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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Staging the Narrative

subject

description

Throughout this thesis, I will look at the concept album as a discursive genre with a focus on La Dispute’s second full-length album Wildlife, released in 2011. By engaging with the narrative and the performance of Wildlife, I will analyze and discuss aspects that are germane to the musical genre of post-hardcore, which will aim to answer the following research question: How do authenticity and performativity inform the listener’s response to the interplay of narrative and performance in La Dispute’s concept album Wildlife? Part one of this thesis will focus on the theoretical framework I base my discussion on. The terms “performance” and “narrative” will be thoroughly examined, and my findings will support the second part, where I use the method of close reading and close listening to analyze the album and answer the research question. The analysis follows the same structure as the album, which is divided into four parts, all of which discuss separate themes and events that tie together with an overarching narrative.