Scandal (Olivia Owens)

Interpretative Disputes
The way readers consume and interpret information has changed with the adaptation to a wired world causing the defintion of literature to expand as well. As a result of these changes, a reader's desire to obtain information has increased. The Internet has given us reach to a wider array of information. In addition, the Internet has widened our network to discuss the information we consume. Although there is now a large amount of information out there for us to absorb, it is impossible to be an expert on all of it. As Pierre Levy argued, "No one knows everything, everyone knows something." These online communities allow people with backgrounds in different topics to come together to produce well-rounded ideas. This is particularly useful when the topic is a piece of literature, whether that is a novel, a television show or a video game. Each viewer interprets aspects of the piece differently, which can be useful when trying to understand the author's intentions and those interpreations are what define a piece's significance. It is difficult to know the author's true intentions, but in these forums it is less about the author and more about the community of readers.



Remediation
Remediation is, "the representation of one medium in another medium." It acknowledges how few pieces are truly original. In the broadest sense of remediation, plots of stories can be atrributed to pieces of literature from thousands of years ago. The unrequited love story, which Shakespeare published in 1597, is still used regularly in stories today.

With the Internet, remediation can be seen in many different forms. Whether someone takes a book and makes a movie based on the plot or if someone takes a photo of a painting and posts it online, these are all examples of remediation. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a piece of literature that has been repeatedly reproduced and shows the negative side of remediation. The original plot of Frankenstein is not the modern version of the story that we see today.





The postive side to remediation is it keeps the author's story alive. With Frankenstein's's, the copies made of the piece are similar to fan fiction because someone took the plot, changed it and expanded on it. However, Shelley's intial intentions for the story have been reworked meaning unless you read the original it is almost impossible to know the lessons and points she hoped to get across to the reader.

These fan fiction sites give the readers a platform to voice their opinions on the plot or storyline. This form of remediation brings the gap between reader and author a little closer. Fan sites are just another example of the community the Internet has been able to offer readers and viewers of literature.

Knowledge Communties
Web 2.0, wikis in particular, have became extremely popular for readers and viewers of literature. As discussed with interpretative disputes, wikis allow a community to form around a topic. The Wikipedia entry on Web 2.0 defines it as a site that "may allow users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators of user-generated conent in a virtual community." A show's page on its network website is an example of a site that does not allow user interaction. It gives the viewer information, but the viewer does not have access to respond or generate their own content.

Some communities grow into cult-followings. These are a breed of "super fans." They know everything one could possibly know about a television show. Fans of the television show Survivor went above and beyond when researching and keeping up with the show to the point where they acquired their own nickname, "spoilers". Knowledge communites are more about compiling as much information on the show as possilbe. In Survivor, there were peope who researched where the next season of the show was going to be, who the contestants were and who, in the end, will win the show.

Web 2.0, including Facebook, Twitter, Wikis and many other platforms, has given these communities a place to thrive. It has also made the gap between reader and author smaller. As a result of these changes, the definiton of literature has had to change and adapt to society. Television shows do not fit in the the traditional idea of literature, but it contains the foundation. There is an author and there is a reader. Web 2.0 has allowed this new form of literature to thrive, gain large audiences and generate conversations about the issues raised in the show.

Scandal: Interperative Disputes
The ABC television show Scandal will be starting its third season in Fall 2013. As one of the few network television shows that has a black woman as the lead character, Scandal has generated attention for both positive and negative reasons. On the one hand, viewers of the show are excited about a black woman being shown in a powerful position. Olivia Pope, the main character, is well-known in the D.C. area and is respected for her work.

Hellobeauitful.com breaks down the the reasons viewers love Olivia Pope. Covering topics such as her wardrobe, her no nonsense personality and her "fearless personality", commenters on the post agreed with the site's portrayal of the character. Commenter "NikkitaMichelle" posted, "Absolutely love this show. Mad love for Shaunda Rhimes who continuously comes up with intriguing characters and story lines the [that] depict black people in positive roles." However, "meanygreene' responded with a more negative viewpoint by posting, "She also had a relationship with a married man."   The debate in this thread is why Kerry Washington must play the mistress of a white man. The commenters use examples from past television series and movies to make a case on how mainstream media poorly characterizes black women.

For example, people who are fans of the show use the fact that the last time a black female had a lead in a series on one of the major networks was 1974 as a reason to applaud the show. Black women are excited that finally after almost 40 years, they are getting some recognition. Other viewers are focusing on the fact that she is sleeping with a married man and letting him use her for sex, while still with his wife.

The ambiguities of the show reflect the ambiguities of life and of our society. For anyone in a mistress situation, there are always the same questions. Does he actually love his mistress? Will he leave his wife? Why is he cheating in the first place? Is that reason enough of an excuse? Although the show reveals the answers to these questions with each episode, there is still the opening for viewers to input their opinions.

These viewpoints are what create interpretative disputes. The people that love the show and love Olivia Pope's character see how Rhimes has put a black woman in a leading role and given her a power position. The love story between Pope and the President adds to the drama of the show. The people who disagree with the plot of Scandal believe that it gives black women a bad image and see it as a racial issue.

Instead of being a popular drama featuring a strong black woman, the conversation about Scandal has turned into how mainstream media negatively portray black women. The response that Scandal has generated shows the power of online communities and how the Internet has given the viewer greater influence over a piece of literature.

Scandal: Authorial Intention
Interpretative disputes are about the viewer, not the author of a book or writer of a television show. In an interview, Shonda Rhimes explained that she does not understand why viewers see Olivia Pope as "the queen of all goodness." From her viewpoint as the writer of the show, Rhimes thinks it is "revolutionary to have a black female character on television who is the lead of the show who is not a saint. Because, frankly, that's what happens, they always make them a saint and it's really boring and nobody cares." Although this is how Rhimes views the show, the viewers do not always take that into account. The way literature works is the author puts something out there and the readers or viewers get to interpret it however they want.

Rhimes is one of the few people that has been able to write three popular network television shows, including Grey's Anatomoy, Private Practice and Scandal. All of these shows inlcude the elements of suspense and unpredictability. Scandal, especially, is known for its dramatic plot twists. It is close to impossible to know what is going to happen next in the show.

The writers of the show go through great lengths to ensure that the surprise is not ruined before they are ready. When first writing the show, they held certain aspects from the network. Because the plot of the show begins in the middle, they have the flexibility to add layers to the past and the future.

When a show is writtent this way, it often leaves the viewers frsutrated, but it also gives them some opportunity for influence. In the interview with Vanity Fair, Rhimes explained that, "People say, These characters have no back story. Well, there's a reason for that. You're discovering it along with us, as opposed to a lot of shows that tell you exactly who everybody is up front." Rhimes is a victim of the dilemma many writers face. They have control over the content, but have no control over how viewers will internalize it.

This show is an example of how an author's intentions matter very little. It is hard to know why an author picks certain ideas for the plot or characters. It could be for a very specific reason, or it could have just been something that was not even thought that hard about. Either way, the reader or viewer tends to read into those intentions and iether oversimplify them or over think them.

Walter Ong said, "print situates words in space more relentlessly than writing," and the same thing could be said for television shows. Even when a script is in its print form, there is still room for adjustment. Once a television show is broadcasted, it is out there and there is no getting it back, especially with systems like DVR.

In most shows, the cast members receive many of the accolades. For example, when a character makes a joke, we associate the joke with that character, not the person who wrote it. Scandal is a show where the writer is regularly referenced, whether it be praise or criticism. As the writer of two popular television series, one of which comes with a breadth of controversy, Rhimes is becoming a household name.

Scandal: Remediation
Remediation comes in a variety of forms. In the most literal sense, FanFiction.net has almost 400 pages worth of fan fiction written by viewers of Scandal. These pieces pull from the plot of the show and expand on them, including prequels and sequels to episodes. These stories are the closest a reader or viewer gets to the literature and the sites allow them to recieve feedback on their pieces.

In the case of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, the major plot intentions that Shelley had were lost with the constant remeidation. Like a game of telephone, once a story is told over and over again, points can get lost in translation. Frankenstein was an extreme example because after a while the entire plot was switched around. Because Scandal is a newer show, the fan faction remains pretty true to the original.

On Bravo's show Watch What Happens Live, Tony Goldwyn, who plays the president in Scandal, and comedian Amy Schumer played out a fan fiction scene. The writer of this work tapped into the sexual tension between President Grant and Pope that is seen on the show from week to week.



At the same time, they poked fun at the ridiculous parts of the show. For example, at least every other episode Pope and President Grant end up in some not-so-private space trying to have sex. Pope says no a couple times, but they generally end up going through with it anyway. Even though Goldwyn and Schumer find it hard to take the piece seriously, it is still an example of the elements of fan fiction.

An example of remediation in a broader sense is a Scandal drinking game. It still incorporates the original piece of literature, but turns it into another form of entertainment. The game hones in on the common occurences throughout the show that everyone picks up on. Even if you are a fan of the show you still know that some aspects of the plot are cheesy or ridiculous.

Another example of remediation is fan videos. Recaps and responses to episodes have become very popular on YouTube. It is just another avenue for fans and critics to voice their opinion on shows. Many people post videos with their viewpoints and the comment section becomes its own Scandal forum. For example, this video focuses on one of the major topics of debate about the show. Even though it does not seem like the Internet personality in this video has watched the show Scandal, he is still able to participate in the discussion.

"Kai Casimir" agreed with the poster of the video:

"I wrote an essay on exactly what you are speaking of. I was cussed out by a black chick because I referred to that character in scandal as a whore, a slut & the mistress of the president. I thought I was losing my mind because﻿ of the number of black women & some black men applauding this show. It is aired on ABC which is owned by Disney. If the roles were reversed, you can bet your last dollar that black women would raise hell until the show was removed. Scandal is Scandolous to black women!"

Whereas "PaytonsLogic" strongly disagrees:

"As a writer myself, I find it absolutely ridiculous when people read too much into my writing and try to psycho-analyze it with some form of backwards community college psychology. Anyway, this host is working out his misguided understandings on the airways, one day ...might take until his 60s, he'll realize how wrong, confused﻿ and immature he was. It's 2013, catch up."

Remediation has opened the door for judgement and criticism, but aslo for creativity. Remediation is a prime example of how the defintion of literature has been redefined. Ong's viewpoint on print was that it, "assures its enduarance and its potential for being ressurecte dinto limitless living contests by potentially infinite number of living reader." Remediation keeps a piece of literature alive, while closing the gap between author and reader. Although the author will not necessarily read the responses, it still generates a coversation.