THE IMMANENCE OF SYMPATHY AND EMPATHY IN THE CONTEXT OF AUDIENCE-CHARACTER RELATIONSHIP: AS AN EXAMPLE “REAR WINDOW”
Abstract
One of the most controversial
topics of cinematography is undoubtedly the special relationship that forms
between the audience and characters. Many studies and approaches have been
undertaken to understand this special bond. Many different views were raised
through the concepts of identification, assimilation, empathy and sympathy.
Especially, the cognitive approaches of the 80’s argued that the concept of
identification would not be enough to define this relationship and that
different concepts would be better suited to find a broader understanding.
However, it is quite difficult to even reach a consensus on this issue. It has
been suggested that the audience identifies with the characters or approaches
the characters with sympathy and sometimes establishes a relationship at the
level of empathy. The aim of this study is to discuss the ambiguity of the
conceptual boundaries that describe the relationships a viewer can build with
the characters within a film. Because in a film, the relationship between the audience
and the characters can occur in different planes, these planes may interfere
with each other and even appear at the same time. This is due to the
possibility that each film may have its own structure. Although we
can relate to the characters in a movie at the level of empathy and sympathy,
it is quite difficult to determine where they begin and where it ends. Every
single movie should be taken into account as a specific example of the
cinematographic art form, as a separate entity all by itself. While
it is not even possible to fully differentiate where sympathy ends and empathy
begins in a conceptual level, we can surely agree that it is very difficult if
not impossible to develop a single model that fits each film, in each age with
all genres. This study aims to show the ambiguity of the concepts of empathy
and sympathy in cinematography through Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954)
film, which has a very unique place in terms of the relationship between the
audiences and characters that resonates through the ages.
Keywords
References
- Baudry, Jean-Louis, (1974) “Ideological Effects Of The Basic Cinematographic Apparatus”. Film Quarterly, 28(2): 39-47.
- Baron-Cohen, Simon, (1995). Mindblindness: An Essay Autism And Theory of Mind. MIT Press, Cambridge-Massachusetts.
- Baron-Cohen, Simon, (2004). The Essential Difference: Male and Female Brains and Truth About Autism. Basic Books, New York.
- Carroll, Noell, (2008). The Philosophy of Motion Pictures. Malden, MA: Blackwell
- Carroll, Noell, (2007). “On Ties that Bind: Characters, the Emotions, and Popular Fictions.” In Philosophy and the Interpretation of Pop Culture, W. Irwin ve J.E. Jorge Gracia (Ed.), Rowman and Littlefield. Lanham, 89-116.
- Carroll, Noell, (1990). The Philosophy of Horror or Paradoxes of the Heart. Routledge, London.
- Creed, Barbara, (1998). “Film and Psychoanalysis”. J. Hill ve P.C. Gibson (Ed.), The Oxford Guide To Film Studies, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Gaut, Berry, (2010). “Empathy and Identification in Cinema”. Midwest Studies in Philosophy. 34: 136-157.
- Gaut, Berry, (1999). “Identification and Emotion in Narrative Film”. C. Plantinga ve G.M. Smith (Ed.). Passionate Views. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 200-216.
- Hitchcock A., Truffaut, F. (2018). Hitchcock & Truffaut, Çev. İlyas Hızlı, Hayek Kitap İstanbul.
- Metz, Christian, (1982). Psychoanalysis And The Cinema: The Imaginery Signifier. (çev. C. Britton, A. Williams, B. Brewster, A. Guzetti), Macmillan Press, London.
- Mulvey, Laura, (1975). “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” Screen, 16(3)
- Neill, Alex, (2006). “Empathy and Film Fiction/Post Theory”, N. Carroll ve J. Choi (Ed.). Philosophy of Film and Motion Pictures:An Anthology. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 247-259.
- Smith, Murray (1995). Engaging Characters: Fiction Emotion and Cinema. Oxford University Press, New York.
- Rothschild, B. ve Rand, M. L. (2006). Help for the Helper: The Psychophysiology of Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma. Norton, New York.
- Stam, Robert, (2014). Sinema Teorisine Giriş. (çev. S. Salman ve Ç. Asatekin). Ayrıntı Yayınları, İstanbul.
- Wispe, Lauren, (1986). “The Distinction Between Sympathy and Empathy: To call forth a concept, a Word Is Needed”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 50(2): 314-321.
- Wollheim, Richard, (1984). The Thread of Life. Harward University Press, Cambridge.
- Wood, Robin (2004). Hitchcock Sineması. (Çev. Ertan Yılmaz) Kabalcı Yayınları, İstanbul
- Zizek, Slovaj (2011). İdeolojinin Yüce Nesnesi, (çev. Tuncay Birkan) Metis Yayınları, İstanbul.
Abstract
Film çalışmalarının en
tartışmalı konularından birisi kuşkusuz izleyici-karakter ilişkisidir. Bu
konuda birçok yaklaşım geliştirilmiştir. Özdeşleşme, asimilasyon, empati ve
sempati kavramları üzerinden birçok farklı görüş ortaya atılmıştır. Özellikle
80’lerin Bilişsel yaklaşımları özdeşleşme kavramının tek başına yeterli
olmayacağını savunarak farklı kavramların bu ilişkiyi daha iyi tanımlayacağını
öne sürmüşlerdir. Gelgelelim bu konuda da tam bir uzlaşma sağlamak oldukça
zordur. Filmler içerisinde izleyicinin karakterlerle özdeşleştiği ya da
karakterlere sempati ile yaklaştığı bazen ise empati düzeyinde ilişki kurduğu öne
sürülmüştür. Bu çalışmanın amacı bir filmin içerisinde izleyicinin
karakterlerle kurabileceği ilişkileri tarif eden kavramsal sınırların
muğlaklığını tartışmaktır. Çünkü bir filmde izleyici karakter ilişkisi farklı
düzlemlerde oluşabilir. Bu düzlemler birbirlerine karışabilir, hatta aynı anda bile
belirebilir. Bu esasında her filmin kendine özel bir yapısının olabilmesinden
kaynaklanır. Bir filmde karakterlerle empati ve sempati düzeyinde ilişki
kurabiliyor olsak da bunların nerede başlayıp nerede bittiğini kesin sınırlarla
belirlememiz oldukça zordur. Çünkü her film ayrı birer varlık gibi ele
alınmalıdır. Sempatinin nerede bittiğini ve empatinin nerede başladığını
kavramsal olarak bile tam ayıramazken, filmler düzleminde her filme uyan tek bir
model geliştirmenin oldukça zor olduğunu söyleyebiliriz. Bu çalışma izleyici ve
karakter ilişkisi bağlamında oldukça özgün bir yere sahip olan Alfred Hitchcock’un
Arka Pencere (Rear Window, 1954)
filmi üzerinden sinemada empati ve sempati kavramlarının muğlaklığını
göstermeyi hedeflemektedir.
Keywords
References
- Baudry, Jean-Louis, (1974) “Ideological Effects Of The Basic Cinematographic Apparatus”. Film Quarterly, 28(2): 39-47.
- Baron-Cohen, Simon, (1995). Mindblindness: An Essay Autism And Theory of Mind. MIT Press, Cambridge-Massachusetts.
- Baron-Cohen, Simon, (2004). The Essential Difference: Male and Female Brains and Truth About Autism. Basic Books, New York.
- Carroll, Noell, (2008). The Philosophy of Motion Pictures. Malden, MA: Blackwell
- Carroll, Noell, (2007). “On Ties that Bind: Characters, the Emotions, and Popular Fictions.” In Philosophy and the Interpretation of Pop Culture, W. Irwin ve J.E. Jorge Gracia (Ed.), Rowman and Littlefield. Lanham, 89-116.
- Carroll, Noell, (1990). The Philosophy of Horror or Paradoxes of the Heart. Routledge, London.
- Creed, Barbara, (1998). “Film and Psychoanalysis”. J. Hill ve P.C. Gibson (Ed.), The Oxford Guide To Film Studies, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Gaut, Berry, (2010). “Empathy and Identification in Cinema”. Midwest Studies in Philosophy. 34: 136-157.
- Gaut, Berry, (1999). “Identification and Emotion in Narrative Film”. C. Plantinga ve G.M. Smith (Ed.). Passionate Views. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 200-216.
- Hitchcock A., Truffaut, F. (2018). Hitchcock & Truffaut, Çev. İlyas Hızlı, Hayek Kitap İstanbul.
- Metz, Christian, (1982). Psychoanalysis And The Cinema: The Imaginery Signifier. (çev. C. Britton, A. Williams, B. Brewster, A. Guzetti), Macmillan Press, London.
- Mulvey, Laura, (1975). “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” Screen, 16(3)
- Neill, Alex, (2006). “Empathy and Film Fiction/Post Theory”, N. Carroll ve J. Choi (Ed.). Philosophy of Film and Motion Pictures:An Anthology. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 247-259.
- Smith, Murray (1995). Engaging Characters: Fiction Emotion and Cinema. Oxford University Press, New York.
- Rothschild, B. ve Rand, M. L. (2006). Help for the Helper: The Psychophysiology of Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma. Norton, New York.
- Stam, Robert, (2014). Sinema Teorisine Giriş. (çev. S. Salman ve Ç. Asatekin). Ayrıntı Yayınları, İstanbul.
- Wispe, Lauren, (1986). “The Distinction Between Sympathy and Empathy: To call forth a concept, a Word Is Needed”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 50(2): 314-321.
- Wollheim, Richard, (1984). The Thread of Life. Harward University Press, Cambridge.
- Wood, Robin (2004). Hitchcock Sineması. (Çev. Ertan Yılmaz) Kabalcı Yayınları, İstanbul
- Zizek, Slovaj (2011). İdeolojinin Yüce Nesnesi, (çev. Tuncay Birkan) Metis Yayınları, İstanbul.
Details
| Primary Language | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | June 30, 2019 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2019 Volume: 4 Issue: 7 |
