6 Response to “Pie and Chase” Tom Gunning “he ter “parative” hasbeen somthing of ity word in lin studs foe the lt few decades It was sed that lig stores was the most, Simpl ad brig thing Sm col! do. Nara way ssocied ‘coment or thematic” and undertone lel les sey hing fer aim thor to be iavelved wih ha form ore When Testa id {ha beloved the ment in fn wen he native wpe he sete {Darnounes «whole genera’ peocupation wih te contngeat ad ‘tenant emen of tm pace, "The recent ering on aries somenbat oes he alan, calling atcton what we might em he octal pets of as Seng sy not an conten bt arctig fre. However, ane ‘ccm os cay an ambivalent esto, ano esol coafor ‘nity and containment. The BellorHeathan view of trative which Don Craton tes may stmcance marae a8 respectable tp for lnvesigaon, brs approaies kt witha iagrng upon, Narae, ints iow, ina duane process which care ar tafon pul 4 ‘Sapien ofan oil sta nd consent roves of conan ‘tat teksto lini he viene of Spon srg te oie pil, - "he uefles of he desespton x obvious, and aough the may be dob abouts universality range of epietion icra bad in commercial naratve ns, However, wht acts to be emphasized 5 at his view sr wo clement naa: foces tt Gr abd Seforces hat comin Whe st aries pert tat conta connate dxopon, thas providing close thou empustcd that he fess of Sacto ar esa to ren te me Cone Response 10 “Pl ond Chase” 21 think that Crafton’ paper is fly clear om this point, bute relation ‘etreen the carpe elements of narrative and the "pie elements of pre nonnative spectacle complex. Like the disruptive elements, {gs ae, as be put te potholes, dour and at ies of maatve, {fat which Barbs andthe Russian Formals would call the “delays bnaraive ‘This saat alo deny tat slapstick comedies slong with 2 number cof other pope geres, ost obviously the musical involve an nee tin of oaratve snd onarative elements. Tike very much the relation (eft ras between gags and Fisenstein's concep of thetic fons, alton which {ve also made dealing with element in pe-1907| fms, However I believe that Crafton opens hore a subject fr further Sauls. The interelaton ofthese nonnarative and narrative features ‘git comple, precisely because native acs a a system of regulation hich ultimately absorbs nonnative elements nto is pendulum sways. "Ben Bret cently point oat to me the ination o our concep ton of namatve a near, Usefl a this tvo-daensional metaphor may teindeseibing the oal-drectd aspect of many narasves and narratives ‘wn rich 1o containment, i alo makes narrative appear more simple than T think tin practice. Rates, we cold think of native a 8 proves of integration im which smaller uni areaborbed ino larger ‘Sreraching patter and process of contained ‘Galton taerestimates the interplay between the pie and the chase First, gags become absorbed ito the narative economy of most ims, smurking perhaps an exces, butan exces ht is necessary othe ins proces of comtainment, The dancing sequence in His Wooden Wedding [good example. This is, s+ Crafton notes, a progtssion ad ebsrdm However, along withthe delightful absurdity, we also get an important Progression inthe native: Chase's regaining ofthe diamond los in the ‘irginwildmess ofthe old maid's underletbes. ‘Bu oaly the most horing of semstcans coud el that the reguining cf the diamond was the pon of this Sequence. It, rater its excase ‘Batt is important to mana this double vision: be excess ofthe as td tei rosovery by naaiization "The most important aspect which ts double view allows isthe eliza sion thay in tee contact with naratv, gags do not simpy lose their Independence, bot pressely subvert the arate ise. Ths i done nt through their oanaative excess, thet detouring of parative concer nto pare traction, bu presi ough thi integration with carratve, thir adoption of arratve's form of logical atcpation, and then thei "Sbverson of i or instance, in Crafton’ excellent ist of gags from His Wooden Wedding, 2 marber re ite comely desribed ss nversin in naratve122 Tom Gusning logic Cinappropriate stn,” runctd syllogism," “smal scone ‘eacon), Te pot eet sch avrg we os cly deus the ngs dceptiveasilation of mamatve fom: Ir by seeming ‘icnble ceraa parative stuaons that namaveantcpaion iss ‘ere This i nt siapy ano of two seu form, ato ¢ nesta inerelaton. I is fat heroes of pray I whch ‘rave lope atmo mh igo ad bre ‘When, ain Dow Key, Son of Bur, he pln ce (ris even) is mpeatly delayed it tubes on oe of eta spect of trae ‘And when native stuatons ae repeatedly fede absurd y lng tars thei devies, ts sabvenon bags the ls ops, Beats calle, of couse, fr a montoge of station, and ed that, ihe sc, cei of marae cold Be nota nach iy ual cum to cobereace and eget ream. Sapick comedy takes us ot simpy int th realm th ps, bunts and of arte, vss tate evel sy of pnp of npn, lps transform rom flesh to wood ti bak apn, ad pe cad ap (he face mer han te mouth car ae 7 ‘Commitment and Reaffirmation in Hollywood Romantic Comedy Kristine Brunovska Karnick “he sory begins on a note of estas. A husband is on his way home ‘arly one morning, having spent two wosks in Florida, But he has not ‘ally been in Flora. Before the husband wives home, iad wonders ow this Bebavior will acct the husbands marrage, le acing where tbe husband as really bee. The hshand avers, “What wives don't now won't hat tem, and it won't hurt you either.” However, when tie husband atves home his wife snot ere. She comes ome a few rinates ltr, wearing an evening gown fom the night before, accompa nied by another man, «young Continental type, As the sbund expresses tis shock atthe station, the wife realizes that e has been dishonest wit ee. Ona note of mutual dstus, the couple decide wo dvore, “The situation described shove cold well have provided the presse fora Hollywood melodrama. Thre scersinly nothinginthe plo strate ia would necessarily designate this s a comedy However, if we fl ‘dels of this scone, difereat sense ofthe situation emerges ‘The husband, Jerry Wariner (Cary Grant), ss cen athe Ootham Alte Clb geting an artificial tan, in ode to pl off the fetion of hs having been in lorida. He comes home caring big fait basket far his wife, Lucy (rene Dunne), and is accompanied by afew fends whom ie as invited over for breakfast. When they arive at Jey" Invse, Ley isnot home. Jey hyptesiaes hat shee with her aden stat, Patsy. Then Patsy arives, aloe. Soon afer, Locy atives home ‘wih another man, Amand Duvalle Adapting two classic clichés ‘explain the situation, Lacy tells th group tat Armand has been giving fer voice lessons, and that they ent to areca he night before, thet cat broke down, and they were fred o spend the igh asain ‘The fiends decide that tis me to leave As Armand ie leaving, Lacy By