| The present dissertation analyzes the contribution that the original Star Wars Trilogy (originally released between 1977 and 1983), a series of films by George Lucas within the genres of science fiction and fantasy, has had on meaning-making for moviegoers who acknowledge a significant impact from viewing the films on their lives. I conducted a series of qualitative interviews with participants who self-identified as fans of Star Wars and studied the impact the films have had on their beliefs, their understanding of their world, and their relationships, as well as the parts of the story with which they felt most connected. I define the Star Wars Trilogy as a modern-day myth and use the theories of Carl G. Jung and Joseph Campbell to predict how the collective archetypes represented in the myth might impact those who personally connect with the story. A methodology, drawn from narrative therapy, grounded theory research, and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, is explained and then applied in order to illuminate the interviewees' meaning-making processes as they relate to the films. |
