Title: De-loused in the Comatorium (the reception of): an analysis of the interpretations of an intermedial narrative through an internet forum
Author: Trapman, Michael
Year: 2006
Document type: Master thesis
Full text:
De-loused in the Comatorium (the Reception of).docAbstract: This paper will study the processes that occur during the reception of art through the Internet. An important issue that is addressed is the way communication is achieved through this medium, and in particular fora. The case that I have chosen to demonstrate these processes is a forum, The Comatorium Community, of a band called The Mars Volta. They released the album De-loused in the Comatorium, which was followed by the release of a textbook that incorporates the lyrics of the songs into a bigger narrative. The focus will, therefore, be on how people communicate with each other by sharing and convincing each other of one’s own interpretation of the album, and how this is influenced by multiple intermedial and outer textual elements, such as the music, the textbook, the author’s intention, etc. I will deal with the material by means of two focus points, and point out elements that frequently show up in relation to the discussion of the album. However, to present and value the material I will at first have to specify the field, and present an image of the band itself, shed light on the genesis of the narrative and give an analysis of the textbook to show the ‘open spots’ that are free for interpretation. Thereafter, I will combine the two, the text(s) and the reception material, to show the processes of interpretation of a narrative via a website such as The Comatorium. At first I will give a short quantitative analysis, followed by an in-depth qualitative one. By combining these two I can show how the focus of interpretation changes. The main intention of my research is, therefore, to put forth which patterns can be seen in the interpretations of the members of this specific forum, and how this can be explained with the help of secondary literature concerning virtual communities in general.
Keywords: receptie, Internet Forum, reception
