Resumen de Jamming Giant Women: Narration through Song in Steven Universe
Andrea Meseguer Fernández de Sevilla, Margarita Fernández de Sevilla Martín-Albó
The purpose of this paper is to analyse thedifferent functions that songs perform asconstituent tools in the narrative developmentof the storyline in Steven Universe, acartoon TV series created by Rebecca Sugar.The narrative is driven by the disclosure ofSteven’s origin and by his development fromchildhood to adolescence. The soundtrack(and especially songs) works as an integratedand fundamental element of the text.Attaching different musical styles (pop, rap,theatrical musical) consistently to thecharacters helps build their fictionalpersonas. Purely musical procedures(integration of certain melodic themes,harmonies and specific instrumental colour)correlate to events in the narrative toprovide information about the characters’backstories and the rules that apply to theconvoluted fictional universe developed inthe series. Songs also help characters findan emotional response to conflictingemotional states. Complicated feelings,such as toxic relationships, identity, sexuality,loyalty, sacrifice, parenting, genderstereotypes and many more are elaboratedthrough songs. The integration of songs intothe narrative always moves it forward,although they sometimes challenge thediegetic/non-diegetic dichotomy.Journal of Sound, Silence, Image and Technology | Número 2 | Desembre 2019Jamming Giant Women: Narration through Song in Steven Universe
