning of the episode.

          Narrative and genre: they show that this series is a fantacy genre as there are characters such as              witches however the series is also steampunk shown through the technology.

You can access our notes from the close-textual analysis in a previous class here - you'll need your Greenford Google login to open this.

2) How does His Dark Materials fit the conventions of the fantasy TV genre?
  • Emotive, often quest-based narratives- will and lyra
  • Political narrative themes or social commentary- magisterium
  • Iconography including magic, mystical creatures or similar- daemons
  • Often set in imagined worlds or time periods- city in the sky

3) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do some of the main characters in His Dark Materials fit into?
The magisterium represents the villains of the story and will and lyra are the heroes.

4) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in His Dark Materials? Make specific, detailed reference to the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

  • Narrative - “The prophecy has begun”. Lyra - creates enigma and action codes; narrative arc for all three seasons of HDM. 

  • “The fuse has been lit” - action code.


5) What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in His Dark Materials? How do these create narrative or drama for the audience? You can find reminder notes on all these narrative theories here - just scroll down to narrative. 

  • Binary opposition - young and old, grown ups and children, good/bad.




Representations

1) How are women represented in His Dark Materials? Are gender stereotypes reinforced or subverted? Think about Lyra and Mrs Coulter here.
Women are represented as powerful through the characters of lyra Mrs coulter and the head witch. 


2) How are men and masculinity represented in His Dark Materials? Think about Will and Lee Scoresby here.
Men are represented as dependent and helpful shown through lee scoresby when he goes to the witches for help and through will when he meets lyra for the first time and begs her to let go of him.

3) How is age (e.g. teenagers; adults) represented in His Dark Materials? Does the show reinforce or challenge stereotypes about young people? Think about Lyra and Will plus the abandoned children they meet. Also think about Mrs Coulter and other adults.
The adults are represented as evil whereas the children are represented as independent. This can be shown through the children in the city in the sky looking after themselves with no adults. Whereas the adults are 

4) How is race and ethnicity represented in His Dark Materials? Are stereotypes reinforced or subverted?
racial stereotypes are subverted in the series as people of many ethnicities show up in the episode as important characters or people of high power like the head witch, will and lee scoresby.

5) What representations of the world can you find in the episode - is it like real life? A fantasy world? Something from the past or future? Give examples from the episode.
The worlds of Lyra and Will are mostly the same as the real world; however, Lyra's world has a little fantasy in it, shown through the daemons and the tear in the sky.

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