I Know We Should Be Running but the Song Plays On: A Theory of Ascribed Persona

This thesis addresses the problem that current iterations of persona theory fail to consider the perspective or role of the audience in communication studies when communication is largely a dialogic process. Ascribed persona is one way of beginning to fill that gap, by describing a persona that an audience creates in their minds for a rhetor in place of the first persona the rhetor provides. Three case studies are considered, all within the realm of music: indie band Enter the Haggis/Jubilee Riots, country and pop star Taylor Swift, and all-around icon Cher. In each case, the audience is found to play a major role in the artist’s continued economic success. An artist’s interactions with their audience and responses to any ascribed personas can be strategically planned and used to further their artistic as well as economic ambitions.

Grantor dc:publisher

Wake Forest University

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Gruenhagen, Julianne Harper

• Music genres

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/59278

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/59278