Symbolic purposes of style: Ruben Östlund's The Square

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Standard

Symbolic purposes of style : Ruben Östlund's The Square. / Riis, Johannes.

In: Journal of Scandinavian Cinema, Vol. 13, No. 3, 2024, p. 283-300.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Riis, J 2024, 'Symbolic purposes of style: Ruben Östlund's The Square', Journal of Scandinavian Cinema, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 283-300. https://doi.org/10.1386/jsca_00100_1

APA

Riis, J. (2024). Symbolic purposes of style: Ruben Östlund's The Square. Journal of Scandinavian Cinema, 13(3), 283-300. https://doi.org/10.1386/jsca_00100_1

Vancouver

Riis J. Symbolic purposes of style: Ruben Östlund's The Square. Journal of Scandinavian Cinema. 2024;13(3):283-300. https://doi.org/10.1386/jsca_00100_1

Author

Riis, Johannes. / Symbolic purposes of style : Ruben Östlund's The Square. In: Journal of Scandinavian Cinema. 2024 ; Vol. 13, No. 3. pp. 283-300.

Bibtex

@article{539d5f7acfee4ee897d319d119efb94e,
title = "Symbolic purposes of style: Ruben {\"O}stlund's The Square",
abstract = "Symbolic criticism is easily reduced to an act of translating meaning, remote from the style of rich narratives. Drawing on David Bordwell{\textquoteright}s distinction between broad, overlapping functions of style, I argue that we can examine symbolic purposes as secondary to decorative and expressive purposes. I show how a theory on conceptual cognition proposed by psychologist Lawrence Barsalou can let the critic transcend firm distinctions between abstract and concrete features of a narrative. This proves especially helpful when narrative purposes are downplayed, for example in the resonant elements of art cinema, affecting how we construct and experience the storylines. I posit a framework for the analysis of symbolic purposes based on general mechanisms of memory and attentional guidance, letting us see continuity with critics such as Bordwell and Victor F. Perkins. This approach enables the critic to distinguish between degrees of symbolic power in Ruben {\"O}stlund{\textquoteright}s The Square.",
author = "Johannes Riis",
year = "2024",
doi = "10.1386/jsca_00100_1",
language = "English",
volume = "13",
pages = "283--300",
journal = "Journal of Scandinavian Cinema",
issn = "2042-7891",
publisher = "Intellect Ltd.",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Symbolic purposes of style

T2 - Ruben Östlund's The Square

AU - Riis, Johannes

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Symbolic criticism is easily reduced to an act of translating meaning, remote from the style of rich narratives. Drawing on David Bordwell’s distinction between broad, overlapping functions of style, I argue that we can examine symbolic purposes as secondary to decorative and expressive purposes. I show how a theory on conceptual cognition proposed by psychologist Lawrence Barsalou can let the critic transcend firm distinctions between abstract and concrete features of a narrative. This proves especially helpful when narrative purposes are downplayed, for example in the resonant elements of art cinema, affecting how we construct and experience the storylines. I posit a framework for the analysis of symbolic purposes based on general mechanisms of memory and attentional guidance, letting us see continuity with critics such as Bordwell and Victor F. Perkins. This approach enables the critic to distinguish between degrees of symbolic power in Ruben Östlund’s The Square.

AB - Symbolic criticism is easily reduced to an act of translating meaning, remote from the style of rich narratives. Drawing on David Bordwell’s distinction between broad, overlapping functions of style, I argue that we can examine symbolic purposes as secondary to decorative and expressive purposes. I show how a theory on conceptual cognition proposed by psychologist Lawrence Barsalou can let the critic transcend firm distinctions between abstract and concrete features of a narrative. This proves especially helpful when narrative purposes are downplayed, for example in the resonant elements of art cinema, affecting how we construct and experience the storylines. I posit a framework for the analysis of symbolic purposes based on general mechanisms of memory and attentional guidance, letting us see continuity with critics such as Bordwell and Victor F. Perkins. This approach enables the critic to distinguish between degrees of symbolic power in Ruben Östlund’s The Square.

U2 - 10.1386/jsca_00100_1

DO - 10.1386/jsca_00100_1

M3 - Journal article

VL - 13

SP - 283

EP - 300

JO - Journal of Scandinavian Cinema

JF - Journal of Scandinavian Cinema

SN - 2042-7891

IS - 3

ER -

ID: 375801598