Grizzard on Narratives, Characters and Media Theories
![Matthew Grizzard Matthew Grizzard](/sites/default/files/styles/news_and_events_image/public/grizzard.jpg?h=038a9462&itok=IWCj8Lf7)
Congratulations to assistant professor Dr. Matthew Grizzard and PhD student Joe Francemone, whose recent study has been published in the Journal of Communication.
The paper, entitled "Interdependence of Narrative Characters: Implications for Media Theories," examines affective disposition theory and character interdependence in narratives.
"This paper represents what we think will begin a fundamental shift in how we design and conduct research on story characters," said Grizzard. "Our work demonstrates that viewers don’t judge story characters individually. Rather, a viewer’s perception of one character influences their perception of other characters, which implies that characters within narratives exist in a closed narrative ecosystem. This phenomenon, which we call character interdependence, has important ramifications for communication research and story creators."
Read the full article in the Journal of Communication.