Questo articolo è stato sottoposto a double blind peer review

Questo articolo è stato pubblicato in: Ocula 22, Be cool. Come nasce un'icona culturale

autore: Flavia Cavaliere (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (IT))

BECOMING MICHELLE, a Contemporary Cultural Icon. Decoding the Different Ways Leading from the South Side of Chicago to the White House

lingua: inglese

abstract: Mythological representations have always symbolically embodied human beings’ ancestral fears and wishes. Yet today the reading of the languages of new myths can convey the key to an understanding of the historical period we are living in. Nowadays one of the most popular cultural icons is Michelle Obama. First Afro-American FLOTUS, Michelle is still serving as a highly influential role-model, whose recently published autobiography, Becoming, is a record best-selling book. By drawing on the theoretical approach of Appraisal Framework (Martin and White 2007), I intend to investigate how her ‘becoming Michelle’ was accomplished. The AF explores the way language is used to evaluate and/or adopt stances and to construe textual personas, and how affective involvement can be conveyed through a set of indicators. Accordingly, qualitative examples are analysed to show how, in Michelle’s autobiography, the lexico-grammar options are significant in the process of the shaping of her status of a modern cultural icon.

citazione: Flavia Cavaliere, BECOMING MICHELLE, a Contemporary Cultural Icon. Decoding the Different Ways Leading from the South Side of Chicago to the White House , "Ocula", vol.21, n.22, pp.79-95, aprile 2020. DOI: 10.12977/ocula2020-9

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