Resumen de From Verbal to Visual Nonsense: case study: by Lewis Carroll, Jan Šwankmajer and Terry Gilliam
My paper develops a methodology which provides a useful framework in analyzing literary nonsense, and narrativeand diegetic aspects of filmic nonsense.Nonsense on the level of multiple linguistic signs takes place at the interaction of the signified - the level of framesand codes (Barthes). The main characteristic of semantic nonsense is the opposition between frames that can mergeinto a code of logical conventionality and frames that cannot, merging into its opposite. Portmanteau nonsense isa type of nonsense which results from the interaction of portmanteau and regular words embedded in a functionalsyntactic structure. Nonsense words merging into portmanteau can be recognized as particular parts of speech.The portmanteau words in this case are unable to merge into any fixed codes due to their variety and ambiguityof meaning, but often have the ability to build frames. An analysis of Carroll’s Jabberwocky according to thesestructural categories reveals interesting facts.Approaching the analysis of visual nonsense from the direction of narratology (Genette), the interaction of literarynonsense and narratology is first explored. In semantic nonsense, both narrative and multiple diegeses are possible.Portmanteau nonsense can tell no story, but it can build a diegesis, while asemantic nonsense can do neither of thetwo. Looking at the films from this point of view, Gilliam’s Jabberwocky proves to be a narrative whose functioning isreminiscent of semantic nonsense, while Švankmajer’s film tells no story but manages to build a diegetic universe,thus relating more to portmanteau.
