This lecture discussed textual analysis putting a particular focus on advertising.
So what is a text?
They way it was described by the lecturer was ‘the material traces that are left of the practice of sense-making- the only empirical evidence we have of how other people make sense of the world.’
We spent most of out time analysing various texts. Such as family portraits and labelling the signified (the mental concept behind it) and the signifier (the physical thing) as well as what connotations(The possible meaning that could be made. The cultureal 2nd meaning) and denotation (the first/ most obvious meaning) we make.
In Gill Branstons text ‘Approaching media texts’ he discusses this concept of decomposing ‘constructed’ meanings, and what is considered ‘semiotics’. Surprisingly it is extremely interesting how much you can pull apart from an image or a text or even a person. The text is very specific and structured as is includes many definitions, but it uses enough examples to keep interest throughout the piece.