Valuing circus: A corpus-assisted critical discourse investigation of review texts

Kavanagh, Katharine 2019. Valuing circus: A corpus-assisted critical discourse investigation of review texts. [Taught Course Thesis]. Masters, Cardiff University.

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Abstract

This dissertation explores how circus has been represented as valuable in British review texts and, following the understanding that reviews are a crucial component of circus discourse (Purovaara, 2009), addresses the implications of this public representation for circus workers and audiences. Drawing on the principle that evaluation as realised in texts is an expression of underlying value systems (Thompson and Alba-Juez, 2014:10; Bednarek and Caple, 2017:78), a position is outlined for the ways in which three publications value circus through their reviews. This has been determined through Corpus Linguistic analysis utilising keyword tools (Scott and Tribble, 2006) and application of APPRAISAL theory (Martin and White, 2005). The publicly available access to these value systems is then considered via a Critical Discourse Analysis approach, identifying which values are legitimised and which effaced in these reviews. The publications in the study are The Stage (a general arts industry newspaper available in newsagents), King Pole (a fan-club magazine available through membership of the Circus Friends Association), and The Catch (the most recent print magazine produced by and for circus practitioners in the UK, which ceased publication in 1998). Reviews are all taken from 1996, and results show a restricted range of values expressed in both King Pole and The Stage in comparison to The Catch. Furthermore, these are presented in a more authoritative and legitimising way than in the practitioner magazine. The effect is that the publications available to the widest section of the public obscure pertinent ways that circus can provide value to audience members, impacting consumer choice and therefore the financial security of people who make their living from circus work. Recommendations are made to encourage representation of multiple perspectives in UK circus discourse through reviews that realise more diverse value systems in their text

Item Type:	Taught Course Thesis
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Additional Information:	Please also see the PhD thesis " What’s so special about (the) circus - and who says so? A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of value difference and mediation in promotional texts" at the link below as both works are directly linked.
Related URLs:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170...
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 July 2024
Last Modified:	11 Jul 2024 13:12
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170487

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