From John Fiske, Television Culture (London and New York: Methuen, 1987) pp. 11!.

"#$
"%o demonstrate$ a traditiona& semioti' a''ount o( how te&e)ision makes, or attempts to
make, meanin*s that ser)e the dominant interests in so'iet+, "#, sha&& ana&+se...$ a short
se*ment o( two s'enes (rom a t+pi'a&, prime-time, &on*-runnin* series, Hart to Hart.
"#$
%he .arts are a wea&th+, hi*h-&i)in* hus/and and wi(e dete'ti)e team. ,n this parti'u&ar
episode the+ are posin* as passen*ers on a 'ruise ship on whi'h there has /een a 0ewe&
ro//er+. ,n s'ene 1 the+ are *ettin* read+ (or a dan'e durin* whi'h the+ p&an to tempt the
thie( to ro/ them, and are dis'ussin* how the ro//er+ ma+ ha)e /een e((e'ted. ,n s'ene 1
we meet the )i&&ain and )i&&ainess, who ha)e a&read+ noti'ed Jenni(er .art2s
ostentatious&+ disp&a+ed 0ewe&s.
345N5 1
.567: .e knew what he was doin* to *et into this sa(e.
.567,N5: 8id +ou tr+ the num/ers that 9ran)i&&e *a)e +ou:
.567: Yeh. , tried those ear&ier. %he+ worked per(e't&+.
.567,N5: ;e&& +ou said it was an inside 0o/, ma+/e the+ had the 'om/ination a&& the
time.
.567: Just tr+in* to e&iminate a&& the possi/i&ities. 4an +ou 'he'k this out (or me. (.e
*estures to his /ow tie.)
.567,N5: Mm. Yes , 'an. (.e hu*s her.) Mm. Li*ht (in*ers. 7h, Jonathon.
.567: Just tr+in* to keep m+ tou'h in shape.
.567,N5: ;hat a/out the ke+s to the door:
.567: %hose ke+s 'an2t /e dup&i'ated /e'ause o( the 'ode num/ers. You ha)e to
.a)e the ri*ht ma'hines.
.567,N5: ;e&&, that &ea)es the window.
.567: %he portho&e.
.567,N5: 7h +es. %he portho&e. , know the+ are supposed to /e 'harmin*, /ut the+
a&wa+s remind me o( a &aundromat.
.567: , took a peek out o( there a whi&e a*o. ,t2s a/out a&& +ou 'an do. ,t2s thirt+ (eet up
to the de'k e)en i( +ou 'ou&d make it down to the window, portho&e. You2d ha)e to /e the
thin man to s<uee=e throu*h.
.567,N5: ;hat do +ou think: (She shows her jewelry.) 5nou*h hone+ to attra't the
/ees:
.567: ;ho knows: %he+ ma+ not /e a/&e to see the hone+ (or the (&owers.
.567,N5: 7h, that2s the 'utest thin* +ou2)e e)er said to me, su*ar. ;e&&, sha&& we:
(Gestures towards the door.)
345N5 1
>,LL?,N: , suppose +ou noti'ed some o( the i'in* on 4ham/er&ain2s 'up 'ake. , didn2t
ha)e m+ 0ewe&er2s *&ass, /ut that /ra'e&et2s *ot to /e worth at &east (i(t+ thousand.
;ho&esa&e.
>,LL?,N533: @atri'k, i( +ou2re thinkin* what , know +ou2re thinkin*, (or*et it. ;e2)e
made our <uota one hit on ea'h ship. ;e said we weren2t *oin* to *et *reed+, remem/er.
>,LL?,N: Aut dar&in*, it2s +ou ,2m thinkin* o(. ?nd , don2t &ike +ou takin* a&& those
'han'es. Aut i( we 'ou&d *et enou*h ma+/e we wou&dn2t ha)e to *o /a'k to the 6i)iera
'ir'uit (or +ears.
>,LL?,N533: %hat2s what +ou said when we were there.
>,LL?,N: ;e&& ma+/e a (ew *ood in)estments and we 'an pit'h the who&e /&ood+
/usiness. Aut we are *oin* to need a /it more (or our retirement (und.
Fi*ure 1 shows the main 'odes that te&e)ision uses and their re&ationship. ? 'ode is a ru&e
s+stem o( si*ns, whose ru&es and 'on)entions are shared amon*st mem/ers o( a 'u&ture,
and whi'h is used to *enerate and 'ir'u&ate meanin*s in and (or that 'u&ture. (For a (u&&er
dis'ussion o( 'odes in semioti's see Fiske, 198!, or 723u&&i)an et al., 198!.) 4odes are
&inks /etween produ'ers, teBts, and audien'es, and are the a*ents o( interteBtua&it+
throu*h whi'h teBts interre&ate in a network o( meanin*s that 'onstitutes our 'u&tura&
wor&d. %hese 'odes work in a 'omp&eB hierar'hi'a& stru'ture that Fi*ure 1 o)ersimp&i(ies
(or the sake o( '&arit+. ,n parti'u&ar, the 'ate*ories o( 'odes are ar/itrar+ and s&ipper+, as
is their '&assi(i'ation into &e)e&s in the hierar'h+C (or instan'e, , ha)e put spee'h as a
so'ia& 'ode, and dia&o*ue (i.e. s'ripted spee'h) as a te'hni'a& one, /ut in pra'ti'e the two
are a&most indistin*uisha/&e: so'ia& ps+'ho&o*ists su'h as Aerne (19DE) ha)e shown us
how dia&o*ue in Frea& &i(e2 is (re<uent&+ s'ripted (or us /+ the intera'tiona& 'on)entions o(
our 'u&ture. 3imi&ar&+, , ha)e 'a&&ed 'astin* a 'on)entiona& representationa& 'ode, and
appearan'e a so'ia& one, /ut the two di((er on&+ in intentiona&it+ and eBp&i'itness.
@eop&e2s appear an'e in Frea& &i(e2 is a&read+ en'oded: in so (ar as we make sense o(
Figure 1 %he 4odes o( %e&e)ision
?n e)ent to /e te&e)ised is a&read+ en'oded
/+ so'ia& 'odes su'h as those o(:
Le)e& one:
F65?L,%Y2
appearan'e, dress, make-up, en)ironment, /eha)ior,
spee'h, *esture, eBpression, sound, et'.
these are en'oded e&e'troni'a&&+ /+
te'hni'a& 'odes su'h as those o(:
Le)e& two:
65@6535N%?%,7N
'amera, &i*htin*, editin*, musi', sound
whi'h transmit the
'on)entiona& representationa& 'odes, whi'h shape the
representations o(, (or eBamp&e:
narrati)e, 'on(&i't, 'hara'ter, a'tion, dia&o*ue, settin*,
'astin*, et'.
Le)e& three:
,857L79Y
whi'h are or*anised into 'oheren'e and so'ia&
a''epta/i&it+ /+ the ideo&o*i'a& 'odes, su'h as those o(:
indi)idua&ism, patriar'h+, ra'e, '&ass, materia&ism,
'apita&ism, et'.
peop&e /+ their appearan'e we do so a''ordin* to 'on)entiona& 'odes in our 'u&ture. %he
'astin* dire'tor is mere&+ usin* these 'odes more 'ons'ious&+ and more 'on)entiona&&+,
whi'h means more stereot+pi'a&&+.
%he point is that Frea&it+2 is a&read+ en'oded, or rather the on&+ wa+ we 'an per'ei)e
and make sense o( rea&it+ is /+ the 'odes o( our 'u&ture. %here ma+ /e an o/0e'ti)e,
empiri'ist rea&it+ out there, /ut there is no uni)ersa&, o/0e'ti)e wa+ o( per'ei)in* and
makin* sense o( it. ;hat passes (or rea&it+ in an+ 'u&ture is the produ't o( that 'u&ture2s
'odes, so Frea&it+2 is a&wa+s a&read+ en'oded, it is ne)er Fraw.2 ,( this pie'e o( en'oded
rea&it+ is te&e)ised, the te'hni'a& 'odes and representationa& 'on)entions o( the medium
are /rou*ht to /ear upon it so as to make it (a) transmitta/&e te'hno&o*i'a&&+ and (/) an
appropriate 'u&tura& teBt (or its audien'es.
3ome o( the so'ia& 'odes whi'h 'onstitute our rea&it+ are re&ati)e&+ pre'ise&+ de(ina/&e
in terms o( the medium throu*h whi'h the+ are eBpressed skin 'o&or, dress, hair, (a'ia&
eBpression, and so on.
7thers, su'h as those that make up a &ands'ape, (or eBamp&e, ma+ /e &ess eas+ to
spe'i(+ s+stemati'a&&+, /ut the+ are sti&& present and workin* hard. 8i((erent sorts o( trees
ha)e di((erent 'onnotati)e meanin*s en'oded into them, so do ro'ks and /irds. 3o a tree
re(&e'ted in a &ake, (or eBamp&e, is (u&&+ en'oded e)en /e(ore it is photo*raphed and
turned into the settin* (or a romanti' narrati)e.
3imi&ar&+ the te'hni'a& 'odes o( te&e)ision 'an /e pre'ise&+ identi(ied and ana&+=ed.
%he 'hoi'es a)ai&a/&e to the 'amera person, (or eBamp&e, to *i)e meanin* to what is
/ein* photo*raphed are &imited and spe'i(ia/&e: the+ 'onsist o( (ramin*, (o'us, distan'e,
mo)ement (o( the 'amera or the &ens), 'amera p&a'in*, or an*&e and &ens 'hoi'e. Aut the
'on)entiona& and ideo&o*i'a& 'odes and the re&ationship /etween them are mu'h more
e&usi)e and mu'h harder to spe'i(+, thou*h it is the task o( 'riti'ism to do 0ust that. For
instan'e, the 'on)entions that *o)ern the representation o( spee'h as Frea&isti' dia&o*ue2
in 3'ene 1 resu&t in the heroine askin* <uestions whi&e the hero pro)ides the answers. %he
representationa& 'on)ention /+ whi'h women are shown to &a'k know&ed*e whi'h men
possess and *i)e to them is an eBamp&e o( the ideo&o*i'a& 'ode o( patriar'h+. 3imi&ar&+
the 'on)entiona& representation o( 'rime as the(t o( persona& propert+ is an en'odin* o(
the ideo&o*+ o( 'apita&ism. %he Fnatura&ness2 with whi'h the two (it to*ether in the s'ene
is e)iden'e o( how these ideo&o*i'a& 'odes work to or*ani=e the other 'odes into
produ'in* a 'on*ruent and 'oherent set o( meanin*s that 'onstitute the 'ommon sense o(
a so'iet+. %he pro'ess o( makin* sense in)o&)es a 'onstant mo)ement up and down
throu*h the &e)e&s o( the dia*ram, (or sense 'an on&+ /e produ'ed when Frea&it+,2
representations, and ideo&o*+ mer*e into a 'oherent, seemin*&+ natura& unit+. 3emioti' or
'u&tura& 'riti'ism de'onstru'ts this unit+ and eBposes its Fnatura&ness2 as a hi*h&+
ideo&o*i'a& 'onstru't.
? semioti' ana&+sis attempts to re)ea& how these &a+ers o( en'oded meanin*s are
stru'tured into te&e)ision pro*rams, e)en in as sma&& a se*ment as the one we are workin*
with. %he sma&& si=e o( the se*ment en'oura*es us to per(orm a detai&ed ana&+ti'a&
readin* o( it, /ut pre)ents us ta&kin* a/out &ar*er-s'a&e 'odes, su'h as those o( the
narrati)e. Aut it does pro)ide a *ood startin* point (or our work.
Camera Work
%he 'amera is used throu*h an*&e and deep (o'us to *i)e us a per(e't )iew o( the s'ene,
and thus a 'omp&ete understandin* o( it. Mu'h o( the p&easure o( te&e)ision rea&ism 'omes
(rom this sense o( omnis'ien'e that it *i)es us. 4amera distan'e is used to swin* our
s+mpathies awa+ (rom the )i&&ain and )i&&ainess, and towards the hero and heroine. %he
norma& 'amera distan'e in te&e)ision is mid-shot to '&ose-up, whi'h /rin*s the )iewer into
an intimate, 'om(orta/&e re&ationship with the 'hara'ters on the s'reen. Aut the )i&&ain
and )i&&ainess are a&so shown in eBtreme '&ose-up (54G). %hrou*hout this who&e episode
o( .art to .art there are on&+ three s'enes in whi'h 54Gs are used: the+ are used on&+ to
represent heroHine and )i&&ainHess, and o( the twent+-one 54Gs, ei*hteen are o( the
)i&&ainHess and on&+ three o( the heroHine. 5Btreme '&ose-ups /e'ome a 'odi(ied wa+ (or
representin* )i&&ain+.
%his en'odin* 'on)ention is not 'on(ined to (i'tiona& te&e)ision, where we mi*ht think
that its work upon the a&i*nment o( our s+mpathies, and thus on our mora& 0ud*ement, is
0usti(ied. ,t is a&so used in news and 'urrent a((airs pro*rams whi'h present themse&)es as
/rin*in* rea&it+ to us Fo/0e'ti)e&+.2 %he 'ourt a'tion resu&tin* (rom 9enera&
;estmore&and2s &i/e& suit a*ainst the 4A3 in 198I re)ea&ed these 'odes more
<uestiona/&+ at work in te&e)ision reportin*. ?&eB Jones re'ounts their use in his report o(
the tria& (or the New York Times:
?mon* the more 'ontro)ersia& te'hni<ues is p&a'in* an inter)iewee in partia& shadow in
order to &end drama to what is /ein* said. ?&so de/ated is the use o( eBtreme '&ose-ups
that tend to emphasi=e the tension (e&t /+ a person /ein* inter)iewedC )iewers ma+
asso'iate the appearan'e o( tension with &+in* or *ui&t.
%he eBtreme '&ose-up 'an /e espe'ia&&+ dama*in* when an inter)iew is 'are(u&&+ s'ripted
and a 'ameraman is instru'ted to (o'us ti*ht&+ on the person2s (a'e at the point when the
tou*hest <uestion is to /e asked. 3ome do'umentar+ makers wi&& not use su'h '&ose-ups
at a&& in inter)iews /e'ause the+ 'an /e so mis&eadin*.
%he 4A3 do'umentar+ 'ontained /oth a shadowed inter)iew o( a (riend&+ witness and
Fti*ht shots2 o( 9enera& ;estmore&and. 3u'h te'hni<ues ha)e /een used in do'umentaries
/+ other networks as we&&.
5)en the wariest )iewer is &ike&+ to (ind it di((i'u&t to dete't some other 'ommon
te'hni<ues. F, 'an2t ima*ine a *enera& )iewer *ettin* so sophisti'ated with te'hni<ues that
the+ 'ou&d dis'ount them,2 said 6eu)en Frank, a (ormer president at NA4 News who has
/een makin* do'umentaries (or a/out !J +ears. (NYT, Fe/ruar+ 17, 198I: 85)
%here are two possi/&e sour'es o( the 'on)entions that *o)ern the meanin*s *enerated /+
this 'ode o( 'amera distan'e. 7ne is the so'ia& 'ode o( inter persona& distan'e: in western
'u&tures the spa'e within a/out 1E in'hes (DJ 'm) o( us is en'oded as pri)ate. ?n+one
enterin* it is /ein* either hosti&e, when the entr+ is unwe&'ome, or intimate, when it is
in)ited. 54Gs rep&i'ate this, and are used (or moments o( te&e)isua& intima'+ or hosti&it+,
and whi'h meanin*s the+ 'on)e+ depends on the other so'ia& and te'hni'a& 'odes /+
whi'h the+ are 'onteBtua&i=ed, and /+ the ideo&o*i'a& 'odes /rou*ht to /ear upon them.
.ere, the+ are used to 'on)e+ hosti&it+. %he other sour'e &ies in the te'hni'a& 'odes whi'h
imp&+ that seein* '&ose&+ means seein* /etter the )iewer 'an see into the )i&&ain, see
through his words, and thus *ains power o)er him, the power and the p&easure o(
Fdominant spe'u&arit+.2
%hese te'hni'a& and so'ia& 'odes mani(est the ideo&o*i'a& en'odin* o( )i&&ain+.
Most o( the other te'hni'a& 'odes 'an /e dea&t with more <ui'k&+, with on&+ /rie(
'omments.
Lighting
%he hero2s 'a/in is &it in a so(t, +e&&owish &i*ht, that o( the )i&&ains in a harsh, whiter one.
(, am reminded o( .o*/en2s (1981) ane'dote a/out the o''asion when he was *i)en a
hosti&e treatment in a te&e)ision inter)iew. .e did, how e)er, mana*e to 'on)in'e the
inter)iewer that his point o( )iew deser)ed more s+mpath+, whereupon the inter)iewer
insisted the+ re'ord the inter)iew a*ain, /ut this time without the *reenish-white studio
&i*htin*.)
diting
%he heroes are *i)en more time (71 se's) than the )i&&ains (E9), and more shots (1J as
a*ainst 7), thou*h /oth ha)e an a)era*e shot &en*th o( 7 se'onds. ,t is remarka/&e how
'onsistent this is a'ross di((erent modes o( te&e)ision (see Fiske, 198D): it has /e'ome a
'on)entiona& rh+thm o( te&e)ision 'ommon to news, drama, and sport.
!usi"
%he musi' &inkin* the two s'enes started in a ma0or ke+, and 'han*ed to minor as the
s'ene 'han*ed to the )i&&ains.
Casting
%his te'hni'a& 'ode re<uires a &itt&e more dis'ussion. %he a'tors and a'tresses who are
'ast to p&a+ heroHines, )i&&ainHesses and supportin* ro&es are rea& peop&e whose appearan'e
is a&read+ en'oded /+ our so'ia& 'odes. Aut the+ are e<ua&&+ media peop&e, who eBist (or
the )iewer interteBtua&&+, and whose meanin*s are a&so interteBtua&. %he+ /rin* with them
not on&+ residues o( the meanin*s o( other ro&es that the+ ha)e p&a+ed, /ut a&so their
meanin*s (rom other teBts su'h as (an ma*a=ines, show/i= *ossip 'o&umns, and te&e)ision
'riti'ism. Later on in the /ook "Television Culture$ we wi&& dis'uss interteBtua&it+ and
'hara'ter portra+a& in *reater depth: here we need to note that these dimensions o(
meanin* are )ita& in the 'ode o( 'astin*, and that the+ are more important in the 'astin* o(
heroHines than o( )i&&ainHesses.
4hara'ters on te&e)ision are not 0ust representations o( indi)idua& peop&e /ut are
en'odin*s o( ideo&o*+, Fem/odiments o( ideo&o*i'a& )a&ues2 (Fiske, 1987a). 9er/ner2s
(197J) work showed that )iewers were '&ear a/out the di((erent 'hara'teristi's o(
te&e)ision heroes and )i&&ains on two dimensions on&+: heroes were more attra'ti)e and
more su''ess(u& than )i&&ains. %heir attra'ti)eness, or &a'k o( it, is part&+ the resu&t o( the
wa+ the+ are en'oded in the te'hni'a& and so'ia& 'odes 'amera work, &i*htin*, settin*,
'astin*, et'., /ut the ideo&o*i'a& 'odes are a&so important, (or it is these that make sense
out o( the re&ationship /etween the te'hni'a& 'ode o( 'astin* and the so'ia& 'ode o(
appearan'e, and that a&so re&ate their te&e)isua& use to their /roader use in the 'u&ture at
&ar*e. ,n his ana&+sis o( )io&en'e on te&e)ision, 9er/ner (197J) (ound that heroes and
)i&&ains are e<ua&&+ &ike&+ to use )io&en'e and to initiate it, /ut that heroes were su''ess(u&
in their )io&en'e, whereas )i&&ains (ina&&+ were not. 9er/ner worked out a ki&&ers-to-ki&&ed
ratio a''ordin* to di((erent 'ate*ories o( a*e, seB, '&ass, and ra'e. %he ki&&ers 'ate*or+
in'&uded heroes and )i&&ains, /ut the ki&&ed 'ate*or+ in'&uded )i&&ains on&+. .e (ound that
a 'hara'ter who was white, ma&e, midd&e '&ass (or '&ass&ess) and in the prime o( &i(e was
)er+ &ike&+, i( not 'ertain, to /e a&i)e at the end o( the pro*ram. 4on)erse&+ 'hara'ters
who de)iated (rom these norms were &ike&+ to /e ki&&ed durin* the pro*ram in proportion
to the eBtent o( their de)ian'e. ;e ma+ use 9er/ner2s (indin*s to theori=e that heroes are
so'ia&&+ 'entra& t+pes who em/od+ the dominant ideo&o*+, whereas )i&&ains and )i'tims
are mem/ers o( de)iant or su/ordinate su/'u&tures who thus em/od+ the dominant
ideo&o*+ &ess 'omp&ete&+, and ma+, in the 'ase o( )i&&ains, em/od+ ideo&o*ies that oppose
it. %he teBtua& opposition /etween heroHine and )i&&ainHess, and the )io&en'e /+ whi'h this
opposition is 'ommon&+ dramati=ed, /e'ome metaphors (or power re&ation ships in
so'iet+ and thus a materia& pra'ti'e throu*h whi'h the dominant ideo&o*+ works. (%his
theor+ is dis'ussed more (u&&+ in Fiske and .art&e+, 1978, and in Fiske, 1981.)
%he )i&&ain in this se*ment has hints o( non-?meri'annessC some )iewers ha)e '&assed
his a''ent, manner, and spee'h as Aritish, (or others his appearan'e has seemed .ispani'.
Aut the hero and heroine are /oth '&ear&+ midd&e-'&ass, white ?meri'ans, at home amon*
the ;?3@s (;hite ?n*&o-3aBon @rotestants). %he )i&&ainess is ?r+an, /&onde, prett+, and
+oun*er than the )i&&ain. 9er/ner2s work wou&d &ead us to predi't that his 'han'es o(
sur)i)in* the episode are s&im, whereas hers are mu'h /etter. %he predi'tion is 'orre't.
3he (ina&&+ 'han*es sides and he&ps the heroHme, whereas he is ki&&edC hints o( this are
'ontained in her 'ondemnation o( the )i&&ain2s *reed, whi'h positions her more 'entra&&+
in the ideo&o*i'a& dis'ourse o( e'onomi's (see /e&ow).
%hese te'hni'a& 'odes o( te&e)ision transmit, and in some 'ases mer*e into, the so'ia&
'odes o( Le)e& 1. Let us &ook at how some o( them are workin* to *enerate meanin*s and
how the+ em/od+ the ideo&o*i'a& 'odes o( Le)e& !.
Setting and Costume
%he heroHine2s 'a/in is &ar*er than that o( the )i&&ainHess: it is humani=ed, made more
attra'ti)e /+ drapes and (&owers, whereas the other is a&& sharp an*&es and hard &ines. %he
)i&&ain wears a uni(orm that p&a'es him as a ser)ant or emp&o+ee and the )i&&ainess2s dress
is &ess taste(u&, &ess eBpensi)e than the heroine2s. %hese ph+si'a& di((eren'es in the so'ia&
'odes o( settin* and dress are a&so /earers o( the ideo&o*i'a& 'odes o( '&ass, o( heroism
and )i&&ain+, o( mora&it+, and o( attra'ti)eness. %hese a/stra't ideo&o*i'a& 'odes are
'ondensed into a set o( materia& so'ia& ones, and the materia&it+ o( the di((eren'es o( the
so'ia& 'odes is used to *uarantee the truth and natura&ness o( the ideo&o*i'a&. ;e must
note, too, how some ideo&o*i'a& 'odes are more eBp&i'it than others: the 'odes o(
heroism, )i&&ain+, and attra'ti)eness are workin* (air&+ open&+ and a''epta/&+. Aut under
them the 'odes o( '&ass, ra'e, and mora&it+ are workin* &ess open&+ and more
<uestiona/&+: their ideo&o*i'a& work is to natura&i=e the 'orre&ation o( &ower-'&ass, non-
?meri'an with the &ess attra'ti)e, &ess mora&, and there(ore )i&&ainous. 4on)erse&+, the
midd&e and the white ?meri'an is 'orre&ated with the more attra'ti)e, the more mora& and
the heroi'. %his disp&a'ement o( mora&it+ onto '&ass is a 'ommon (eature o( our popu&ar
'u&ture: 8or(man and Matte&art (197I) ha)e shown how ;a&t 8isne+ 'artoons
'onsistent&+ eBpress )i&&ain+ throu*h 'hara'teristi's o( workin*-'&ass appearan'e and
mannerC indeed the+ ar*ue that the on&+ time the workin* '&ass appear in the midd&e-
'&ass wor&d o( 8u'ks)i&&e it is as )i&&ains. Fiske (198E) has (ound the same teBtua&
strate*+ in the 8r ;ho te&e)ision series.
!ake#u$
%he same mer*in* o( the ideo&o*i'a& 'odes o( mora&it+, attra'ti)eness, and
heroismH)i&&ain+, and their 'ondensation into a materia& so'ia& 'ode, 'an /e seen in
somethin* as apparent&+ insi*ni(i'ant as &ipsti'k. %he )i&&ainess has a num/er o( si*ns
that 'ontradi't her )i&&ain+ (she is /&onde, white ?meri'an, prett+, and more mora& than
the )i&&ain). %hese predi't her e)entua& 'on)ersion to the side o( the hero and heroine, /ut
she 'annot &ook too &ike them at this ear&+ sta*e o( the narrati)e, so her &ips are made up
to /e thinner and &ess seBua&&+ attra'ti)e than the (u&&er &ips o( the heroine. %he ideo&o*+
o( &ipsti'k ma+ seem a stret'hed 'on'ept, /ut it is in the a**re*ate o( apparent&+
insi*ni(i'ant en'odin*s that ideo&o*+ works most e((e'ti)e&+.
%"tion
%here are a num/er o( si*ni(i'ant simi&arities and di((eren'es /etween the a'tions o( the
heroHine and the )i&&ainHess. ,n /oth 'a/ins the women are prett+in* themse&)es, the men
are p&annin*. %his natura&i=es the man2s eBe'uti)e ro&e (9o((man, 1979) o( insti*atin*
a'tion and the woman2s ro&e as o/0e't o( the ma&e *a=e noti'e the mirror in ea'h 'a/in
whi'h ena/&es her to see herse&( as F/earer o( her own ima*e2 (Aer*er, 1971): the (a't that
this is 'ommon to /oth heroHme and )i&&ainHess puts it /e+ond the rea&m o( 'on(&i't in the
narrati)e and into the rea&m o( e)er+da+ 'ommon sense within whi'h the narrati)e is
ena'ted. %he other a'tion 'ommon to /oth is the *ettin* and keepin* o( wea&th as a
moti)e (or a'tion, and as a motor (or the narrati)e: this a&so is not part o( the 'on(&i't-to-
/e-reso&)ed, /ut part o( the ideo&o*i'a& (ramework throu*h whi'h that 'on(&i't is )iewed
and made sense o(.
? di((eren'e /etween the two is that o( 'o-operation and '&oseness. %he hero and
heroine 'o-operate and 'ome ph+si'a&&+ '&oser to*ether, the )i&&ain and )i&&ainess, on the
other hand, disa*ree and pu&& apart ph+si'a&&+. ,n a so'iet+ that p&a'es a hi*h )a&ue on a
man and woman /ein* a '&ose 'oup&e this is another /earer o( the dominant ideo&o*+.
&ialogue
%he dia&o*ue a&so is used to a((e't our s+mpath+. %hat o( the )i&&ain and )i&&ainess is
restri'ted to their ne(arious p&ans and their mutua& disa*reement, whereas the hero and
heroine are a&&owed a 0oke (windowHportho&eH&aundromat), an eBtended metaphor (hone+
and the /ees), and the narrati)e time to esta/&ish a warm, 'o-operati)e re&ationship. Aoth
the heroHme and )i&&ainHess are a&&owed iron+.
'deologi"al Codes
%hese 'odes and the te&e)isua& 'odes whi'h /rin* them to the )iewer are /oth deep&+
em/edded in the ideo&o*i'a& 'odes o( whi'h the+ are themse&)es the /earers. ,( we adopt
the same ideo&o*i'a& pra'ti'e in the de'odin* as the en'odin* we are drawn into the
position o( a white, ma&e, midd&e-'&ass ?meri'an (or westerner) o( 'on)entiona& mora&it+.
%he readin* position is the so'ia& point at whi'h the miB o( te&e)isua&, so'ia&, and
ideo&o*i'a& 'odes 'omes to*ether to make 'oherent, uni(ied sense: in makin* sense o( the
pro*ram in this wa+ we are indu&*in* in an ideo&o*i'a& pra'ti'e ourse&)es, we are
maintainin* and &e*itimatin* the dominant ideo&o*+, and our reward (or this is the eas+
p&easure o( the re'o*nition o( the (ami&iar and o( its ade<ua'+. ;e ha)e a&read+ /e'ome a
Freadin* su/0e't2 'onstru'ted /+ the teBt, and, a''ordin* to ?&thusser (1971), the
'onstru'tion o( su/0e'ts-in-ideo&o*+ is the ma0or ideo&o*i'a& pra'ti'e in 'apita&ist
so'ieties.
%his ideo&o*i'a& pra'ti'e is workin* at its hardest in three narrati)e de)i'es in this
se*ment. %he (irst is the windowHportho&eH&aundromat 0oke, whi'h, as we ha)e seen, is
used to marsha& the )iewer2s a((e'ti)e s+mpath+ on the side o( the heroHme. Aut it does
more than that. Freud te&&s us that 0okes are used to re&ie)e the anBiet+ 'aused /+
repressed, unwe&'ome, or ta/oo meanin*s. %his 0oke re)o&)es around the F(eminine2 (as
de(ined /+ our dominant 'u&ture) ina/i&it+ to understand or use te'hni'a& &an*ua*e, and
the e<ua&&+ F(eminine2 tenden'+ to make sense o( e)er+thin* throu*h a domesti'
dis'ourse. F@ort ho&e2 is te'hni'a& dis'ourse mas'u&ine: Fwindow-&aundromat2 is
domesti'- nurturin* dis'ourse (eminine. %he anBiet+ that the 0oke re&ie)es is that
'aused /+ the (a't that the heroine is a dete'ti)e, is in)o&)ed in the 'at'hin* o( 'rimina&s
a'ti)ities that are part o( the te'hni'a& wor&d o( men in patriar'h+. %he 0oke is used to
re'uperate 'ontradi'tor+ si*ns /a'k into the dominant s+stem, and to smooth o)er an+
'ontradi'tions that mi*ht disrupt the ideo&o*i'a& homo*eneit+ o( the narrati)e. %he
attra'ti)eness o( the heroine must not /e put at risk /+ a&&owin* her 'ha&&en*e to
patriar'h+ to /e too stark (or attra'ti)eness is a&wa+s ideo&o*i'a&, ne)er mere&+
ph+si'a& or natura&.
%he metaphor that eBpresses the seBua& attra'ti)eness o( women (or men in terms o(
the attra'tion o( hone+ and (&owers (or the /ees works in a simi&ar wa+. ,t natura&i=es this
attra'tion, maskin* its ideo&o*i'a& dimension, and then eBtends this natura&ness to its
eBp&anation o( the attra'ti)e ness o( other peop&e2s 0ewe&r+ (or &ower-'&ass non-?meri'an
)i&&ainsK %he metaphor is workin* to natura&i=e 'u&tura& 'onstru'tions o( *ender, '&ass,
and ra'e.
%he third de)i'e is that o( 0ewe&r+ itse&(. ?s we ha)e seen, the *ettin* and keepin* o(
wea&th is the ma0or motor o( the narrati)e, and 0ewe&r+ is its materia& si*ni(ier. %hree
ideo&o*i'a& 'odes interse't in the use o( 0ewe&r+ in this narrati)e: the+ are the 'odes o(
e'onomi's, *ender, and '&ass.
,n the 'ode o( e'onomi's, the )i&&ain and )i&&ainess stress the 0ewe&r+2s
in)estmentHeB'han*e (un'tion: it is Fworth at &east (i(t+ thousand who&esa&e,2 it (orms Fa
retirement (und.2 For the hero and heroine and (or the '&ass the+ represent this (un'tion is
&e(t unstated: 0ewe&r+, i( it is an in)estment, is one to ho&d, not 'ash in. ,t is used rather as
a si*n o( '&ass, o( wea&th, and o( aestheti' taste.
%he aestheti' sense, or *ood taste, is t+pi'a&&+ used as a /earer and natura&i=er o( '&ass
di((eren'es. %he heroine de&i/erate&+ o)erdoes the 0ewe&r+, makin* it )u&*ar and taste&ess
in order to attra't the &ower-'&ass )i&&ain and )i&&ainess. %he+, in their turn, show their
de/ased taste, their aestheti' insensiti)it+, /+ &ikenin* it to the i'in* on a 'up'ake. ?s
Aourdieu (19D8) has shown us, the (un'tion o( aestheti's in our so'iet+ is to make '&ass-
/ased and 'u&ture-spe'i(i' di((eren'es o( taste appear uni)ersa& and there(ore natura&. %he
taste o( the dominant '&asses is uni)ersa&i=ed /+ aestheti' theor+ out o( its '&ass ori*inC
the metaphor o( Ftaste2 works in a simi&ar wa+ /+ disp&a'in* '&ass di((eren'es onto the
ph+si'a&, and there(ore natura&, senses o( the /od+.
%he meanin* o( 0ewe&r+ in the 'ode o( *ender is '&ear. Jewe&s are the 'oins /+ whi'h
the (ema&e-as-patriar'ha&-'ommodit+ is /ou*ht, and wearin* them is the si*n /oth o( her
possession /+ a man, and o( his e'onomi' and so'ia& status. ,nterestin*&+, in the 'ode o(
*ender, there is no '&ass di((eren'e /etween heroHine and )i&&ainHess: the e'onomi's o(
patriar'h+ are the same (or a&& '&asses, thus makin* it appear uni)ersa& and natura& that
man pro)ides (or his woman.
%his ana&+sis has not on&+ re)ea&ed the 'omp&eBit+ o( meanin*s en'oded in what is
(re<uent&+ taken to /e sha&&ow and super(i'ia&, /ut it a&so imp&ies that this 'omp&eBit+ and
su/t&et+ has a power(u& e((e't upon the audien'e. ,t imp&ies that the wide )ariet+ o( 'odes
a&& 'ohere to present a uni(ied set o( meanin*s that work to maintain, &e*itimate, and
natura&i=e the dominant ideo&o*+ o( patriar'ha& 'apita&ism. %heir ideo&o*i'a& e((e'ti)it+
appears irresisti/&e, " a&thou*h , do not think it is, and ar*ue e&sewhere wh+ it is not
(Fiske, 1987/: 'hs. I and D).$ For the moment, howe)er, it ser)es to demonstrate that
popu&ar te&e)ision is /oth 'omp&eB and deep&+ in(used with ideo&o*+.
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