Research critique and analysis

¶ … violence: a study of narrative meaning" by Rachel Louise Shaw has as its basic premise the comparison of fictional violence, as experienced in film, with violence as experienced in real life. As a pathway between the two experiences, the concept of narrative is used to investigate how individuals make sense of these experiences. As such, it was the purpose of the study to determine how individuals experience the narrative of violence in film and how this element of film could be justified in terms of life experience. In addition, the purpose was to compare this aspect with violence as experienced in real life, and how narrative plays a role in both. To clarify this aspect, the article begins by comparing violence in real life, which can be a devastating experience, with violence in film, which is considered to be entertaining; this is then also what identifies the overarching research question on which the article is based. Specifically, two questions were considered for investigation: 1) What is the role of narrative in making meaning of violence? And 2) What is the role of violence in film?

To investigate these, the theory of meaning-making as addressed by several authors is used as basis for the practical aspect of the study. Specifically, Husserl's concept of meaning-making as grounded in all aspects of human experience is expounded. Hence, it is theorized that the study in question, focusing as it does on an aspect of human experience, would also use meaning as the center of its phenomenology. A later theorist, Donald Polkinghorne and his study of narrative meaning is used to more specifically inform the narrative aspect of the investigation. The article therefore seems to provide a theoretically concrete basis for its practical investigation. To accomplish the aim of the study, which is to study the lived experience of individuals and their encounter with violence, both in life and in film, it is concluded that their use of narrative must be studied in two aspects. The first aspect to be studied is how individuals attribute meanings to their experiences; the second is how they tell their stories, or provide a narrative, of their experiences with violence. This provides a solid basis for further investigation, which connects the theoretical and practical aspect of the study.

The sample consists of only six individuals who are interviewed regarding these aspects of narrative and violence. At first glance, this very small sample size appears incongruent with the type of study being conducted; six individuals can hardly be considered to represent the entire human experience. This draws attention to the question of validity and reliability. Can a study of six individuals via interviews truly be considered either valid in terms of empirical study or reliable in terms of representation? The author, however, justifies this with a theoretical basis. Because the study focuses on subjective experience to identify nuances of idiosyncratic experienced, it does not aim to make representative claims, according to which the question of reliability can be dismissed. To accomplish the aim, the six participants were interviewed once to provide a narrative of their violent experiences. The narratives were then analyzed according to the theory. The population, although not discussed in specific terms, might therefore be considered to be those with some experience of violence in their lives. To ensure that an appropriate sample of this population was recruited, the Victims of Crime Support Scheme or the local cinema was used to recruit the participants. No demographic variables are given, except that all individuals were over 18 years of age. The main reason for this appears to be that the focus is violence in life and film regardless of any other demographic factors that might play a role. This places some limitation on the study results, since demographic factors such as gender and race could also play a role in individuals' experience of violence and the extent to which the power relationship between the victim and perpetrator could influence this experience. No specific location was discussed, which could also impose some limitation on the study results. Nevertheless, the study provides some interesting results in terms of the relationship between film and real life, and how narrative connects these two aspects of violence.