The performance approach to the study of the Personal Experience Narrative (PEN) builds on the work of Erving Goffman by expanding on the theory of frames and strips. Additionally, in the article “The Frame Analysis of Talk” Goffman recognizes that the relationship and interaction between the narrator and the audience shapes the social context of the narrative. According to Goffman, the social interaction of the PEN is always “framed” to set the context of the narrative. However, the narrative is broken down into strips, and are often “keyed” by a set of signals, which illustrates the tone. It is these social interactions in which the performance approach of the PEN expands on. The performance approach evaluates Goffman’s concept …show more content…
A temporal juncture is a shift in time. However, the shift of time highlights the attitude of the narrator by how important the events are.
The evaluation of the narrative is “To make a long story short, after, a year, Eileen and I decided to get married.” This represents the evaluation of the PEN because there is a radical shift in time, which highlights the event an engagement, a life changing moment.
Resolution: Is often the last clause of the narratve, and represents the how the event resolves.
The resolution of the narrative is “And none of us had ever met each other before. One of us was from Ohio, another from Michigan, and the third from California.” This statement illustrates the resolution because the audience now knows how the situation of the event ended.
Coda: May or may not be included in the structure of the PEN. This literary device is cyclical in nature, because it bridges the past narrative to the present moment.
The Coda of this narrative is “It’s as if an angel would have appeared in December 1980 and said, ‘One year from now you’ll be marrying the guy sitting on your left, and the guy on your right will be playing at your wedding.” This moment in the PEN illustrates a connection from the past to the …show more content…
In terms of “reportabilty” events that are rare, multi-episodic and life changing which are told multiple times are “reportable.” Those reportable events composes the PEN into a narrative, which is unique to the person who is “performing” it. I disagree with all of the articles that state that the PEN is strictly literary, told orally, written in words, or is verbal art. I disagree with these statements because the PEN can be illustrated in visual texts like in paintings, photography, and film. For example, the neoclassical painting The Coronation of Napoleon shows Napoleon crowned in the Louvre as the new empire of France. The painting does not include text or words because the image in more influential and powerful than the actual words which tell the story. Additionally, the painting is illustrating a life-changing event that changed the discourse of western history, which is also a part of Napoleons PEN. This painting in a way is also staging a performance and causes an interaction between the teller and the audience, by capturing an dramatic shift in time; an visual evaluation. However, not all visual texts can be defined as a PEN because not all visual text capture such dramatic life-changing event that is defining a narrative or a event in a person’s life. I disagree with