film studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various film theory, theoretical, history of film, historical, and film criticism, critical approaches to film, cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media stud ...

, historical poetics is a scholarly approach to studying

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, which

David Bordwell David Jay Bordwell (; July 23, 1947 – February 29, 2024) was an American film theorist and film historian. After receiving his PhD from the University of Iowa in 1973, he wrote more than fifteen volumes on the subject of cinema including ''Na ...

outlined in his book ''Making Meaning'' (1989).Ira Stig Bhaskar (2004), "Historical Poetics, Narrative, and Interpretation" in ''A Companion to Film Theory'' (eds. Toby Miller & Robert Stan). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, p. 387. Bhaskar's article is a critical account of historical poetics. Poetics studies the ''text itself'' rather than its

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another p ...

or cultural significance and it can therefore be seen as a logical first step - though expressly not the last step - in terms of understanding how a narrative text (i.e. a

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

or a film) works.Michael Z. Newman (2006) "From Beats to Arcs: Toward a Poetics of Television Narrative." ''

The Velvet Light Trap ''The Velvet Light Trap'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering film and media studies. It is edited by graduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Texas at Austin. Each issue covers critical, theoret ...

'' Number 58, Fall 2006, p. 26.

Overview

Bordwell argues that theory-driven, interpretative approaches should be eschewed and argued that historical poetics was a better approach to studying film. Bordwell argues that " y inquiry into the fundamental principles by which a work in any representational medium is constructed can fall within the domain of poetics."David Bordwell (1989), "Historical Poetics of Cinema" in ''The Cinematic Text'' (ed. R. Barton Palmer). New York: AMS Press, p. 371 Henry Jenkins makes a distinction between descriptive poetics and prescriptive poetics where the former examine "how artworks ''have been'' constructed" and the latter make a case for "how artworks ''should be'' constructed."Henry Jenkins (1989), "Historical Poetics" in ''Approaches to Popular Film'' (ed. Joanne Hollows and Mark Jankovich). Manchester: Manchester UP, p. 100 Much of Bordwell's own research falls within the former category while an example of the latter is the '' Dogme 95 Manifesto'' by Danish

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (né Trier; born 30 April 1956) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Beginning in the late-1960s as a child actor working on Danish television series ''Secret Summer'', von Trier's career has spanned more than five decad ...

and

Thomas Vinterberg Thomas Vinterberg (; born 19 May 1969) is a Danish film director who, along with Lars von Trier, co-founded the Dogme 95 movement in filmmaking, which established rules for simplifying movie production. He is best known for the films '' The Cele ...

. Bordwell's research into the stylistic changes in Hollywood cinema demonstrates four specific changes: the use of more rapid editing, an increasingly frequent use of very long or very short lenses, a more prevalent use of close shots, and more camera movement.David Bordwell (2002) “Intensified Continuity: Visual Style in Contemporary American Film” in ''

Film Quarterly ''Film Quarterly'' (FQ), published by University of California Press, is a journal devoted to the study of film, television, and visual media. When FQ was launched in 1945 (then called ''Hollywood Quarterly''), it was considered "the first serious ...

'' 55(3), 16-28.David Bordwell (2006) ''The Way Hollywood Tells It. Story and Style in Modern Movies'' Berkeley: University of California Press. Historical poetics and neoformalism are part of the "post-theory" trend in

. Bordwell has repeatedly argued that some approaches — ones based in "Grand Theories" — do not study films ''per se'' but instead use films to confirm predetermined theoretical frameworks. He and

Noël Carroll Noel Carroll (born December 25, 1947, in Far Rockaway, New York City) is an American philosopher and a leading figure in the contemporary philosophy of art. In 2016 in ''Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog'', Carroll was ranked sixth in a list of ...

coined the term "S.L.A.B. theory" which refers to theorists Saussure,

Lacan Jacques Marie Émile Lacan (, ; ; 13 April 1901 – 9 September 1981) was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. Described as "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud", Lacan gave yearly seminars in Paris, from 1953 to 1981, and ...

Althusser Louis Pierre Althusser (, ; ; 16 October 1918 – 22 October 1990) was a French Marxist philosopher who studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy. Althusser was a long-time member an ...

, and Barthes. Historical poetics is considered to be related to cognitive film theory.Annette Kuhn and Guy Westwell (2012). "Neoformalism" in ''A Dictionary of Film Studies''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

References

{{Filmstudies Film theory

Overview

See also

References