Professor: Jorge Martínez Lucena

Black Mirror 1.1.: “National Anthem”

Metafiction “is the literary term describing fictional writing that self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artifact in posing questions about the relationship between fiction and reality, usually using irony and self-reflection” (Wikipedia)

There are very different ways to produce this awareness in the spectator.

Metafiction

Let’s see some examples of metafiction:

The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6NNGxVt7h4

Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 1997): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8eQ55lzNhA

The Matrix (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-rKWkVecJ4

House of Cards (Netflix, 2013-): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULwUzF1q5w4

(breaking of the fourth wall)

Metafiction

TV-Narcissism is a soft sort of metafiction which simply consist of telling a story about the journalistic world or about a world where audiovisual products (TV, cameras, smart-phones, etc.) are elaborated.

We can see how the narratives that we usually consume as true are constructed.

TV-Narcissism

- Broadcast News (James L. Brook, 1987)

- Studio 60 (2006-2007): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zyOhZsvIzI&list=PLCROIdZh_t3JmAE_11GvWkMaAK7HNKPEi

- Network, un mundo implacable (Sydney Lumet, 1976): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_qgVn-Op7Q

- The Newsroom (2012-): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0QbkfibYcI

TV-Narcissism

- The royal kidnapping is announced through Youtube.

- The princess who is hijacked is called “the Facebook Princess” because she is a beloved celebrity.

- The demands of the artist-terrorist have to do with broadcasting certain images.

- The terrorist’s artwork is successful thanks to some predictable behaviors (by politicians, the journalistic industry and spectators).

- The terrorist can manipulate people using emotions audiovisually (PM causes princess pain)

- The police cannot catch the terrorist because of exhibitionism (journalism + social network)

- During the episode we are shown to several moments when the telly seems to be the master that must be followed (hospital, politicians, journalists, pubs, empty streets, etc.)

TV-Narcissism in Episode 1.1.

In this case TV-Narcissism clearly accomplishes its function: to make the spectator aware of his weaknesses and to declare that the world we are talking about is our real world.

In fact, we deplore the spectators in the show as they watch kinky images while we are doing the same thing; watching not only how they are watching bestiality but some limited cuts of the awful act as well.

TV-Narcissism in Episode 1.1.

Similarities between reality and the world portrayed in this episode:

• TV and the internet world is more interesting than the ordinary world (empty street)

• TV is the measurement of the reality. In order to know if something that appears on the web is true you have to check whether this piece of news is on TV as well.

• Politicians make decisions according to their electoral interests. Public opinion is more relevant than justice or morality.

• There is a kind of impulse to see, a kind of morbid fascination. Men are mesmerized by images. They need to watch kinky scenes and hot news instead of living their own lives (taking care of others).

TV-Narcissism in Episode 1.1.

• TV and New Technologies seem to legitimate our screening of everything. We tend to think that we have the right to see the intimacy of the other. Our world is full of cameras which give us access to every piece of information in the world.

• There is an operating unconscious imaginary which makes us think that if we can see some supposedly hidden or private or banned thing, we should do that.

• We understand that this possibility -to see everything- is something egalitarian. Access to the images and information seems to us to be a democratic indicator.

• Moreover, the democratic form of wisdom is the entertaining image. The crowning moment of democratic thinking is entertainment.

Democracy and the Right to See

The quintessential example of this is the culture of realities and selfies (youtube).

It is not enough to see everything. The spectator wants to appear in the screen. He wants to show himself, his body, and his sexuality in order to exist, to be somebody.

Only if you appear on TV, are you really a relevant human person, a celebrity.

TV is ontologically more powerful than reality.

I Need to Show Myself

One of the functions of the art is to make society realize its unfairness in order to improve.

The terrorist-artist who kidnaps the princess tries to make an statement about politicians, about citizens and about the power of the screens.

He demonstrates that:

• He can put the UK government in check easily.

• He can cheat everybody using the available technology intelligently in order to manipulate people through emotions.

• People don’t take into account human dignity when the beloved celebrity is put in danger.

As he manages to make all of these particulars evident (especially the last one), he kills himself because there seems to be no way to escape from this unfair society.

Art as Social Critique

But, perhaps our situation is not hopeless.

BM 1.1. is art and entertainment at the same time. Its TV-Narcissism let us realize that Charlie Brooker is criticizing entertainment through entertainment (a Channel4 TV-series)

Art as Critique and Entertainment