The Empowerment
of Names or Why TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life
Image 1: “World View” (Abstruse Goose)
It is a
belief long held by humanity that names have power, to know an individuals name
is to have power over them and to “speak of the devil” summons him.
I put it to you that this old belief is firmly rooted in the new science of network theory and to the way we distinguish space from place within the metaphysical realms of human behavior and ideas.
Few networks display this double edged empowerment of names better than TV Tropes, the so called “all devouring pop culture wiki.”
I put it to you that this old belief is firmly rooted in the new science of network theory and to the way we distinguish space from place within the metaphysical realms of human behavior and ideas.
Few networks display this double edged empowerment of names better than TV Tropes, the so called “all devouring pop culture wiki.”
This may
seem hyperbolic perhaps but bear with me; spaces are defined as an area that
lacks significance or meaningful connection to the human experience as opposed
to places which have essentially been ascribed boundaries and significance (Tuan, Y. 1977); what Tuan refers to as a node in space with a nature that yields to
spatial analysis and gains symbolic weight (Tuan, Y. 1979 P. 338).
But how are these boundaries defined? What grants us a connection? TV Tropes tells us in one of their more self-referential pages titled “TV Tropes will ruin your life.”
To paraphrase, we are surrounded at all times by tropes (themes or motifs) in all genres of media, art and even the real world (BA1002. Lecture 3).
However, even if we notice these themes occasionally we quickly forget them, they are no more than a vague, undefined sense of familiarity; these unnoticed themes occupy metaphysical space.
Where the place (and supposed “ruin”) comes in, is that TV Tropes explains and provides examples of practically all of these recurring motifs in an engaging, easy to understand way, each complete with a unique title.
When there are only so many ideas to be had and they are all clearly defined, labelled and catalogued with a series of related ideas it becomes impossible not to notice and remember them.
But how are these boundaries defined? What grants us a connection? TV Tropes tells us in one of their more self-referential pages titled “TV Tropes will ruin your life.”
To paraphrase, we are surrounded at all times by tropes (themes or motifs) in all genres of media, art and even the real world (BA1002. Lecture 3).
However, even if we notice these themes occasionally we quickly forget them, they are no more than a vague, undefined sense of familiarity; these unnoticed themes occupy metaphysical space.
Where the place (and supposed “ruin”) comes in, is that TV Tropes explains and provides examples of practically all of these recurring motifs in an engaging, easy to understand way, each complete with a unique title.
When there are only so many ideas to be had and they are all clearly defined, labelled and catalogued with a series of related ideas it becomes impossible not to notice and remember them.
Everything is attributed meaning, no empty space remains.
References
Tuan, Y.
1977. Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. Edward Arnold Ltd
Tuan, Y.
1979. Space and Place: Humanistic Perspective. Springer Netherlands.
TV Tropes:
TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life. Main Page. (Viewed 11th August 2016)
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife
TV Tropes:
Tropes. Main Page. (Viewed 11th August 2016)
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tropes
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tropes
TV Tropes:
Life Imitates Art. Main Page. (Viewed 11th August 2016)
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LifeImitatesArt
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LifeImitatesArt
TV Tropes:
Measuring the Marigolds. Main Page. (Viewed 11th August 2016) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MeasuringTheMarigolds
BA1002: Our
space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Lecture 3: Space and
Identity: Genre and Transformation. [Powerpoint Slides]. Retrieved from
http://learnjcu.edu.au
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