Visual Memory And Image Narratology During The Anti-japanese War:A Study Of Photo Reports In The United Pictorial From 1942 To 1945

The United Pictorial was founded on September 25,1942.It was continuously published in Chongqing during the Anti-Japanese War.The American Fuli Wen served as the president.The editor-in-chief Zongqiao Shu presided over the actual publishing work.It was originally published as a bimonthly,later changed to a weekly pictorial.The United Pictorial was conceived in the Allied Countries Slide Film Supply Agency established by China,the United States and the United Kingdom out of the need to resist fascism.There are symbolic meanings of allied countries’ joint efforts to fight against the enemy in it.The pictorial features photo reports,which effectively plays the role of wartime propaganda and spiritual mobilization while delivering current affairs.In October 1945,two months after Japan announced its unconditional surrender,The United Pictorial,which had published a total of 154 issues in Chongqing,was suspended and moved to Shanghai to continue publishing.Based on the era of images,tracing the visual records of the past,this research is guided by the image narrative theory.It takes the photo reports in the 154 issues of the United Pictorial in the Chongqing as the research object.Under the usage of the case study method,and with the help of statistical plus text analysis methods,the author explores in detail the characteristics of the photo reports in the United Pictorial about the narrative theme,narrative style and narrative aesthetics.While summarizing the characteristics,the purpose of this research is to find out the strengthening effect of the narrative layout on the political and spiritual propaganda.The practice of such photo reports also has reference value for the development of contemporary journalism in China.The overall research is divided into four main parts,which respectively focus on the basic situation of the United Pictorial,the classification of narrative topics in the photo reports,the diverse narrative styles based on the content elements and layouts,and the narrative aesthetic performance.Firstly,the development,publication,photo sources and the "Paper Bombs" action of the United Pictorial are introduced.Secondly,combined with statistical and text analysis,The photo reports in the United Pictorial on five narrative themes including battlefield situation,wartime cultural life,wartime politics,wartime armament and wartime construction are summarized.At the same time,brief comparison with the pictorial during the same period are added up to the end.Thirdly,based on the image narrative theory,the research summarizes the characteristics of photo reports under the content elements,the storytelling,the international narrative pattern,and the image-building features that highlight the genders,also the coexistence of single pictures and group pictures in the accompanying layout.Finally,carrying on the emotional expression of photographers and pictorial editors,the cognitive beauty,spiritual beauty and technical beauty hover over the photo reports.The United Pictorial Sharpened the routine and called for empathy.The documentary is full of optimism,capturing valuable moments from the perspective of a bystander.It is truly delicate in aesthetic aspect.