Texts

INTERTEXTUALITY AS A GAME OF POPULAR AND SUBLIME

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The thesis presented in this paper shows that literature has not completely lost its role of cultural capital. The reason for optimism is found in intertextuality as a key feature of postmodern art. The postmodern method in popular culture involves use of high art stylistic solutions while at the same time the content of popular genres treats very complex issues. We take as an example the television series True Detective, produced by the American HBO network, to show that even in that popular form it is possible to identify features of postmodern art such as double coding, intertextual irony and quotations. Through its themes and motifs, this series has been associated with one of the most significant work of the canonical literature – Dante’s Divine Comedy. Also, one work of popular literature has been explicitly quoted in this series – a collection of stories from the 19th century The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers.

CULTURE OF REMEMBERANCE OF THE FIGURE OF JOSIP BROZ TITO IN POST-YUGOSLAV DOCUMENARY SERIES

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The aim of this paper was to analyze the policy of representation of the presidential figure of Josip Broz Tito in the most important TV series after 2000. Following a short review of the role which the audio-visual representation (in film and then television) has played in building the cult of his person in the SFRY period, the main part of the paper examines the thematic and narrative content of relevant TV series related to the discourses inherited from the socialist period which have undergone political and social transition. Critically summing up variable meanings of the presentations of Josip Broz Tito in the context of construction and reconstruction of the culture of remembrance, the main part of the paper examines different existing nationalist/patriotic and consumerist approaches.

POPULAR CULTURE AND ETHICS – CASE STUDIES OF THE TV SHOWS THE WIRE AND TREME

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Thanks to a specific form of distribution, popular culture has potential to present complicated and ethically relevant issues to the widest audience. When someone like David Simon appears in the field of popular culture, and through an artistically challenging process asks essential questions regarding inequality and social justice, claiming collective moral responsibility of the public institutions, we see that this narrative opens many different issues. By telling stories about the contemporary American society and its flaws, Simon claims collective institutional responsibility. Based on an analysis of two TV shows, The Wire and Treme, we will discuss ethics of the institutions, individuals and policies.

PAYTONOLOGY

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