: An Examination of the Narrative Structure of House of Cards and Netflix’s Position Within the Post-Network Era
Translated title
Narrating Netflix
Author
Pedersen, Lina Thierry
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-10-28
Pages
56
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger Netflix’ rolle som producent i den såkaldte post-netværks-æra og analyserer, hvordan den originale serie House of Cards er fortalt. Med udgangspunkt i et casestudie af House of Cards fokuserer projektet på tre narrative spor: 1) hvordan pilotafsnittet “Chapter 1” sætter seriens tone, forventninger og fortællegreb; 2) hvordan hovedpersonen Frank Underwood udvikles og fungerer som fortæller, herunder brugen af teatralske asides (direkte henvendelser til seeren) og spørgsmålet om hans troværdighed; og 3) hvilke narrative strategier serien anvender for at guide og engagere seeren. Undersøgelsen kombinerer historisk og kognitiv poetik (Bordwell) med Jason Mittells begreb om kompleks tv og Amanda Lotz’ teori om post-netværks-æraen; begreberne den upålidelige fortæller (Ferenz) og den dramatiske aside (Pfister) anvendes specifikt på Frank Underwoods henvendelser. Metodisk bygger specialet på kvalitativ tekstanalyse af seriens afsnit (med blik for sæsonforløb) og placerer casen i en historisk kontekst, der spænder fra amerikansk episodisk tv over HBOs kvalitetsdrama til Netflix’ overgang fra distributør til producent. Derudover diskuteres Netflix’ udgivelses- og distributionspraksis—herunder at udgive hele sæsoner på én gang og den deraf følgende binge-watching—samt hvordan platform og format påvirker fortællestruktur og publikums engagement. Uddraget præsenterer projektets formål, rammer og analyseplan; resultater og konklusioner fremgår af specialets senere kapitler.
This thesis examines Netflix’s role as a producer in the post-network era and analyzes how its original series House of Cards tells its story. Using a case study of House of Cards, the project focuses on three narrative tracks: (1) how the pilot episode, “Chapter 1,” establishes tone, audience expectations, and key storytelling devices; (2) how protagonist Frank Underwood develops and operates as a narrator, including his use of theatrical asides (direct address) and questions of narrator reliability; and (3) the strategies the series uses to guide and engage viewer comprehension. The study combines historical and cognitive poetics (Bordwell) with Jason Mittell’s concept of complex TV and Amanda Lotz’s account of the post-network era; the unreliable narrator (Ferenz) and the dramatic aside (Pfister) are applied specifically to Frank’s addresses. Methodologically, it relies on qualitative textual analysis across episodes (with attention to developments across seasons) and situates the case within a historical context spanning American episodic television, HBO’s “quality TV,” and Netflix’s transition from distributor to producer. It further discusses Netflix’s release and distribution practices—most notably season-at-once drops and the resulting binge-watching—and how platform and format shape narrative structure and audience engagement. This excerpt sets out the aims, framework, and analytical plan; findings and conclusions are presented in later chapters of the thesis.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
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