reading images: Ch2

In chapter 2, the authors discussed the narrative representations in visual communication and the relationship between visual structures and linguistic structures. They pointed out that “visual image and diagrams work in the same way as language and they can “say” the same thing as language in different ways” (p.50). “Represented participants” is one of the major components in visual communication including interactive participants which is the act of communication and represented participants who constitute the subject matter of the communication. Two theories could be used to identify the participants: formal art theory and functional semiotic theory.

The author pointed out that participants are connected by a vector to represent doing something or a process, and the vector always present in narrative structure. In addition in narrative structure, actors also play an important role and defined as” the participants from whom or which the vector departs” (p.59). There are six kinds of narrative processes which are action process, reactional process, speech and mental process, conversation process, geometrical symbolism and circumstances. “Those narrative processes can be distinguished on the basis of the kinds of vector and the number and kind of participants involved “(p.63).

In action process, when images or diagrams have only one participant, the action is called nor-transactional process that is no goal or aimed. In contradict, in a narrative visual proposition, a transactional process have two participants: one is the actor and the other is the goal. Some transactional structures are non-directional and some are bidirectional. Besides, in reactional process, the vector is formed by an eye line, by the direction of the glance of one or more of the represented participants (p.67). reactional process can also be transactional process or non-transaction process. Furthermore, speech process and mental process is the vector in comic strips. In geometrical symbolism, the meanings of image are constituted by their symbolic value. Moreover, the author mentioned that in circumstances structure, the tools used in action process often represent as circumstances of mean and there is no clear vector between the tool and its user.

In sum, the relation between vectors and participants forms different kinds of narrative process. The visual image or diagrams can represent narrative meaning the same as language.