Character sketches: The curious propaganda careers of Mary, Jane, and Willie. Issue 2 (3rd April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kimble, James J.
• Is Part Of: Communication review. Volume 20:Issue 2(2017)
• Page Start: 142
• Page End: 161
• Publication Date: 2017-04-03
• Subjects: Closure -- narrative interactivity -- parasocial relationships -- visual communication -- World War II propaganda; Communication -- Periodicals; 302.2
• DOI: 10.1080/10714421.2017.1305252
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1071-4421

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article draws on the concepts of narrative interactivity and closure to investigate three World War II-era print media characters. The analysis details how Al Parker's Mary & Jane and Norman Rockwell's Willie Gillis developed a perceived authenticity that invited fans to envision the propaganda drawings as having lives beyond their artistic origins. The essay concludes that the narrative arcs of these characters prefigured the imagined relationships that subsequent generations developed with televised characters.