Week 08 02/05/16 Monday

I have begun my research on methodology. I read an exegesis from a former student, and focused on how they stractured their methodology research. It was supported with diagrams and images, and the passage explained and justified why the chosen methodologies were appropriate for the practice. My idea on how to construct my own methodological framework is much clearer now. I also discovered a methodology called "active documentation"; which is essentially what I am doing right now--- documenting any work in progress and concepts that come to mind. It is great that there are actual theories out there that I could discuss concerning my methods. I will be able to write about this when constructing my methodology.

I borrowed "Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative" by Mieke Bal from the library and began reading it. It is a very interesting book with in depth analysis and examination of the structure of narratives. So far it has discussed the layers of narrative: the narrative text, the story, and fabula. At first the distinction between these layers were hard to grasp, but it is clearer to me now. Narrative texts refers to the form, the vehicle the story takes to be conveyed (film, novel, comic, etc); the story consists of key events, and also embodies the theme, in which is presented in a certain way; the fabula is the logical and chronological series of events. Bal then delves into the voice of the narrator, who, can be a character from the story and/or unrelated to the story. The narrator is the agent that the writer uses to present the story in a subjective perspective.

Much can be learned from this book, I probably will not be able to finish it, but I hope to get as much from it as possible. Narratology will be the framework I will employ for the construction of my own narrative, taking into account the voice of the narrator and the layers in the narrative. I should also research pipelines on how to create an APP, so that I could combine it with the animation and comic pipelines. I will also mention the mixed-method approach concerning my project. I believe I am off for a good start, I just need to be able to discuss these in a scholarly, academic language.

Xiao and Lu resting after a long day's work.