the semeotics of utopianism
National Lampoon's European Vacation(1985),though almost certainly produced as "pure entertainment" in Richard Dyer's sense of the term, presents to the careful reader much more than simply ninety-five minutes of farce. Underlying nearly every scene and every character's motivations are cultural stereotypes and assumptions intended to go unnoticed within the text. In fact, this hidden underpinning is essential for the text to function as "pure entertainment" for readers, so that the more or less accepted cultural norms themselves are not at issue, but rather how the characters in the text act within them. By consciously identifying these norms, stereotypes and assumptions, however, we can catch a glimpse of the cultural milieu in which the text was produced. Although Dyer's theory of entertainment as utopia is integral to an examination of European Vacation, it must be viewed using a primarily semiotic approach in order to expose the text's cultural subconscious.While the sign "Europe" usually denotes a geographical area, it is full of connotations for the main characters, the Griswald family. When the family wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe, each family member, with one exception, has a ut
While the family is at an outdoor cafe, Clark tells them that "France is world-famous for its cuisine, so just about anything's going to be great," revealing his utopian expectations. She has just gotten a new boyfriend, Jack, who bluntly tells her that she needs to lose weight. " The lyrics proclaim that America is "back where I belong," reinforcing the text's underlying connotation of America as utopia. " Just the very fact that a trip to Europe is a prize on a game show commodifies the concept of Europe and helps make it into a sign. Although the fantasy scene provides an undiluted example of the cultural norms and assumptions at work within European Vacation, it is by no means the only part of the text to do so. While the outcome of Ellen's fantasy is utopian, the tension driving her fantasy is a fear that her husband will find potential European rivals more desirable. " And later in Rome when Rusty and Audrey want to go off by themselves, they appeal directly to Clark, not to Ellen. He enters a nightclub where outrageously-dressed and coifed Europeans are dancing. Since the Griswalds do not speak French, they think the waiter is simply being nice, but the subtitles the text provides for the reader prove the opposite. The text implies that Clark feels it is up to him to preserve an "ideal family," even under less than ideal circumstances. And though on the game show entire families compete, only the husbands and fathers give the family's answers directly to the show's host. The next fantasy in the scene belongs to the Griswalds' teenage son, Rusty.
Common topics in this essay:
European Vacation,
Ellen's Rusty's,
Paris Clark,
America Ellen,
France Clark,
Sound Music,
Princess Diana,
Griswald Ellen,
Richard Dyer's,
Rusty Audrey,
european vacation,
ellen's fantasy,
agent action,
europe connotes,
text implies,
gender role,
rusty audrey,
fantasy scene,
object desire,
fantasy utopian,
dyer's theory entertainment,
theory entertainment utopia,
situation real life,
text makes reader,
text's cultural milieu,
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Acceptance Essays
