Semiotic Analysis: Picturebook Example: 'Winnie the Witch'

I have looked studied one of my favourite picture books from my childhood, to gain a better understanding of the use of different modes in traditional paper books.

As with most picture books, the pictures illustrate the events which are described in the words. This is a large book (slightly bigger than A4 vertically), and the size of the illustrations are very large also. This is in contrast to the relatively small typography and simple typeface of the writing, and therefore this gives the effect of the pictures being the main focus of the book, thus having the effect of an illustrated story. In accordance with this, the illustration in Winnie the Witch takes a semiotic turn, with the illustration carrying extra details which the text does not itself explain, such a visual jokes and irony.

The authors' use of colour juxtaposition is beautiful. They effectively show a stark contrast of the colour black against every other colour. Winnie's cat Wilbur is black, and her entire house is black too, therefore the majority of the picture book is dark and gloomy in colour, creating postmodernistic tension.

However, Winnie continuously trips over her Wilbur, and so she finally decides to magically turn his fur rainbow. This is the first burst of colour we see in the book. The character of Wilbur the cat actually brings an aspect of social realism into this picture book, as Wilbur comes to terms with being taunted and treated as an outcast, first because of his black fur, and then because of his rainbow fur. This can actually link with deeper societal issues such as racism and discrimination.

This book is in its essence about the about power of colour. The colour is used to show characterization and is used as such throughout the book as we have just seen. The over-use of black used at the beginning, juxtaposed with the rainbow ending when Winnie changes the colours of her entire house so that Wilbur can stay black, really expresses the atmosphere and mood of the whole house; gloomy, cold, and dangerous to begin with, and cheerful, warm and safe at the end.

Multimodal text: 'Inanimate Alice'

I have looked at Inanimate Alice as a key example of an interactive multimodal fictional text, similar to the one I will create. Inanimate Alice uses a wide variety of modes to convey the meaning of the text, such as the use of text, drawings, photographs, sound, videos, and animations. These modes often act to support and enhance each other, such as the dangerous atmosphere created by the text and sound, coupled with the graffiti warnings. The stairs in this episode act as a prominent signifier, leading the viewer (and Alice) to the next section, and the text at times is in line with the stairs, angling the viewer and Alice upwards.

The use of bright, over-saturated colour when Alice climbs the stairs effectively connotes danger, and this is juxtaposed with her memories of Moscow which are white/grey-washed and appear to be more hazy dream-like memories, showing the past.

The music is tense and repetitive, reflecting how Alice and the viewer are feeling, and this is vital to build atmosphere and tension. This is coupled with sound effects such as the use of white noise and noise interference between slides, creating an increasingly unsettling atmosphere.

The text is also used as an effective mode as it moves as if Alice herself is moving, as she ‘hauls’ herself onto the step the text makes a slow hauling motion. When Alice’s friends talk this is portrayed through speech bubbles, this is useful to differentiate between speakers and is more interesting than simply using speech marks.

There are also a variety of transitions utilised, swiping up, down, left, right, with the image of a Russian doll as well as others sweeping into the screen. There is the use of layering of many different images (a plane, a journey line, a map, and a pink filter in one example), this creates a deeper and richer quality to the text. There is also a definite interactive element, especially with the use of the hand which lets the viewer choose where to look on the stairs.

Thoughts on children’s literature through time

I have looked at how children’s literature from past and present reflects the age it was written in; the beliefs and values of that time period are mirrored through the fictional novels for children. I have studied in depth the chronology and typology of children’s books, beginning with 18th century chap books, solely used for educational rather than entertainment purposes, through to the early twentieth century where we began to see awards given to children’s authors thanks to the influence of psychology. In more recent years fantasy has been an increasingly popular children’s fiction genre, which has led to a growing prominence of social realism.

I am interested to learn more about ‘cross-over’ fiction, which is literature which appeals to all ages, be that children, young people or adults. This idea of ‘cross-over’ fiction is perhaps an area I want to think about demonstrating my multimodal text; I want there to be some form of appeal for adults as well as children. I feel the best way to do this would be to exhibit a degree of social realism into my text, so that my reader will experience something more thought provoking and challenging.

Nowadays, it seems literacy is no longer about paper. Children have access to a wide range of technology, utilising a variety of modes to create more comprehensive and enhanced forms of literature.