Qualitative_data_analysis

158 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
Another possibility—perhaps more promising—would shift our focus from
substance to style. We may decide that our interest lies less in the occupational
characteristics themselves than in the incongruous effects of their transposition.
Instead of invoking or depending on stereotypical images, the databits assigned to
the category ‘difference’ rely rather on the absurd results of transposing
characteristics from one occupation to another. It is through the incongruity of
these images that Woody Allen achieves his humorous effects.
To check out these possibilities, we can look at empirical as well as conceptual
relationships between our residual category ‘differences’ and other categories used in
the analysis. For example, we can check how often those databits assigned to
‘difference’ have also been assigned to ‘transposing’, ‘empathizing’ and so on. Suppose
it turns out that all the ‘difference’ databits have also been assigned to the category
‘transposing’, because they involve a transposition between the characteristics we
associate with artistic and dental work. For example, in the image of a dentist
autographing his work the incongruity arises from a straight transposition of
occupational characteristics.
From this point of view, we could perhaps consider whether the use Woody Allen
makes of ‘differences’ illuminates some aspect of incongruity as a form of humour.
The fact that these transpositions depend mainly on familiar occupational
characteristics may further illuminate the manner in which Woody Allen achieves
his comic effects. Comedy is culturally dependent and transposition therefore
requires ready recognition of what is being transposed. If we felt this aspect was
important enough, we could perhaps justify retaining ‘differences’ as a category in
our analysis. However, we might reconceptualize this as an aspect of style, for
example recategorizing these databits under the new category ‘familiar’ to indicate
those transpositions which depend upon ready recognition of just what is being
transposed. Before doing so, we could check all the databits which have been
assigned to ‘transposing’ but not to ‘differences’ to see whether these might also be
categorized as ‘familiar’ or ‘unfamiliar’. Whether we introduce or retain such
categories would then depend on how effectively they discriminated between
different aspects of transposition.
Overall, what began with a reinterpretation of a relatively minor subcategory,
‘task’, has led us to make a major shift in analytic emphasis. The importance of the
category ‘stereotypes’ has been weakened, and with it the role of ‘substance’ rather
than ‘style’ in our analysis (Figure 10.9).
Attention has shifted to the role of ‘incongruity’ and in particular of ‘transposing’
in achieving humorous effects. At the same time, we have sharpened our conception
of ‘stereotypes’ and can have more confidence in the empirical relevance of our
analysis.