Reviews

“This important book marks a new departure in contemporary discourse analysis. Simultaneously deploying and extending semiotic theory, it traces convincingly how a media event passes from factual description to symbolic shorthand. By integrating theory, data analysis and critique in a strikingly innovative way, Gravells provides an exciting model for a new path of investigation which will enrich enquiry across a range of disciplines and at all levels of research.” (Guy Cook, Professor of Language in Education, King’s College London, UK)

“Jane’s engaging book helps us to understand the way people make sense of extreme events such as a business crisis over time. She argues for the concept of a spiral of representation that moves from supposed Iconic representation, through an Indexical to a Symbolic stage and back to a new ‘naturalised’ Icon. Her original application of semiotic models to news media discourse offers scholars new ways of conceptualizing, analysing and interpreting written as well as multimodal texts.” (Judith Baxter, Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics, Aston University, UK)