Crossing the Boundaries. Narrative Ecosystems as Semiospheres

Abstract

Narrative ecosystems "are 'abnormal' objects, which overflow in time and space". Embracing the model of narrative ecosystems allows us to think of TV series or media franchises as micro-worlds situated in the global panorama: they are multiple, often interconnected, expanding territories through which viewers journey. Naturally occurring ecosystem boundaries sometimes form a unique habitat to which species are specifically adapted. Boundaries are necessary to defining a semiosphere's identity, according to a binary opposition between the inside and the outside. The concept of semiosphere helps us conceive the existence of a common language that guarantees the existence of the series and its many appropriations. Boundaries are active zones, a fundamental negotiating area of bardic television. Frictions can be exemplified by parodies, created with the aim of signaling an excess, a rupture, a different reading.