Narrative Empathy Through the Semiotic Channel of Voice in Rebellato's Contemporary Radio Drama 'You & Me'

Essay aus dem Jahr 2021 im Fachbereich Amerikanistik - Literatur, Note: 1.3, , Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: While radio plays appear outdated or old-fashioned in our contemporary world, radio drama is actually thriving and is an essential ingredient in BBC radio channels where it is broadcasted daily (Hand& Traynor 69). It is unique as the narrative of radio drama is sound-driven. Narrative empathy for fictional characters has been paid attention to as it may lead to altruism. Radio plays, however, follow different conventions than written literature. Radio drama, however, has to rely on auditory means to help the listener experience the characters' inner world. One theoretical question that therefore arises is whether or not narrative empathy can be successfully established in radio drama.