Representing Domestic Containment through Inter-character Negative Judgements: Discourse Analysis of Career Talk in I Love Lucy (1951-52)

Abstract

This paper approaches fictional telecinematic discourse from a perspective of inter-character negative evaluation in a specific context. The paper adapts a categorisation for interpersonal negative judgements and uses it to analyse instances of negative evaluation where participation in career practices are negotiated between the marital couple of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in the classic sitcom I Love Lucy. A recurring theme in the show, Lucy’s desire to star in show business and Ricky’s attempts to thwart her ambitions have been discussed as both a representation of domestic containment typical to Post-War gender roles as well as an example of early feminist representation in televised sitcoms. The analysis reveals three intertwined facets of containment: Moral judgements condemning the oppressive behaviour of restricting Lucy’s access to career opportunities, moral judgements condemning the subversion of authority, and moral judgements of fairness condemning the distribution of social resources.

Keywords

• evaluation
• judgement
• sitcom
• domestic
• oppression