Creative Practice as Research: Discourse on Methodology

Step 2: Conduct Background Research

If you have a solid foundation in your topic area, you may have already done this (for example, if your research question is in the area of narratology, and you have kept up with the readings on narratology in your module).  If not, it’s useful to do some background research to get a feel for what kind of questions to ask, what kind of texts are already out there (both creative and critical), and to make sure you’re not missing something obvious.

Critical theory and research is relevant to both the formulation of the research question, and to the analysis of the research.  You can apply it to the research question if you have a good foundation of critical awareness to begin with.  For instance, some students have tried using Vladimir Propp’s character functions to construct a story, in order to explore whether methods of post-textual analysis can be used to create a text.  Others have approached the fantasy genre from a sociology perspective, or games from a narratological perspective.  Sometimes, your critical readings can lead you to ask questions that you can explore through your practice.

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  1. Outline of Practice-Based Method Lyle Skains