生活の中の文学 : マザー・グースによるティファニーの新聞広告を中心に

Literature in Life : Tiffany's Newspaper Advertisement Based on a Mother Goose Rhyme

Takeda Noriko

広島大学総合科学部紀要. III, 人間文化研究

Bulletin of the Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University. III, Studies in culture and the humanities

An interesting example of a literary work used in everyday life can be found in an advertisement by Tiffany & Co., published in a Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, on December 29, 1997. Featuring a silver rattle for baby gifts, Tiffany's advertisement is based on an English traditional nursery rhyme found in 'Mother Goose.' The original rhyme begins with the expression 'The man in the moon,' whereas the advertised rattle, this musical toy, is named 'Man in the Moon.' The Tiffany rattle, as well as its advertisement with the toy's centered photo, may be viewed as intersemiotic translations of the nursery rhyme, according to a classification by Roman Jakobson (1958). It is possible to elicit four essential characteristics common to both the publicized rattle and the rhyme: both are musical, both are intended for children, both feature 'The man in the moon,' and, finally, both the rattle and the rhyme twinkle with the image of a silver spoon, a sign of wealth and great promise. The Tiffany advertisement indicates a close relationship between everyday life and literature, an art form with verbal signs. The monochromatic advertisement also impresses upon the readers the significance of the artistic genre, literature, and its material, language, this primary tool for human communication and civilization.

English and American literature [ 930 ]

jpn

広島大学総合科学部

[Created] 2006-03-21

[ISSN] 0918-7782

[NCID] AN10420735