Narrative, Film, and Identity

William C. Pamerleau, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. He publishes articles on a variety of philosophical topics but specializes in the philosophy of film. He is the author of Existentialist Cinema (2009).

Introduction


1 Meaning and Narrative

 1 The Narrative Self

 1.1 Narrative Structure


 1.2 Narrative Identity




 2 Meaning and Narrative


 3 Narrative and Meaning in Life

 3.1 Subjectivists and Objectivists


 3.2 Meaning of Life


 3.3 Meaning in Life




 4 Objections to Narrative Identity

 4.1 The Self Is Not the Same Thing as the Narrated Life


 4.2 Narrative Inaccurately Describes Our Life as We Experience It


 4.3 The Narrative Process Distorts What Is Valuable about Life




 5 Refining the Narrative Approach


 6 Conclusion




2 Meaning and Film

 1 Spectator Activity and Film Narrative

 1.1 Cognitivist Spectator Theories


 1.2 Spectator Activity and Emotions




 2 Experiencing Films as Meaningful

 2.1 An Experience Unaccounted for by Film Scholars


 2.2 The Role of Life Narratives




 3 Shaping Viewer Narratives

 3.1 Shaping Perceptions and Sustaining Stereotypes


 3.2 Making More Meaningful Narratives




 4 Conclusion




3 Narrative Realism

 1 Defining “Realism”


 2 Narrative Realism

 2.1 A Multifaceted Approach


 2.2 Realism Depends on Interest


 2.3 Creating New Possibilities




 3 Narrative Distortion

 3.1 Objections to Narrative Realism


 3.2 Defending Narrative Realism: Real Narratives and Truth


 3.3 Defending Narrative Realism: The Differences between Film Narratives and Life Narratives




 4 Conclusion




4 Meaningful Films

 1 Film Viewing as Meaningful Experience

 1.1 The Emotion of Meaningfulness


 1.2 Does the Personal Nature of Life Narratives Limit Theoretical Analysis?




 2 An Analysis of Meaningful Films

 2.1 Good Will Hunting


 2.2 American Beauty


 2.3 Winter Light




 3 Conclusion




5 Cinema’s Effect on Social Narratives

 1 The Social Nature of Narratives


 2 The Impact of Film on Social Narratives


 3 A Narrative Approach to Prejudice and Discrimination in Film

 3.1 Schemas


 3.2 Selection


 3.3 Immersion




 4 Conclusion




6 Expanding Narrative Possibilities

 1 Making Meaningful Narratives: Clarifying the Scope of Moral Principles

 1.1 Engaging Existing Moral Perspectives


 1.2 Effects on Agency




 2 Creating New Moral Perspectives

 2.1 Virtue and Moral Examples


 2.2 Moral Examples in Fictional Narratives




 3 Expanding Resources for Constructing Meaningful Identities


 4 Challenging Narratives

 4.1 Renewal Narratives


 4.2 Upsetting Narrative Forms




 5 Conclusion




Conclusion


Bibliography


Index