Sabina Bedek

REFERENCE NA AMERIŠKO KULTURO V

NADALJEVANKI NADNARAVNO: ANALIZA

IZBRANIH EPIZOD

MAGISTRSKO DELO

REFERENCES TO AMERICAN CULTURE IN

THE TV SERIES SUPERNATURAL: ANALYSIS

OF SELECTED EPISODES

MASTER’S THESIS

Maribor, september 2019

Sabina Bedek

REFERENCE NA AMERIŠKO KULTURO V

NADALJEVANKI NADNARAVNO: ANALIZA

IZBRANIH EPIZOD

MAGISTRSKO DELO

REFERENCES TO AMERICAN CULTURE IN

THE TV SERIES SUPERNATURAL: ANALYSIS

OF SELECTED EPISODES

MASTER’S THESIS

Maribor, september 2019

I

REFERENCE NA AMERIŠKO KULTURO V

NADALJEVANKI NADNARAVNO: ANALIZA

IZBRANIH EPIZOD

MAGISTRSKO DELO

REFERENCES TO AMERICAN CULTURE IN

THE TV SERIES SUPERNATURAL: ANALYSIS

OF SELECTED EPISODES

MASTER’S THESIS

Študentka: Sabina Bedek

Študijski program: magistrski študijski program 2. stopnje Poučevanje

angleščine in Slovenski jezik in književnost

Smer: dvopredmetni program, pedagoška smer

Mentorica: doc. dr. Katja Plemenitaš

Lektorica: Lea Golub, mag. prof. slov. jez. in knjiž. in mag.

prof. ped.

CC BY‐NC‐ND

II

Special thanks to my mentor, doc. dr. Katja Plemenitaš, for her valuable advice

and professional guidance.

I am also extremely grateful to my family for their support and love.

III

Reference na ameriško kulturo v nadaljevanki Nadnaravno:

analiza izbranih epizod

Ključne besede: popularna kultura, kulturne reference, Nadnaravno, analiza referenc, analiza

vprašalnika

UDK:

Povzetek

Zaradi napredne tehnologije postaja svet vedno bolj povezan. Televizija, internet in drugi

komunikacijski mediji v našem vsakdanjem življenju nas povezujejo s preostalim svetom in

rušijo mostove med kulturami. Mediji prinašajo druge kulture v našo, še posebej popularno

kulturo, ki je svetovno priljubljena. Med njimi še posebej izstopa ameriška kultura. Vsak dan

pridemo v stik z ameriškimi filmi, nadaljevankami in glasbo na naših televizijskih ekranih,

radiu in v ostalih medijih. Med njimi je tudi nadaljevanka Nadnaravno, ki je nastala leta 2005

in je najdlje predvajana ameriška fantazijska nadaljevanka v Združenih državah Amerike. V

glavnih vlogah sta brata Sam in Dean, ki sledita očetovim stopinjam in lovita nadnaravna bitja,

kot so volkodlaki, duhovi in vampirji. V nadaljevanki se pojavlja veliko kulturno-specifičnih

elementov, ki predstavljajo reference na ameriško kulturo. Namen magistrskega dela je najti in

raziskati uporabo teh referenc v izbranih epizodah ter ugotoviti, kako jih razumejo študenti

študijskega programa Angleški jezik in književnost na Filozofski fakulteti Univerze v

Mariboru. V nadaljevanki se pojavlja veliko referenc na ameriške filme, glasbene skupine,

pesmi, slavne osebe in ostale kulturne elemente. V prvem delu magistrskega dela so

predstavljeni termini kultura, popularna kultura, teorija množične kulture in prevajanje

kulturno-specifičnih elementov kot teoretična podlaga za analizo referenc. Poleg tega so

predstavljene še televizijska nadaljevanka Nadnaravno in njene značilnosti.

Teoretičnemu delu sledi empirični del, ki je razdeljen na dva dela. V prvem delu je analiza

referenc iz izbranih epizod, ki vključuje kontekst, v katerem se pojavijo, njihovo razlago in

poznavanje ali nepoznavanje s strani slovenskega gledalca. Preverjeno je tudi, ali obstaja

prevod v slovenski jezik, saj je prevajanje kulturno-specifičnih elementov lahko problematično,

ker ima vsaka kultura svoje vzorce in ozadje. Prevajanje je medkulturna komunikacija in

IV

prevajalec mora poznati obe kulturi; biti mora mediator med dvema skupnostnima. Predvsem

v neprofesionalnih podnapisih je najdenih precej neustreznih prevodov ali celo neprevajanje

referenc.

Analiza je pokazala, da je večina referenc povezana s popularno kulturo; največ s televizijsko

industrijo in glasbo (skoraj 70 % vseh referenc). Analiza je v glavnem osredotočena na ameriške

kulturne reference, ampak vključuje tudi nekaj svetovno znanih neameriških kulturnih

elementov, ki so postali svetovno znani s pomočjo ameriške popularne kulture (npr. Cate

Blanchett, Romeo in Julija). Ostale kategorije, ki se še pojavijo, so literatura, splošna ameriška

kultura in šport.

Glasbenih referenc je 8 %. Naslovi epizod so pogosto reference na pesmi (naslovi pesmi ali pa

verzi, vzeti iz pesmi). Lik Dean obožuje rock glasbo in kadar se z bratom predstavljata kot

agenta FBI, velikokrat uporabi imena ali vzdevke slavnih rock glasbenikov (agenta Bonham in

Copeland, agenta Page in Plant – vsi so člani slavnih glasbenih rock skupin).

Najpogostejše so reference na televizijo in film (58 %). To so reference na risanke (Looney

Tunes, Smrkci), filme (Past za starše, Vojna zvezd, Charlie in tovarna čokolada, Somrak),

igralce (James Dean, John Belushi), nadaljevanke (Dosjeji X, Dinastija) in otroške oddaje

(Sezamova ulica). V izbranih epizodah so tri reference na literaturo; prva je referenca na

biblijsko himno, druga na Shakespearovo tragedijo Romeo in Julija ter tretja na otroško knjigo

Bambi, ki je svetovno zaslovela s pomočjo ameriškega studia Walt Disney, ki je po njej posnel

animirani film. Tretjino vseh referenc predstavljajo reference na splošno ameriško kulturo in

vsakdanje življenje (reference na časopise, ameriško zgodovino in druge kulturne elemente).

Le ena referenca je povezana s športom (ameriški bejzbolski igralec Bill Buckner).

Namen večine referenc je nagovarjanje širšega občinstva, vzpostavljanje hudomušnega ozračja

in oznaka osebe. Za Deana je še posebej značilna uporaba referenc, kar ga naredi šaljivega,

zabavnega, duhovitega in privlačnega za občinstvo. Te reference gradijo njegov lik. Po drugi

strani je njegov brat Sam realističen, razumen in preudaren. Analiza pokaže, da je Dean izrekel

56 % vseh referenc, njegov brat Sam pa le 10 % (ostale reference so izrekli drugi liki ali pa so

naslovi epizod).

Le v določenih primerih, kot je na primer v epizodi Fallen Idols, so kulturni elementi del

vsebine, saj celotna zgodba temelji na njih (to je zgodba o ameriškem igralcu Jamesu Deanu in

skrivnostnih dogodkih, ki so se dogajali okrog njegovega avtomobila z vzdevkom »Mala

baraba«). V tej epizodi liki celo razložijo reference, da jih gledalci razumejo, medtem ko v

V

ostalih epizodah niso razložene in dejstvo, da jih gledalec ne opazi, ne vpliva na njegovo

razumevanje vsebine.

Drugi del empiričnega dela sestavlja analiza vprašalnikov, ki so bili izročeni študentom prvega

in tretjega letnika študijskega programa Angleški jezik in književnost na Filozofski fakulteti v

Mariboru. Z vprašalnikom so bili preverjeni poznavanje in razumevanje izbranih referenc in

razlike med razumevanjem študentov prvega in tretjega letnika. Vprašalnik je bil sestavljen iz

desetih vprašanj izbirnega tipa. Ugotovljeno je bilo, da anketiranci najbolje poznajo reference

na sodobno popularno kulturo filma in televizije (npr. Vader iz Vojne zvezd 98 %, Hulk 92 %).

Manj pravilnih odgovorov je bilo na vprašanja, povezana s popularno kulturo 80. in 90. let 20.

stoletja (Thelma in Louise, Dinastija) ter s splošno ameriško kulturo in zgodovino.

Rezultati ne kažejo opaznih razlik med pravilnostjo odgovorov študentov prvega in tretjega

letnika, vendar so študenti prvega letnika dosegli malo večji delež pravilnih odgovorov. V

povprečju so imeli študenti prvega letnika 59 % pravilnih odgovorov, študenti tretjega letnika

pa 56 %.

Nadaljnje raziskave bi lahko bile narejene v povezavi s podnaslavljanjem referenc in iskanjem

najboljših možnih prevajalskih rešitev. Nadaljnja raziskava bi lahko bila narejena tudi v

povezavi z razumevanjem referenc s strani splošnega slovenskega občinstva.

VI

References to American Culture in the TV Series

Supernatural: Analysis of Selected Episodes

Key words: popular culture, cultural references, Supernatural, reference analysis,

questionnaire analysis

UDK:

Abstract

The main aim of this master's thesis is to look into the use of references to American culture in

the selected episodes of TV series Supernatural. The empirical part is divided into two parts.

In the first part, there is an analysis of references in the selected episodes, which includes the

context in which they appear, explanation and possible understanding or misunderstanding by

the Slovene viewers. The analysis shows that most of the references are connected to popular

culture, especially TV, movies and music. Other cultural categories which appear are literature,

general American culture and sport. The purpose of the most references is to appeal to the

broader audience, set the humoristic mood and identify the character.

The second part of the empirical part is questionnaire analysis. Questionnaires were handed out

to first- and third-year students of English Language and Literature on Faculty of Arts in

Maribor. With this questionnaire, the level of understanding of selected references and possible

differences between the results of first-year and third-year students have been be examined. The

questionnaire contained 10 multiple-choice questions. The results show no significant

deviances in the correctness of the answers of third- and first-year students; however, the first-

year students reached slightly higher percent of correct answers. The students performed better

on questions related to present American popular culture (Hulk, Star Wars, The Parent Trap).

Questions with the least correct answers were those on American general culture, especially

cultural items that are not present in the Slovene culture (for example, GED and historic cultural

elements).

VII

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................1

1.1 Research Objectives .................................................................................................1

1.2 Research Hypotheses ................................................................................................2

1.3 Research Methods ....................................................................................................2

2 CULTURE .....................................................................................................................3

2.1 Definition of Culture .....................................................................................................3

2.2 Components of Culture .............................................................................................3

2.3 Popular Culture ........................................................................................................7

2.3.1 Definition of Popular Culture .................................................................................7

2.3.2 Mass Culture Theory ..............................................................................................8

2.3.3 Mass culture and Americanisation ..........................................................................9

2.3.4 American Popular Culture and Anti-Intellectualism ............................................. 10

2.4 Cultural Translation ................................................................................................ 10

3 CONTEXT AS REGISTER AND GENRE ................................................................... 15

4 SUPERNATURAL ......................................................................................................... 17

4.1 About Supernatural .................................................................................................... 17

4.2 Genre Merging ............................................................................................................ 19

4.3 Meta Fiction ............................................................................................................... 19

5 EMPIRICAL PART ...................................................................................................... 22

5.1 ANALYSIS OF REFERENCES TO POPULAR CULTURE IN SELECTED

EPISODES ....................................................................................................................... 23

5.2 SUMMARY OF THE ANALYSIS ......................................................................... 46

5.3 QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS ............................................................................ 49

6 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 59

7 WORKS CITED ........................................................................................................... 61

8 APPENDIX .................................................................................................................. 68

VIII

INDEX OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Sam and Dean Winchester from: https://tvline.com/2016/07/29/supernatural-spoilers-

season-12-sam-taken-dean-reunion/. ..................................................................................... 18

INDEX OF CHARTS

Chart 1: Share of References in Episodes .............................................................................. 46

Chart 2: Types of References ................................................................................................ 47

Chart 3: Question 1 ............................................................................................................... 49

Chart 4: Question 2 ............................................................................................................... 50

Chart 5: Correct Answers to the Third Question ................................................................... 51

Chart 6: Correct Answers to the Fourth Question .................................................................. 52

Chart 7: Answers to Question 5 ............................................................................................ 53

Chart 8: Answers to Question 6 ............................................................................................ 54

Chart 9: Correct Answers to Question 7 ................................................................................ 55

Chart 10: Answers to Question 8 .......................................................................................... 56

Chart 11: Answers to Question 9 .......................................................................................... 57

Chart 12: Answers to Question 10 ........................................................................................ 58

INDEX OF TABLES

Table 1: References in Episode 1: Sympathy for the Devil .................................................... 23

Table 2: References in Episode 2: Good God, Y'All ............................................................. 26

Table 3: References in Episode 3: Free to Be You and Me .................................................... 28

Table 4: References in Episode 4: The End ........................................................................... 33

Table 5: References in Episode 5: Fallen Idols ...................................................................... 35

Table 6: References in Episode 6: I Believe the Children Are Our Future ............................. 42

1

1 INTRODUCTION

Because of advanced technology, the world is getting increasingly connected. Television, the

internet and other communication media are in our everyday lives, connecting us to the other

world and bridging different cultures. Media are bringing other cultures into ours, especially

the popular culture which is widely favoured. One of the most popular and dominant cultures

is American popular culture. Every day, there are American TV shows, films and music on our

televisions, radios and other media.

1.1 Research Objectives

The main aim of this master’s thesis is to look into one of the most popular American TV series

entitled Supernatural, and to find and analyse the references to American culture. Throughout

the series, there are many references to American movies, music bands, famous people and

other cultural items as tools to complement or develop the plot, identify characters, set the mood

and pace of the scenes and to appeal to the broader audience.

The first part of the master thesis is the theoretical part, which aims are:

- to present and define the term “culture” and its components,

- to present the definitions of popular culture and mass culture theory,

- to look into the cultural translation,

- to examine the context as register and genre, and

- to present the TV series Supernatural.

The empirical part is divided into two parts:

I. Analysis of references in the selected episodes

The references from selected episodes are analysed from the following perspectives: context in

which they appear, explanation and possible understanding or misunderstanding by the Slovene

viewers.

In the summary of the analysis, the references are counted and categorized into groups

according to the cultural aspect they express (music, TV and movies, literature, general

American culture, everyday life and sport).

2

II. Questionnaire analysis

The aim is to examine the understanding of American culture references by Slovene students

of English language and literature. Ten random references from the analysis were chosen and

the students were asked to answer multiple-choice comprehension questions.

1.2 Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses contain some assumptions to be confirmed or dismissed based on the

collected data in the thesis.

1. Most of the references to American culture are popular culture references. Supernatural

is a popular fantasy series with a mass audience and its creators aim to attract and appeal

to as many viewers as possible.

2. The purpose of most references is to appeal to the audience and are not vital for plot

development.

3. The Slovene viewers understand most of the references to the American popular culture

because of the influence it has in the world.

The limitation of the research is the sample size and the fact that the questionnaire will be given

to the students of English who may be more familiar with American culture than the average

Slovene viewer is.

1.3 Research Methods

In the thesis, the following research methods are used:

1) Descriptive method (theoretical overview);

2) Quantitative method (questionnaire analysis, references types);

3) Method of classification and analysis (categories of references, analysis of references);

4) Method of synthesis (synthesis of results, testing of hypotheses).

3

2 CULTURE

2.1 Definition of Culture

The word culture is derived from the Latin word cultura, meaning ‘a cultivating, agriculture’.

The figurative meaning of cultura was ‘care, culture, an honouring.’ The noun was derived

from past participle stem of colere ‘to tend, guard; to till, cultivate.’ In the beginning of the 19th

century, the meaning ‘the intellectual side of civilization’ was first recorded. The meaning

‘collective customs and achievements of a people’ is from 1867 (Online Etymology Dictionary,

access on www.etymonline.com).

Macionis defines culture as the values, beliefs, behaviour and material objects that constitute a

people’s way of life. Culture includes what people think, how they act and what they own.

Macionis agrees that culture is both a bridge to the past and a guide to the future (62).

Nonmaterial culture is distinguished from material culture. Nonmaterial culture is the

“intangible world of ideas created by members of a society that span from a wide range from

altruism to zen” (62). On the other hand, the material culture constitutes the tangible things

created by the members of a society (Macionis 62).

Margaret J. King, a cultural analyst, says that culture is “the mental DNA of the human race

and the longest-running invention of humankind”. Culture allows people to think and act in

socially productive ways, therefore she sees it as a problem-solving device ever since language

and the first material objects of culture (jewelry) were invented (J. King 28). Language and

material objects are among the other cultural components.

2.2 Components of Culture

There are many cultures across the world; however, they are all built on five major components.

According to Macionis, these are the following: symbols, language, values, norms and material

objects (67).

2.2.1 Symbols

Symbols are anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share culture.

A symbol can convey different meanings in different cultures. For example, in one culture it

conveys interest or understanding, but in other it can be understood as an insult. Symbolic

meanings vary even within one culture. For someone, wearing a fur coat represents wealth and

success in life, for others it may represent inhumane treatment of animals. Cultural symbols

also change over time. For example, blue jeans were created as an inexpensive clothing for

4

physical labourers. They were a symbol of a working class. Nowadays, they are just a

comfortable apparel, worn by people of all statuses (Macionis 67-68).

Fraim quotes a well-known researcher of symbols and symbolism Carl Liungman who said that

“any object can be called a symbol as long as a group of people agree that it means more than

just itself” (40). Fraim claims that symbols have been applied to consumer culture and the major

part in this had America since it is the world’s greatest producer and consumer of products.

Symbols are in all areas of culture and since the twentieth century they are representations of

popular culture (40-44).

2.2.2 Language

2.2.2.1 Language and cultural reality

Language and culture are connected in multiple and complex ways (Kramsch 3). Language can

be considered as the key to the world of culture since it allows members of society to

communicate with each other. It is a system of symbols which appear in spoken and written

form (Macionis 68). In addition, language is a social convention (Kellogg 3). When people utter

words, they refer to their experience and their personal and social lives. They refer to a stock

of knowledge about the world the other people share, their beliefs and values. In other words,

language expresses cultural reality (Kramsch 3).

Moreover, members of a certain culture do not only express their experience, but they also

create experience through language. They give meaning to it through the medium they choose

(for example, telephone, speaking in person or sending an e-mail). The way in which people

use language (either spoken, written or visual medium) itself creates meanings that are

understandable to the group they belong to (for example, through accent, body language,

writing style). In this way, language embodies cultural reality.

Language as a system of symbols itself has a cultural value. Members of different cultures

identify themselves and others through their use of language; language is a symbol of their

social identity. In this way, language symbolizes cultural reality (Kramsch 3).

People who identify themselves as members of a social group acquire common ways of viewing

the world through their interactions with other members of the same group (in family, at the

school, workplace, church and other places). These common attitudes, beliefs and values are

reflected in the way members of this group use language. In this way, Kramsch writes about

discourse communities when referring to the common ways in which members of a social

group use language to meet their social needs. One social group differentiates from another in

5

grammatical, lexical and phonological features of their language; moreover, also the topics they

talk about, the way they present information and interaction style differ from one social group

to another. Kramsch defines this as their discourse accent (6-7). Through time also

languages change. Kellogg believes that language changes happen because cultures and

societies change (4).

2.2.2.2 Meaning as sign

Language can mean in two fundamental ways which are linked to culture: through what is says

or what it refers to as an encoded sign (semantics1) and through what it does as an action in

context (pragmatics2). Humans have a capacity to create signs that mediate between them and

their environment. This action cosists of two elements: a signifier and a signified. For example,

the word “rose” is a signifier for a concept related to an object in the real world. However, the

signifier itself is not a sign unless someone recognizes it as such and relates it to a signified. In

this case, for a non-English speaker, the word “rose” is not a sign, but only a meaningless word.

Therefore, a sign is not a word itself or the object it refers to, but the relation between them

(Kramsch 15). This relation is defined as “arbitrary relation” between linguistic signs and the

objects they are related to, meaning that they “do not, in any way, ‘fit’ the objects they denote”

(19). This language property is called arbitrariness (Yule 18-19).

Every sign has a denotative and connotative meaning. The meaning, which can be looked up

in the dictionary, is denotative. Connotations are meanings that people associate with the sign

(for example, a rose might be associated with love, passion and beauty). The third meaning that

words can entertain with their objects is iconic. This means that signifiers not only point to or

associate with a signified but they can also be images or icons of them. Example of this is

onomatopoeia, which imitates emotions or actions (“Whack!”). As Yule notices, onomatopoeic

animal sounds often appear as non-arbitrary since there seems to be “a clear connection between

the signifier and the signified animal sound (19).

All three types of meaning correspond to ways in which members of a discourse community

encode their experience. Code is not separated from its meanings. Different signs denote reality

by cutting it up in different ways. Words table, Tisch and mesa denote the same object (a piece

1 Semantics is the study of meaning. The word origins from Greek noun sema, meaning 'sign, signal'

and the verb semaino, meaning 'signal, mean'. Semantics deals with questions why certain words and

phrases can form semantically acceptable constructions, while others cannot (Aitchison 82). 2 Pragmatics deals with how the speakers use language in ways which cannot be predicted from linguistic knowledge alone (Aitchison 97). It explores how the speakers successfully convey the message across

to the listeners (Aitchison 97).

6

of furniture), but whereas the English sign table denotes all tables, Polish encodes dining tables

as stol, coffee tables or telephone tables as stolik. German encodes the whole leg from the hip

to the toes through one sign (das Bein); in this case, “Mein Bein tut weh” might mean “My foot

hurts”; however, English encodes it with three words (hip, leg or foot). Different cultures also

evoke different associations with linguistic signs; moreover, they may even connote a different

concept. Even within the same speech community, signs might have different semantic values

for people from different discourse communities. These differences are differences in the code

and also in the semantic meanings, which are attributed to these different encodings. These

meanings make the linguistic sign into a cultural sign (Kramsch 16-18).

2.2.3 Values and Beliefs

Sociologists define values as “culturally defined standards by which people assess desirability,

goodness, and beauty, and which serve as guidelines for social living” (Macionis 71-72). In

other words, values describe what ought to be. Beliefs are “specific statements that people hold

to be true.” Cultural values and beliefs colour the way people see their surroundings and form

the core of their personalities. People learn from their families, schools, religious organizations

how to think and act according to principles approved by society, to pursue goals which are

considered worthy, and to believe cultural truths while rejecting alternatives as false (Macionis

71-72).

2.2.4 Norms

Macionis defines norms as “rules and expectations by which a society guides the behaviour of

its members”. Norms are either proscriptive or prescriptive. Proscriptive norms are mandating

what people should not do; on the other hand, prescriptive norms spell out what people should

do (for example, parents expect obedience from children) (Macionis 74).

2.2.5 Material objects

Every culture encompasses a wide range of intangible elements such as values and norms, and

tangible human creations which sociologists define as artifacts (for example, chopsticks in

China, knives and forks in Europe). Material cultures differ from one culture to another just as

norms, values and languages. Artifacts reflect cultural values and reveal a society’s technology.

Technology is a cultural element that can also vary within one culture. For instance, in the

United States of America some people cannot imagine life without computers and smartphones,

but others, such as the Amish, live in small farming communities and reject all technology

(Macionis 75-76).

7

2.3 Popular Culture

2.3.1 Definition of Popular Culture

The word “popular” is derived from the Latin populus which originally referred to people.

Nowadays it has four meanings: ‘well liked by many people’, ‘inferior kinds of work’, ‘work

deliberately setting out to win favour with the people’ and ‘culture actually made by the people

for themselves’ (Williams 237). Popular culture is culture which is widely favoured or well

liked by many people. However, Storey (5) points out that it is hard to decide what is widely

favoured or well liked by many people unless we agree on a figure over which something

becomes popular, and below which it is just culture.

Second way of defining popular culture may be deciding what is high culture and then all texts

and practices which would fail to meet the required standards would be defined as popular

culture. As Storey notes (5), this definition of popular culture is supported by the claims that

high culture deserves a moral and aesthetic response being the result of an individual act of

creation, whereas popular culture is mass-produced commercial culture. However, sometimes

the cultural division beween high and popular culture is not so obvious.

Third way of defining popular culture is as mass culture. That means that it is mass produced

for mass consumption. In this way, this culture is seen as formulaic and manipulative and as

culture which is “consumed with brain-numbed and brain-numbing pasitivity” (Storey 6).

Storey’s fourth definition contends that popular culture is the culture which originates from the

people. In this way, popular culture is seen as folk culture: a culture of the people for the people

(7).

Fifth definition of popular culture is explained from the perspective of hegemony theory,

developed by Marxist Antonio Gramsci who believed that rulling classes in society manipulate

the subordinate groups, their beliefs and values, so that they accept their worldview as a cultural

norm. Theorists, who define popular culture with this approach, see popular culture as:

“a site of struggle between the ‘resistance’ of subordinate groups and the forces of

‘incorporation’ operating in the interests of dominant groups. Popular culture in this usage is

not the imposed culture of the mass culture theorists, nor is it an emerging from below,

spontaneously oppositional culture of ‘the people’, it is a terrain of exchange and negotiation

between the two …” (Storey 8).

8

Finally, all definitions have in common one thing, i.e. that popular culture is culture that only

emerged following industrialization and urbanization (Storey 10).

Macionis defines popular culture in a similar way as Storey. He explains it in connection to

high culture, which, he says, refers to cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite; on the

other hand, popular culture designates cultural patterns that are widespread among a society’s

population (Macionis 78).

2.3.2 Mass Culture Theory

Strinati observes that the 1920s and 1930s are significant points in the study and evaluation of

popular culture since that is when cinema, radio, the mass production and consumption of

culture started to be the themes in various debates. Culture was starting to be reproducible

because various techniques of industrial production developed. Due to mass production

techniques in film making industry, and the mass consumption afforded by cinemas, films were

regarded as commercial products. That is when cultural products were not authentic and

genuine works of art anymore. The first modern mass media which emerged were popular press,

cinema and radio (5-10).

Strinati believes that popular culture is in fact mass culture; moreover, he uses the term

“commercial culture” because it is marketed for profit to a mass public of consumers. In his

opinion, this started because industrialization and urbanization gave rise to a mass of people

which were ready for manipulation. The main goal is the profit the production and marketing

can make from its potential mass market. He compares material and cultural production, the

production of cars and the production of films. The products of mass culture are standardised,

formulaic and repetitive, and they are the result of routine, specialised, assembly-line types of

production. On the other hand there is art, which cannot be produced in this way because it

requires aesthetic complexity, creativity, experiments and intellectual challenges. Moreover, art

depends on individual artists who do not use tried and tested formulas and standard techniques

of mass culture (Strinati 10-11).

The audience for mass-produced cultural products is, as Strinati discovers, understood to be

passive, open to manipulation and commercial exploitation of the mass media. These people

accept mass culture and mass consumption without thinking or reflecting. Strinati believes they

lack the intellectual and moral resources to do otherwise. Mass culture has bland and

standardised formulas which are made to sell things to this mass and to appeal to everyone

9

because every person in this culture is open to manipulation. The audience is prepared to have

its emotions and sensibilities manipulated (Strinati 11).

From this point of view, Strinati defines mass culture as “standardised, formulaic, repetitive

and superficial culture, one which celebrates trivial, sentimental, immediate and false

pleasures at the expense of serious, intellectual, time-honoured and authentic values” (Strinati

12). It lacks intellectual challenge and stimulation and is satisfied with undemanding ease of

fantasy and escapism. The audience does not think for itself and the responses are given to them

(Strinati 12).

2.3.3 Mass culture and Americanisation

Strinati recognizes America as the home of mass culture since very much mass culture comes

from it. Americanisation is therefore a threat not only to aesthetic standards and cultural values

but also to national culture. Britain recognized this threat already in the nineteenth century,

before the mass production and consumption of culture were even fully realised (Strinati 19-

20). Critics then identified mass democratic populism and feared that it would allow the masses

to run the government and lower cultural standards. In the second half of the 20th century, this

debate became more significant and quarrelsome. American popular culture which includes

Hollywood films, advertising images, clothes and music offers a rich iconography, a set of

symbols, objects and artefacts. Different cultural groups then assemble and reassemble these

artefacts and symbols in many combinations (jeans, rock records, Tony Curtis hair styles, bobby

socks etc.). Consumers do not construct their own culture but rather use the popular cultural

materials available. That is seen in distinct subcultures (Strinati 29-32).

In 1998, American producers of TV shows, films and music sold more programming overseas

than the United Stated sold in agricultural products or weapons and even more than powerful

brands such as McDonald’s, Levi’s and Starbucks. What made American popular culture a

global phenomenom were the new technologies (the Internet, mobile phones, satellite television

systems, tablets etc.) (Crothers 2).

Olster (94) states that by 1918 more than 80% of movies in British theathers were American

and this number has not changed until today. European countries were concerned about losing

the uniqueness of their mother tongue and national identity. In France, a bill was passed in 1993

which forced radio stations to play at least 40% French music. The Spanish parliament went

even further and put in place a law that limited the projection of American films. In towns with

more than 125,000 inhabitants, two days when cinemas project American films must be

10

followed by one day for European films. In smaller towns, three days of American films must

be followed by one day of European films (Cohen 1993).

2.3.4 American Popular Culture and Anti-Intellectualism

Bradbury mentions anti-intellectualism in American culture by noting that the American

historian Richard Hofstadter was the one who recorded the existence of anti-intellectualism in

American society in his 1963 Pulitzer Prize-winning book Anti-intellectualism in American

Life. In Hofstader’s opinion, America has been anti-intellectual from its birth. However, he

explains that intellectualism is not a synonym for intelligence. Intellect begins with intelligence,

but it pursues deeper analysis and more critical evaluation. He defines anti-intellectualism as

“a resentment and suspicion of the life of the mind and of those who are considered to represent

it; and a disposition constantly to minimize the value of that life” (Hofstader in Bradbury 4).

Hofstader believes that America supports the pursue of intelligence but on the other hand it

fears, mocks and resents intellect. He believes this has roots in religion and politics. Bradbury

concludes that he strongly believes that popular culture has a great influence on contemporary

anti-intellectualism (Bradbury 4-5).

2.4 Cultural Translation

Specific cultural references in the text can present problems for translation into other languages

with a different cultural background. Translating a text from one language to another is

challenging because each culture has its own cultural patterns. Translation can be defined as

cross-cultural communication and the translator must be familiar with both cultures. Newmark

(95) states that the translator’s role is to be a transcultural mediator between communities. The

study of translation and cultural studies must therefore be intertwined. Translation scholars have

given a big focus to cultural knowledge and differences between cultures. In the past, translation

consisted only of replacing textual material in one language by the equivalent in another

language (Durdureanu 54). However, cultural item can be specific to one culture and therefore

may not have an equivalent in other language and consequently many scholars have claimed

that it is impossible to translate such terms. Moreover, as Durdureanu states (55), Friedrich

Schleiermacher was determined that not a single word has an exact correspondent in another

language.

11

In 1920s, Walter Benjamin wrote the essay The task of the translator in which he explained the

concept of cultural translation as it is understood today. This concept arose out of its radical

criticism rather than out of traditional translation theory. For Benjamin, translation’s purpose is

not to carry meaning. He used a metaphor of a tangent for explaining the relation between the

original and translated text: “translation is like a tangent which touches the circle (i.e., the

original) at one single point only, thereafter to follow its own way” (Buden, Nowotny, Simon,

Bery and Cronin). This means that neither the language of the original text nor the language of

the translation are fixed or enduring categories (Buden et al.).

Translation is especially difficult for culturally specific expressions, also called culture-bound

items. The meaning of culture-bound terms is strongly linked to the specific cultural context

where the text originates and therefore they may not be easily rendered into target language

(Armellino). Durdureanu has reviewed some of the techniques for translating culture-bound

terms; Brislin wrote a guide on ‘backtranslation’, which is translating the translated text back

into the original language and then comparing both versions and reviewing the translation.

Second technique was written by Werner and Campbell in 1970 and consisted of altering

together the original and the translated text for improving both text (Durdureanu 53).

In 2000, Graedler saw a solution in coining a new word or explaining the meaning of the

original word. He also agreed that the translator can preserve the original word intact or use a

similar word that has the same ‘relevance’. Harvey suggested four strategies; using a functional

equivalence, the formal equivalence, transcription and descriptive translation. In the first

strategy, the translator uses a term in the target language that has a similar function to that of

the original term. Theorists do not agree on this method; some find it appropriate and others

think it should be avoided. The second strategy is in fact a word-to-word translation. Thirdly,

transcription or borrowing means that the original term is reproduced or tranliterated. This

strategy includes translator’s explanations and notes. The last strategy is self-explanatory

translation and consists of using a generic term when word-to-word translation is not clear

enough (Durdureanu 57).

Theorists, such as Vermeer, Reiss, Nord and Witte agree that culture is bound to translation. In

every communication, there are particular text functions assigned to texts and culture-specific

texts are produced. Nord and Holz-Mänttäri researched the process of translation and the

cultural exchanges involved. Other theoristis, such as Hervey and Higgins believe that

translators should consider both opposite poles, i.e. exoticism and cultural transplantation

(Durdureanu 58). Exoticism has strong elements of the source language and culture and

12

includes minimal adaptation. On the other hand, cultural transplantation has no elements of

source language; whole text is rewritten in target language but there are still some common

cultural connotations (Mizani).

Mary Snell Hornby in 1990 uses a metaphor ‘the cultural turn’ for the move from translation as

text to translation as culture. In the same year, the collection of essays Translation, History and

Culture by Susan Bassnett and André Lefevere was released and since then the cultural turn has

had a considerate place in translation studies. They examine the interaction between translation

and culture. In 1992, André Lefevere in his Translation, Rewriting and the Manipulation of

Literary Fame explains that power, ideology, institution and manipulation are “the factors

which influence the reception, acceptance or rejection of literary texts” (Durdureanu 59). In his

opinion, the translators are in fact “rewriters”of texts; they rewrite the text to make it more

suitable for their culture (Durdureanu 59).

Peter Newmark also agrees that there are translation problems when it comes to cultural focus

because of the “cultural ‘gap’ or ‘distance’ between the source and target language”

(Newmark 1988: 94). However, he does not agree with theorists (such as Macionis) who claim

that language is a component of culture because then translation would be impossible. He notes

that most culture-bound terms are easy to detect because they cannnot be literally translated.

However, many culture-bound customs are described in ordinary language (for example, ‘mud

in your eye’, ‘topping out a building’) and therefore “a literal translation would distort the

meaning and a translation may include an inappropriate descriptive-functional equivalent”

(Newmark 95).

Newmark (95) categorised the culture-bound terms (adapting Nida’s categorisation) and

provided some examples:

(1) Ecology: flora, fauna, winds, plains, hills: ‘honeysuckle’, ‘tundra’, ‘plateau’, ‘selva’;

(2) Material culture (artefacts):

a) Food: ‘sake’, ‘zabaglione’;

b) Clothes: ‘anorak’, ‘sarong’, ‘dhoti’;

c) Houses and towns: ‘kampong’, ‘bourg’, ‘low-rise’;

d) Transport: ‘bike’, ‘ricksaw’, ‘cabriolet’;

(3) Social culture (work and leisure): ‘ajah’, ‘reggae’, ‘rock’

(4) Organisations, customs, activities, procedures and concepts

a) Political and administrative;

b) Religious: ‘dharma’, ‘karma’, ‘temple’;

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c) Artistic

(5) Gestures and habits: ‘cock a snook’, ‘spitting’.

Newmark identifies two opposite methods for translating culture-bound terms; transference and

componential analysis. Transference, “usually in literary texts, offers local color and

atmosphere, and in specialist texts enables the readership (some of whom may be more or less

familiar with the SL) to identify the referent – particularly a name or concept – in other texts

(or conversations) without difficulty” (Newmark 96). He agrees that transference is brief and

concise, but he also believes it blocks comprehension since it does not communicate, it

emphasises the culture and ignores the message. Transference keeps the cultural names and

concepts and some theorists do not even consider it as a translation procedure. The opposite

method is componential analysis, which is, in Nemark’s opinion, “the most accurate translation

procedure, which excludes the culture and highlights the message” (Newmark 96). This

translation method includes a component which is common to both original and target language

(for example, dacha ‘house’, dom, to which you add the contextual distinguishing components,

‘for the wealthy’, ‘summer residence’). Newmark admits that this strategy is not economical

and the translation does not have “the pragmatic impact of the original” (Newmak 96).

Newmark (cited in Mizani) proposes seven strategies for translating culture-specific terms:

1) Naturalization

The culture-specific element is left in its original form.

2) Couplet or triplet and quadruplet

Translator uses more than one strategy for dealing with a culture-specific term.

3) Neutralization

Neutralizing means paraphrasing the culture-specific term by using culture-free terms.

4) Descriptive and functional equivalent

Descriptive equivalent defines the size, colour and composition. The functional

equivalent defines the purpose of the culture-specific term.

5) Explanation as footnote

Giving extra information about the culture-specific term in a footnote.

6) Cultural equivalent

Translator uses a translated cultural equivalent.

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7) Compensation

When translator encounters a loss of meaning, sound effect, pragmatic effect or

metaphor in one part of a text, then the word or concept is compensated in other part of

the text.

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3 CONTEXT AS REGISTER AND GENRE

When analyzing culture-specific expressions, we have to take into account that these

expressions are part of discourse that exists in situational and cultural context. Discourse does

not consist only of single clauses but social contexts develop a chain of meanings which

constitute a text. Each text manifests an interaction between speakers and/or writers and readers

and/or listeners. Consequently, each text also manifests the speaker’s culture. A clause, a text

and a culture are not objects, “but social processes that unfold at different time scales. Culture

unfolds through uncountable series of situations, as our lives unfold through such situations as

learners, speakers and actors, producing texts that unfold as sequences of meaning” (Martin &

Rose 1). For example, each clause in Lakota Woman, memoir of Mary Crow Dog, is an instance

of a story of Mary Crow Dog and her story is one instance of the Native American culture and

the conditions in which Lakota tribe lived in the reservation. However, cultures are not just

combinations of texts and texts are not just combinations of clauses. Each of these phenomena

have a different level of abstraction, culture being the most abstract and clauses the least. These

three levels of language are connected through “realization”, which embodies symbolism,

encoding, expression, manifestation etc. (Martin & Rose 5-6). For example, clauses, taken one

by one, may describe what happened in Mary’s story, but when they are taken together, they

explain it.

In social context, language has three general social functions:

a) the interpersonal metafunction to enact relationship

b) the ideational metafunction to represent experience

c) the textual metafunction to organize text.

All three functions are interwoven and all can be achieved simultaneously, meaning that every

part of discourse can be looked at from any of these perspectives (Martin & Rose 6-7).

In social contexts, it can be learned to predict how the situations will likely to unfold and how

to interact in various situations because of genres. Martin and Rose define genre as “different

types of texts that enact various types of social contexts” (7). It is “a staged, goal-oriented social

process” (7). By interacting, people learn to recognize consistent patterns and distinguish the

typical genres of their culture. Such predictable genres are, for example, greetings, jokes,

arguments and small talk (Martin & Rose 7). Culture-specific references thus have to be

interpreted in the wider context of culture and have different functions depending on the specific

genres in in which they are used.

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Besides genre, other construct for modeling context is register. Register analysis has three

dimensions: field, tenor and mode. These three taken together constitute the register of a text.

Tenor is realized by the interpersonal metafunction of language and is concerned with

relationships between participants, their statuses and roles. Field is realized by ideational

metafunction and is concerned with the nature of the social activity that is happening. Mode is

realized by textual metafunction of language and is concerned with the role of language, the

status that is has and its function in the context (Martin & Rose 242-243). Each of these

dimensions vary and therefore they are called register variables.

Register realizes genre and their relationship is similar to that between language and context,

and among levels of language. Genre is a pattern of register patterns and register variables are

a pattern of linguistic patterns (Martin and Rose 254). Culture-specific references play a role in

all the three variables of situation – they contribute to and are a reflection of the field, tenor and

mode of the text.

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4 SUPERNATURAL

4.1 About Supernatural

Supernatural is the TV channel CW's sci-fi/fantasy show, which was created by Eric Kripke in

2005. There have been 14 seasons so far and it has been announced that it will end with season

15 which will air in fall 2019 (Harp). It was first released on September 13, 2005. With its 11th

season, the series was announced as the longest-running American live-action fantasy TV series

(Rocha). The show is about two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester (starring Jensen Ackles

and Jared Padalecki), who follow their father’s footsteps and fight evil supernatural creatures.

They are so-called “hunters” and hunt monsters, ghosts, vampires, shapeshifters, witches,

werewolves, angels, demons and other supernatural beings. The series is inspired by urban

legends, mythology and folklore. The episodes are circa 44 minutes long and each season has

16-23 episodes. Altogether there are 307 episodes in 14 seasons.

With its fantasy horror premise and witty main characters fighting demons and vampires, the

show is clearly inspired by the influential TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer created by Joss

Whedon in the 1990s. Another American fantasy drama with similar elements is Charmed from

1998; three sisters are using their supernatural powers to protect the innocent people from

demons and warlocks.

Firstly, Kripke planned the series for three seasons, but then expanded it to five. After 5 seasons,

the main storyline was concluded and Kripke stepped down as a showrunner (Ausiello). After

Kripke, the showrunner was Sera Gamble (seasons 6 and 7) and then Jeremy Carver took the

reins in season 8 (Goldman). After 11th season, he stepped down and focused on another CW

show Frequency and the new co-showrunners are Robert Singer and Andrew Dabb (Ausiello,

Gelman).

The main characters are brothers Sam and Dean who are road-tripping from town to town in

America. Their mission started in search for the demon that killed their mother and on the way

they come across various monsters, from ghosts to werewolves, demons, poltergeists, angels.

Even after they avenge their mother’s death, there are other evil monsters to be handled with.

Among them is Lucifer, the king of hell, who controls the demons. In season three, an angel

named Castiel joins them and helps them fight the devil and a strong friendship is formed among

them. The viewers watch a tense war between good and evil, between angels and demons, but

even though the series has a Christian basis, it transcends and subverts religious conventions

18

and dogmas. The angels can be as evil as demons, God is absent and when he finally shows up,

he is unwilling to help in stopping the apocalypse. Moreover, he has a sister, while other angel

proclaims himself as God. There are many other twists and turns in the story that shock the

viewers. Supernatural’s God has a name – Chuck, and he left the Earth for several millennia,

his image being the exact opposite to the image of the God of Christianity.

Figure 1: Sam and Dean Winchester from: https://tvline.com/2016/07/29/supernatural-spoilers-season-

12-sam-taken-dean-reunion/.

As Gonçalves states, television does not play a mere passive role, but it also has a part in

constituting society and affecting culture. In the TV series, the characters discuss everyday life

and they become a part of the daily life of the viewers themselves. Moreover, a TV series can

influence everyday life by creating new trends in social behaviour and Gonçalves notes that

Supernatural is one of those series. The show has a constant dialogue with contemporary

society, cultural products and agents (Gonçalves 2). This dialogue is reflected in the references

to popular culture, the analysis of which is the main subject of this master thesis.

19

4.2 Genre Merging

Supernatural is a TV series that mainly belongs to the horror genre; however, the series also

incorporates various other genres, such as fantasy, drama, thriller, the road movie, comedy and

even cartoon.

The 18th episode of season 6 was a Western episode entitled Frontierland in which sci-fi was

combined with a western. With time travel, the brothers jumped to the Old West in 1861 and

found themselves in a small town with a saloon, whiskey, guns, cowboy hats, a duel and other

features typical of a western.

In the 8th episode of season 5, entitled Changing Channels, there is a mixture of various genres

in the form of the meta-genre of parody. The so-called Trickster sends the characters in different

TV shows; the first one is a hospital drama Dr. Sexy M.D., a parody on Grey's Anatomy which

was airing on Thursdays, the same day as Supernatural (IMDb). The scenes include

melodramatic dialogue, romances and tense atmosphere among doctors. The second TV show

was a crime drama series. They referenced directly to CSI: Miami and its main character,

Horatio Cane, by mimicking his mannerisms (taking off his sunglasses and turning to his

profile). This show was also airing on Thursdays at that time (IMDb). The third show they

appeared in was a sitcom in which they played themselves – they were actors Jensen Ackles

and Jared Padalecki playing Sam and Dean Wincester. There was a live audience, cheers,

applauses and laughs. They also referenced the action drama Knight Rider which started to run

again in 2008 (the original series is from 1982). One of the brothers is transformed into Impala,

the artificially intelligent automobile.

Another genre overlap happened in episode 16 of season 13, called Scoobynatural, where the

whole episode was animated. The characters got stuck in an episode of Scooby-Do, a popular

children’s cartoon. In this episode, the creators of the show once again transcended genre

boundaries and successfully merged a cartoon and a live-action show.

4.3 Meta Fiction

In Supernatural, there are many instances of metafiction. Metafiction can be defined as an

occurrence when a fictional text, or in this case a TV show, intentionally draws attention to

itself being an artefact in order to arise questions about the relationship between fiction and

reality. In this way, the creators examine the fundamental structures of fiction and explore the

possible fictionality of the world outside their own (Waugh 2). Waugh states that the increased

20

awareness of meta levels of discourse may be because of increased social and cultural self-

consciousness. Moreover, it also “reflects a greater awareness within contemporary culture of

the function of language in constructing and maintaining our sense of everyday reality” (Waugh

3).

Characters often demonstrate that they are aware that they are fictional. In some cases, that is

done indirectly with a hint in a dialogue, for example 23rd episode of season 8, where a

character admits that they are in fact a part of a TV show:

Castiel: Do you really think it's wise to be drinking on the job?

Dean: What show you been watching?

Another example of meta reference is in the last episode of season 7 where the writers

announced via character’s lines that the next season will be filmed:

Alpha Vampire: Right, right, your flesh is crawling. All you want to do is kill me now. You

hate having to wait and come back, and try again...

Dean: Pretty much. I wouldn't leave that head too close to that body for too long.

Alpha Vampire: See you next season.

Dean: Looking forward to it.

A character greets another character by saying: “Castiel, haven’t seen you all season. You the

cavalry now?”

They often refer to the day the show was airing in that particular season, for example:

Dean: Awesome. Another Horseman. Must be Thursday.

Dean: Since when do you give a crap about vampires?

Crowley: Since... What's today, Friday? Since, let's see... Mind your business.

Some episodes can be referred to as “meta episodes” since the whole story circles around

metafiction. In episode 18 of season 4, Sam and Dean find out that they are in fact living a life

of characters from book series Supernatural, written by Carver Edlund. Carver Edlund is a

21

combination of Supernatural’s writers’ last names (Jeremy Carver and Ben Edlund). Characters

realize that they have many fans and even meet the author of their novels.

In episode 15 of season 6 (The French Mistake), Sam and Dean appear in alternate reality. They

realize that they are on the set of a TV show Supernatural and that the show is about their lives.

Everyone mistakes them for the main actors of the show – Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki

(the real names of the actors). There are even some details from their real lives, for example,

Dean is shocked when he finds out that he (Jensen) played in Days of Our Lives; they are

shocked when they realize they are in Canada, not America (“Where the hell are we, anyway?

Dude, we're not even in America”) since Supernatural was filmed in Vancouver, but the

characters are traveling across America in the show; there is an actual photo of Jared’s wedding

that was published in Sun Valley Magazine in 2010 and taken by Kirsten Schultz3.

As a celebration of the 200th episode of Supernatural, they made another meta episode (season

10, episode 5 – Fan Fiction) which was “pure fan service” (Hughes). It was meant to celebrate

the show’s history and focus on its fans. In this episode, the main characters come to a high

school searching ghosts, but they find out that there will be a performance of a play

Supernatural: The Musical. The musical is based on the previously mentioned book series

Supernatural.

3 Also available online in the article The Perfect Winter Wedding. Genevieve Cortese & Jared Padalecki

by Martha Liebrum (on https://sunvalleymag.com/articles/the-perfect-winter-wedding/).

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5 EMPIRICAL PART

The aim of the study is to look into the use of specific references to American culture in the

selected episodes of TV series Supernatural. The references are employed in the series as a

device to complement or develop the plot, identify characters, set the mood and pace of the

scenes and to appeal to a broader audience. Thus they contribute to the register variables of

field, tenor and mode in the text, and at the same time contribute to the TV genre of popular

culture. The references analysed mainly belong to social culture (see the definition by

Newmark, chapter Cultural Translation, pp. 12), such as references to TV and film, music,

historical figures, events, newspapers, sport and etc. The analysis focuses on American culture,

but also includes some references to globally known non-American works and figures, which

came to general attention through American popular culture (e.g. Romeo and Juliet, Cate

Blanchett).

The empirical part is divided into two parts:

1. Analysis of references in the selected episodes (season 5, episodes 1-6): this analysis

includes the context in which the references appear, explanation and possible

understanding or misunderstanding by the Slovene viewers.

2. Questionnaire analysis: the aim is to examine the understanding of American culture

references by Slovene students of English language and literature. Ten random

references from the analysis were chosen and the students were asked to answer

multiple-choice comprehension questions.

In the empirical part, the following hypotheses will be examined:

6 Most of the references to American culture are popular culture references. Supernatural is

a popular fantasy series with a mass audience and its creators aim to attract and appeal to

as many viewers as possible.

7 The purpose of most references is to appeal to the audience and are not vital for plot

development.

8 The Slovene viewers understand most of the references to the American popular culture

because of the influence it has in the world.

The limitation of the research is the sample size and the fact that the questionnaire will be given

to the students of English who may be more familiar with American culture than the average

Slovene viewer is.

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5.1 ANALYSIS OF REFERENCES TO POPULAR CULTURE IN

SELECTED EPISODES

For the first part of the empirical part, the first 6 episodes from season 5 were selected. The

lines in which the references appear are in the left column of the table and in the right column,

the reference is explained and analyzed. The explanations explain the context and potential

problems for the comprehension of the references by Slovene viewers.

I. Episode 1 (Sympathy for the Devil)

Plot: Sam and Dean awake on a plane without any explanation after releasing Lucifer from hell.

Somehow, they were beamed to the airplane on which Looney Tunes cartoon is playing. They

meet their friend Bobby and they make a plan to find Michael's sword to destroy Lucifer.

Table 1: References in Episode 1: Sympathy for the Devil

REFERENCE EXPLANATION

THE TITLE:

Sympathy for the Devil4

The title of this episode can be interpreted as

a reference to the Rolling Stones song with

the same title.

DEVIL:

What the devil is your name?

YOSEMITE SAM:

Sa-Sa-Sa-Sa-Yo-Yosemite Sam.

DEVIL:

Yosemite Sam?

Yosemite Sam is a Looney Tunes character,

the opponent of Bugs Bunny. The Slovene

public knows this character by the name of

“Sam Pištolca”. In the non-professional

Slovene subtitles, the translator did not use

the Slovene name but the original (“Yosemite

Sam”).

Sam and Dean were trying to escape the

beam of light which appeared as Lucifer was

rising from his cage in hell. The next scene is

a cartoon, a devil sitting in his high chair,

reading Yosemite Sam his last judgement.

Yosemite Sam is scared of the devil and his

voice is trembling, just as Sam Winchester is

afraid of the Lucifer that in reality rose from

4 The references explained are in bold type.

24

hell. It turns out that this cartoon is playing

on the plane they were “beamed to” by

angels.

DEAN:

All right, well, first things first. How did we

end up on Soul Plane?

SAM:

Angels, maybe? I mean, you know, beaming

us out of harm's way?

“Soul Plane” is a comedy from 2004 which

takes place on a plane. A man sues an airline

because of humiliation that he experienced

on a plane and after the settlement, he creates

his own airline with sexy stewardesses, good

music, dance club etc. (IMDb).

Sam and Dean suddenly appear on a plane

after running from the beam that appeared as

the Lucifer rose from hell. The plane is a

refuge for them, a safe place and for this

reason Dean refers to it as “Soul Plane”. The

Slovene public knows this movie by the name

of “Noro letalo”. The viewers who have not

watched the movie would not understand the

reference, so the translator would have to

consider avoiding it. The title “Noro letalo”

does not give the association to the joy,

happiness and feeling of safety Sam and

Dean feel after escaping Lucifer without the

viewer knowing the content of the movie.

In the non-professional Slovene subtitles, the

translator avoided the reference by

transforming the question in “How did we

end up on an airplane?” (“Kako sva pristala

na letalu?”).

CHUCK:

You went, like, full-on Vader5.

Your body temperature was one-fifty. Your

Darth Vader is a character from the movie

series Star Wars. He is probably one of the

most famous villains in movies. Chuck

compared Sam to Darth Vader because of

5 The familiarity of this cultural term was checked in the questionnaire.

25

heart rate was two hundred. Your eyes were

black.

Sam’s actions: he used his supernatural

abilities to kill demons and with this he

stepped over to “the dark side”. He was

angry, his eyes turned black. Darth Vader

was also the one who crossed over to the dark

side, had temper and enjoyed in killing.

DEAN:

You weren't followed, were you?

BOBBY:

You mean by angels, demons, or Sam's new

superfan?

SAM:

You heard.

BOBBY:

I heard, Romeo.

Romeo is a character from Shakespeare’s

tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet

are world-famous love couple and their name

give associations to love and romance.

Sam had a fan who was madly in love with

him and Bobby made a joke about it.

DEAN:

You kidding me? Tough? That guy looks like

Cate Blanchett.

Cate Blanchett is an Australian actress, most

famous by her role as queen Elizabeth I.

Dean disagrees with Bobby’s claim that

Michael is the toughest archangel and says

that he has a feminine face like Cate

Blanchett.

BOBBY:

And how are we supposed to do all this,

genius?

DEAN:

I got no idea. But what I do have is a GED6

and a give-'em-hell attitude, and I'll figure it

out.

GED is short for General Equivalency

Diploma, tests which provide certification for

high-school-level academic skills in USA or

Canada.

Slovenia does not have similar tests, just

night schools (“večerne šole”) in which high-

school education can be finished.

6 The familiarity of this cultural term was checked in the questionnaire.

26

II. Episode 2: Good God, Y’All

Plot: Sam and Dean are asked to help a town in which a villain (one of the Four Horsemen of

the Apocalypse – War) spelled the townspeople to hallucinate that they are demons and caused

them to kill one another. They are also trying to find God to help them beat Lucifer.

Table 2: References in Episode 2: Good God, Y'All

REFERENCE EXPLANATION

THE TITLE:

Good God, Y'All

The title of this episode is a reference to the

song by Edwin Starr, titled “War”. The title

is a line, taken from this song (the whole line:

War! Good God, y'all! What is it good for?)

In this episode, War is one of the Four

Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the main

villain.

Translating the title in the Slovene language

would lose the reference to the song;

furthermore, it can be predicted that this

cultural item is not known to most Slovene

viewers of Supernatural.

AUSTIN:

So, you think that all this comes from outer

space?

DEAN:

This isn't X-Files, pal.

X-Files is a science fiction TV series that

aired from 1993 to 2002 and it was renewed

for a new season in 2016. It revolves around

two FBI agents who investigate strange and

unexplained things (IMDb).

On Slovene televisions, it was aired as

“Dosjeji X”.

Dean used this reference because Austin was

implying that all the weird happenings were

caused by aliens.

DEAN:

So, pit stop at Mount Doom?

Mount Doom is a fictional place from book

and film series Lord of the Rings. It is a

volcano in which “the Ring” was forged and

ultimately also destroyed.

27

The main villain in Supernatural – War, was

defeated when Sam and Dean cut off his

finger on which he was wearing the ring that

gave him all the power. Similarly, the main

villain of Lord of the Rings was defeated –

they cut off his ring. That is why the character

used this reference to this series as a

humorous remark.

The reference to The Lord of the Rings can be

translated as “Gora Pogube” for the reference

to be understood by the Slovene viewers

familiar with the novel.

WAR:

Please. Last week, this was Mayberry. Now

these people are stabbing each other's

children.

This is a reference to The Andy Griffith Show,

a sitcom that aired from 1960 to 1968.

Mayberry is a fictional town in North

Carolina where characters of this show live.

It is a town with no crimes (IMDb).

War made this reference because before his

arrival that had been an idyllic town and then

he had turned the townspeople into

murderers.

The cultural term “Mayberry” would

probably not be understood by the Slovene

viewers, so the translator would have to find

an appropriate term to replace it.

In the non-professional subtitles, the

translator avoided the reference by

substituting it for “small town” (“Prejšnji

teden je to bilo majhno mesto.”) which may

not be the best possible solution. A better

translation would be “an idyllic town”.

28

CASTIEL:

Yes. He isn't in Heaven. He has to be

somewhere.

DEAN:

Try New Mexico. I hear he's on a tortilla.

CASTIEL:

No, he's not on any flatbread.

Dean and Castiel are wondering where God

is. The term “he’s on a tortilla” is a reference

to the reported sightings about Jesus Christ

appearing on tortillas.

III. Episode 3: Free to Be You and Me

Plot: Sam and Dean are living separately since Sam does not trust his ability to control his desire

for demon blood. Sam works in a bar as a busboy when another hunter Tim walks in and wants

him to use his powers to kill the demons. Dean is on the road with Castiel trying to find the

archangel Raphael.

Table 3: References in Episode 3: Free to Be You and Me

REFERENCE EXPLANATION

THE TITLE:

Free to Be You and Me

The title of this episode is a reference to

children’s music record and movie Free to

Be... You & Me from 1974 (IMDb).

DEAN:

Eat it, Twilight.

Dean made a reference to a romance fantasy

movie Twilight about a vampire that falls in

love with a teenage girl.

In this scene, Dean is killing a vampire and

he refers to him as “Twilight”.

The Twilight Saga is a series of five movies

which were very popular across the whole

world. The Slovene public knows this movie

by the name of “Somrak”.

CASTIEL:

Archangel. The one who killed me.

“A teenage mutant ninja angel” is a reference

to popular children’s cartoons Teenage

Mutant Ninja Turtles which started as comic

29

DEAN:

Excuse me?

CASTIEL:

His name is Raphael.

DEAN:

You were wasted by a teenage mutant ninja

angel?

books in 1983 and later gained world-wide

success in cartoons, video games and movies

(Greenberg 1990). The latest movie was

released in 2016 and the latest cartoon in

2018 (IMDb).

Dean refers to Raphael, the angel who killed

Castiel, as a “teenage mutant ninja angel”

because the name of one of the four ninja

turtles is Raphael; however, he uses a play on

words since he refers to an angel and not a

turtle.

The Slovene public knows this cartoons as

“Ninja želve”, so the translation would be

“Ubil te je mutirani najstniški ninja angel?”

The Ninja Turtles franchise is well known in

the Slovene culture as the cartoons were often

shown on Slovene TV channels and the

movies in the cinema.

DEAN:

So, what, I'm Thelma and you're Louise7

and we're just going to hold hands and sail

off this cliff together?

Give me one good reason why I should do

this.

This is a reference to the movie Thelma and

Louise from 1991. He explicitly refers to the

last scene of the movie in which two best

female friends hold hands and drive off a cliff

to escape from the police (IMDb).

On Slovene televisions it was aired as

“Thelma in Louise”.

LINDSEY:

You finished that crossword puzzle in the

kitchen?

SAM:

Uh, I guess. Why?

Lindsey made a reference to The New York

Times Saturday crossword because they are

the hardest to solve (Amlen and Ezersky

2017) and in this way she pointed out Sam’s

intelligence.

7 The familiarity of this cultural term was checked in the questionnaire.

30

LINDSEY:

The New York Times Saturday crossword?

Slovene viewers would probably not

understand this reference, so the translator

would have to adapt it.

DEAN:

Let me guess, he just vanished into thin air?

FRAMINGHAM:

No, Kolchak. He's down at Saint Pete's.

Framingham refers to Dean as “Kolchak”,

which is a reference to American TV series

that aired between 1974 and 1975 Kolchak:

The Night Stalker. The series was about a

reporter who investigated paranormal

occurrences. Framingham used this reference

because he made fun of Dean who asked him

whether a person vanished into thin air.

No information on this TV series ever airing

on Slovene televisions was found, so it may

be predicted that most Slovene viewers

would not understand the reference.

DEAN:

Let me tell you something. There are two

things I know for certain. One, Bert and

Ernie8 are gay. Two, you are not gonna die a

virgin. Not on my watch. Let's go.

Dean made a reference to children’s TV show

Sesame Street which was first aired in 1969

and was the longest-running children’s TV

show on television. Bert and Ernie were one

of the main characters. The Slovene public

knows this show by the name of “Sezamova

ulica” (Crnič 2009).

Dean made a reference to the rumors which

are swirling around about Bert and Ernie

being a gay couple (Usborne 2009).

LINDSEY:

So your parents were drunk when they named

you and you shoot Bambi?

Lindsey made a reference to Bambi, famous

young deer from American animated Disney

movie from 1942 based on a book by Felix

Salten (IMDb).

Sam said that he is a hunter and Lindsey

asked him if he shot Bambi. She used this

reference as a metaphor of animal’s

8 The familiarity of this cultural term was checked in the questionnaire.

31

innocence and in this way she expressed

dissent with his occupation.

Bambi is well-known in Slovene culture both

as a movie and as a book.

CASTIEL:

Where is he?

RAPHAEL:

God? Didn't you hear? He's dead, Castiel.

Dead.

The expression “God is dead” is a reference

to the statement made by German

philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

This is not a reference to American culture;

however, understanding this reference

requires certain knowledge of the viewers on

philosophy.

SAM:

I don't know—jeez. Are you okay? Where are

Reggie and Steve?

TIM:

Oh, Steve's good, he's, uh, his guts are lying

roadside outside the Hawley Five and Dime.

“Hawley Five and Dime” is a store selling

inexpensive items. The appropriate term in

the Slovene language would be “diskont”.

DEAN:

I mean there were times when I was looking

for my dad when all logic said that he was

dead, but I knew in my heart he was still

alive. Who cares what some ninja turtle says,

Cas, what do you believe?

This is another reference to Teenage Mutant

Ninja Turtles and Dean is again referring to

angel Raphael.

TIM:

Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna

drink this, Hulk out9, and you're gonna waste

every one of the demon scum that killed my

best friend.

“To Hulk out” is a verb consisting of name of

a fictional character from American

superhero movie Hulk (2003) which was

based on Marvel Comics. Hulk turns into

raging green monster who embarks on a spree

of violence and destruction when he gets

angry. So the meaning of this verb is ‘to

9 The familiarity of this cultural term was checked in the questionnaire.

32

become enraged, to lose one’s temper and

become violent’.

Tim wanted Sam to drink demon blood which

turned him to an uncontrollable monster to

kill other demons for revenge.

In Slovene language, the appropriate term for

this may be “postati Hulk” ali “spremeniti se

v Hulka”.

DEAN:

Hi. Alonzo Mosely, FBI. This is my partner,

Eddie Moscone.

Alonzo Mosely and Eddie Moscone are the

names of the characters from the movie

Midnight Run (1988) (IMDb).

LINDSEY:

You blow into town last week, you don't talk

to anybody, you're obviously highly

educated. You're like this...

SAM:

Riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped

inside a taco?10

“Riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped

inside a taco” is a reference to a quote made

by Winston Churchill in 1939 when he

referred to Russia as “a riddle, wrapped in a

mystery, inside an enigma”.

With this reference, Sam confirmed

Lindsey’s opinion on him being mysterious.

He also proved his intelligence to her by

citing this quote, and wit by adapting it to

taco.

DEAN:

Hi, Detective Bill Buckner.

Dean presents himself as Bill Buckner, who

was the first baseman for Boston Red Sox

and became infamous after making a terrible

error at a game.

Since baseball is not a popular sport in

Slovene culture, the viewers would not

understand the implied reference.

10 The familiarity of this cultural term was checked in the questionnaire.

33

IV. Episode 4: The End

Plot: Angel Zachariah takes Dean in his dreams five years in the future in a world which exists

because Dean did not want to help the angels fight Lucifer. Dean meets future himself and his

brother who is not himself anymore but a vessel for Lucifer’s soul.

Table 4: References in Episode 4: The End

REFERENCE EXPLANATION

DEAN:

I thought I smelled your stink on this Back to

the Future crap.

Angel Zachariah takes Dean five years into

the future so Dean could see the

consequences of not helping the angels. This

reference is uttered by Dean when Zachariah

appears next to him and he realizes what is

going on.

Back to the Future is a movie from 1985 in

which a high school student is sent back into

past in a time-travelling machine (IMDb).

Dean compared his journey to his.

The Slovene public knows this movie by the

name of “Vrnitev v prihodnost” (IMDb).

DEAN:

Yes. I got a camp full of twitchy trauma

survivors out there with an apocalypse

hanging over their head. The last thing they

need to see is a version of The Parent Trap11.

So, yeah, you stay locked down.

The Parent Trap is a comedy from 1998 in

which identical twins, separated at birth and

raised separately, find each other at a summer

camp. This reference was made because

Dean was sent to the future and met the future

himself. The futuristic Dean did not want to

confuse others by seeing two identical

people.

On Slovene televisions it aired under the

name of “Past za starše.”

DEAN:

You know, it's kind of funny. Talking to a

messenger of God on a cellphone. It's, you

Hell’s Angels is a motorcycle club whose

members are known by riding Harley

Davidson motorcycles.

11 The familiarity of this cultural term was checked in the questionnaire.

34

know, like watching a Hell's Angel 12ride a

moped.

DEAN:

So, you're his vessel, huh? Lucifer's wearing

you to the prom?

SAM:

That's what he said.

DEAN:

Just when you thought you were out, they

pull you back in, Sammy?

This is a reference to the movie Godfather:

Part III from 1990. Dean used this line from

the movie because of the similarity of the

situation; just like Michael Corleone wanted

to leave mafia lifestyle but was forced to

continue retaliate, so Sam wanted to quit

being a hunter, but the circumstances would

not have allowed it.

If the reference is not identified by the

viewer, the content is still undisturbed and

comprehended.

DEAN:

So, what, you're just gonna walk back in and

we're gonna be the Dynamic Duo again?

The Dynamic Duo is a nickname for Batman

and Robin partnership.

The Slovene translation would be “dinamični

duo”, but it would not be associated to

Batman and Robin by the Slovene viewers.

ZACHARIAH:

We've been making inspirational visits to the

fringier Christian groups. They've been given

your image, told to keep an eye out.

DEAN:

The Bible freak outside the motel. He, what,

dropped a dime on me?

ZACHARIAH:

Onward, Christian soldiers.

Phrase “Onward, Christian soldiers” is the

title of the biblical hymn by Sabine Baring-

Gould about Christian soldiers marching

together against the enemies of Jesus Christ.

Dean asked Zachariah who snitched him out

and Zachariah answered with “onward,

Christian soldiers”, meaning that they have

followers everywhere around the world.

The literal translation of the term would not

be meaningful in the Slovene language, so

the translator would have to avoid the

reference.

12 The familiarity of this cultural term was checked in the questionnaire.

35

V. Episode 5: Fallen Idols

Plot: Sam and Dean are again hunting together and their next case is in a town whose inhabitants

are being killed by famous dead people and legends (Abraham Lincoln and James Dean’s car).

When they think they know how to crack the case (souls of the dead being tied to the objects

they possessed), two girls start claiming that their friend was kidnapped by Paris Hilton and

brothers find themselves clueless.

Table 5: References in Episode 5: Fallen Idols

REFERENCE EXPLANATION

DEAN:

Agents Bonham and Copeland.

Sam and Dean used aliases “agents Bonham

and Copeland”. John Bonham was the

drummer for the British rock band Led

Zeppelin and Stewart Armstrong was the

drummer for the British rock band The

Police.

Slovene viewers, interested in rock music,

would recognize the reference. However, not

recognizing it does not affect the

comprehension of the plot.

JIM:

I mean, I heard about the curse, but, I just

thought it was a load of crap.

DEAN:

Curse, what do you mean, curse?

JIM:

The car. Little Bastard.

DEAN:

Little Bastard? As in the Little Bastard?

The episode revolves around the car called

“Little Bastard” whose owner was the

American actor James Dean. The urban

legend says that the car was cursed because

of the strange events that had happened after

James Dean’s death – after the accident, the

car rolled off the back of a truck and crushed

mechanic’s legs; after selling its parts, the

cars in which the parts were transplanted

were involved in deadly crashes; the truck

carrying the car’s chassis had an accident in

which the driver was killed; the remains of

the car vanished and have not been found

ever since (HISTORY). The series

36

Supernatural adapted this story and

continues it after the car was found again

killing people.

Translation, found for this cultural item in the

Slovene language is “Mala baraba”

(newspaper Večer); in most cases the term is

untranslated (RTVSLO). In the non-

professional subtitles, the translator used the

phrase “Mali pankrt”.

The whole episode revolves around the actor

James Dean and his car; he is very famous in

the USA and worldwide; however, younger

generations may not know his work

(similarly as the character Sam, who asked

his brother for the explanation). On the other

hand, not recognizing the cultural reference

does not present a comprehension problem as

the story is explained to the viewers by the

character Dean himself.

SAM:

Wait, wait, wait, wait, what's Little Bastard?

DEAN:

It's James Dean's car. It's the one he was

killed in.

James Dean was an American actor who died

in 1955 in a car accident, driving his Porsche

Spyder (Little Bastard).

SAM:

So, what, this is, like, Christine?

DEAN

Christine is fiction. This… This is real.

Sam made a reference to the novel by

Stephen King in which a possessed car

named Christine is killing people. A movie

was filmed by John Carpenter in 1983 (Terzič

2017).

Sam made a reference to this novel/movie

because they were investigating a case in

37

which they suspected the car for killing its

owner.

The viewers who have seen the movie or read

the novel would understand the reference.

For others, not recognizing it does not affect

the comprehension of the plot.

DEAN:

So, you wanna be an actress, huh?

BARTENDER:

Yeah.

DEAN:

That is so funny because I am actually an

agent for William Morris Endeavour.

William Morris Endeavour is a famous

American talent agency and Dean presented

himself as one of the agents because he

wanted to impress the girl.

The agency is known world-wide, in

Slovenia as “agencija William Morris”.

CARNEGIE:

Professional killer.

SAM:

Come again?

CARNEGIE:

Well, CIA, NSA, one of them trained

assassins, like in Michael Clayton.

“Michael Clayton” is the title of an American

movie from 2007 about a professional killer

trying to kill a lawyer (IMDb).

Not understanding the reference does not

affect the comprehension of the plot.

CONSUELA:

Un sombrero alto. Muy alto!

DEAN:

What, you mean like a stovepipe hat?

CONSUELA:

Sí.

There are a few references in this episode to

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the

United States (1861–1865) who is most

known by bringing about the emancipation of

the slaves (Current).

38

DEAN:

Oh yeah, like Abraham Lincoln.

CONSUELA:

Sí. El Presidente Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln

kill Mister Hill!

SAM:

Professor Hill was a Civil War nut. He dug

Lincoln.

In this line, there is another reference to

president Abraham Lincoln. There is also a

reference to the American Civil War (1861–

1865), which was the war between the United

States and eleven Southern states that formed

the Confederate States of America (Hassler,

Weber).

SAM:

Gandhi was a great man.

DEAN:

Yeah, for a Smurf.

Sam and Dean were in a wax museum and

stopped by the figure of Gandhi. Dean gives

a remark about Gandhi being short and Sam

answered that he had been a great man.

Gandhi was known as a leader of nationalist

movement against the British rule of India.

Some consider him as the father of India. He

is internationally known by his doctrine of

nonviolent protest to achieve political and

social progress (Nanda).

Dean referred to Gandhi as “Smurf”. Smurfs

are fictional creatures from Belgian series of

cartoon and American movies (The Smurfs).

They have distinct appearance – they are tiny,

and blue. In Slovene culture, they are known

as “Smrkci”.

Dean referred to Gandhi as “a Smurf” after

seeing his wax figure and realizing that he

was not tall.

39

SAM:

Uh, well, we are writing a piece for Travel

Magazine.

Travel Magazine is magazine focused mainly

on traveling themes, including articles,

reviews and blogs.

The appropriate Slovene term would be

“Popotniški časnik”.

OWNER:

Ooh, yeah. Got his keychain. We got a bunch

of stuff, uh, Gandhi's bifocals, FDR's iron

lung. This.

In this line, there is another reference to

Gandhi and to FDR, which stands for

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president of

United States.

For Slovene subtitles, surname or whole

name would be more suitable.

SAM:

And who did that belong to?

OWNER:

The Fonz. Seasons two through four!

“The Fonz” is a reference to American sitcom

Happy Days which was airing from 1974 to

1984. Fonzie (The Fonz) was at first a

secondary character, but due to his popularity

he became a lead character. He was so-called

greaser with a leather jacket and a

motorcycle.

At the time it was one of the most watched

TV series in the USA and later world-wide

(IMDb).

Sam and Dean are in the wax museum and

talk to the owner who points to his jacket and

says that it belonged to “The Fonz” who had

worn it from season two to season four.

DEAN:

I'll go grab East of Eden's keychain.

Dean uses the phrase “East of Eden” to refer

to James Dean as this is the title of the movie

he starred in. The Slovene public knows this

movie by the name of “Vzhodno od raja”

(IMDb), but it is impossible to use this phrase

in possessive form in Slovene language, so

therefore the reference would have to be

adapted.

40

For example, in the non-professional

subtitles, the translator avoided the reference

(“Grem po njegov obesek za ključe.”).

DEAN:

I still think we got some trust building to do.

SAM:

How long am I gonna be on double secret

probation?

“Double secret probation” is a term used in

colleges in USA when someone is put on

academic probation for a second consecutive

term with the possibility of being dismissed

in case he or she does not bring up his or her

GPA. The person on probation does not want

the others to know that he or she is on

probation and wants to keep partying, thus

the word “secret”. The term originated in the

movie Animal House (Urban Dictionary).

LESHI:

No, you, you people, you're the crazy ones.

You used to worship gods. But this? This is

what passes for idolatry? Celebrities? What

have they got besides small dogs and spray

tans?

You people used to have old-time religion.

Now you have US Weekly.

“US Weekly” is a reference to a magazine

with latest celebrity and entertainment news.

The appropriate term in Slovene text would

be “rumeni tisk” or a title of a well-known

Slovene tabloid. The reference would be

understood even with the English title of the

magazine title as the character explained very

well her animosity towards celebrities.

DEAN:

I don't know, I'm more of a Penthouse

Forum man myself.

Dean replied to Leshi with a joke after she

complained about people nowadays

worshiping celebrities and reading yellow

press. He replied that he prefers “Penthouse

Forum” which is an adult magazine.

The suitable Slovene phrase would be “raje

imam erotične revije” to avoid mentioning a

specific.

LESHI:

There's still a lot of yummy meat on those

bones, boy.

In this episode, a pagan god Leshi is turning

into famous people and killing their fans.

Sam and Dean find her in Paris Hilton’s

41

DEAN:

Well I hate to break it to you, sister, but you

can't eat me. See, I'm not a Paris Hilton

BFF. I've never even seen House of Wax.

body. Paris Hilton is an American

entrepreneur and actress.

Dean made two references to Paris Hilton.

The first one is to her reality show Paris

Hilton's My New BFF in which people are

competing to become her friends.

The second reference is to her movie House

of Wax from 2005. Jared Padalecki (Sam)

also starred in this movie. The Slovene title

of this movie is “Hiša voščenih figur” and the

reality show’s Slovene title is according to

Dnevnik “Šov Paris Hilton: Moja nova

najboljša prijateljica”.

DEAN:

Sheriff Carnegie. Danielle's gonna be all

right. She's sworn off The Simple Life13, but

other than that …

Dean made another reference to Paris Hilton,

to her other reality show The Simple Life.

Since an evil goddess appeared as Paris

Hilton, Danielle said she would not be

watching her show again.

The Slovene public knows this reality show

under the name of “Preprosto življenje”.

13 The familiarity of this cultural term was checked in the questionnaire.

42

VI. Episode 6: I Believe the Children Are Our Future

Plot: Sam and Dean are following a trail of strange murders that resemble fairytales. They find

an 11-year-old boy Jesse and realize that whatever the boy believes is coming true.

Table 6: References in Episode 6: I Believe the Children Are Our Future

REFERENCE EXPLANATION

TITLE:

I Believe the Children Are Our Future

The title of this episode is a line from

Whitney Houston’s song Greatest Love of

All.

DEAN:

Agents Page and Plant, FBI.

Dean introduced himself and Sam as agents

Page and Plant which is a reference to an

English rock band Led Zeppelin since Jimmy

Page was their guitarist and Robert Plant their

vocalist.

Viewers, familiar with this music band,

would recognize the reference; however, not

recognizing it does not present a problem to

the plot comprehension.

DEAN:

Especially Ms. Chancey. She only cared

about two things. Dynasty14 and bedtime.

Dean made a reference to Dynasty, iconic

soap opera from 1980’s which has been

rebooted on the CW in 2017 (IMDb). Dean

mentioned their babysitter’s obsession over

Dynasty which was very popular at that time.

On Slovene televisions, it was aired under the

name of “Dinastija”.

DEAN:

You ready?

SAM:

Hit it, Mr. Wizard.

Mr. Wizard was a TV personality in

children’s program Watch Mr. Wizard

(1951–1965) who performed scientific

experiments using materials found at home

(IMDb). In this scene, Sam and Dean were

trying out a joy buzzer which supposedly

electrocuted a man. Dean puts on goggles and

14 The familiarity of this cultural term was checked in the questionnaire.

43

a pair of gloves and electrocutes a raw piece

of ham.

No Slovene expressions were found for this

TV program, so the translator would

probably leave this reference out and plot

comprehension would not be compromised.

Possible solution would be a functional

equivalent which would still imply the same

purpose, for example “profesor Baltazar”, a

character from a cartoon popular in Slovenia

who does various experiments and invents

new things.

DEAN:

That'll do, pig.

Phrase “That’ll do, pig” is a reference to the

Australian movie Babe from 1995 in which a

pig herd sheep with the help from farmer

Hoggett. At the sheep trial, Babe got a perfect

score and Hoggett said to him, “That’ll do,

pig” (IMDb).

Dean uses this phrase after he electrocutes a

piece of ham which is now cooked.

Slovene public knows this movie by the name

of “Pujsek Babe”.

DEAN:

What's up with Toothless? Cavity creeps get

ahold of him?

“Cavity creeps” is a reference to a Crest

toothpaste advertisement from 1970s and

1980s.

The reference was used because a man lost

all 32 teeth in one night, therefore Sam and

Dean investigated the case whether there was

something supernatural about it. To be

humorous about it, Dean referred to the

villains from cartoon toothpaste commercial

who harmed the teeth.

44

In the non-professional subtitles, the

reference was adapted into phrase “zobne

pošasti”.

DEAN:

Besides, now we know who's turning this

town into Willy Wonka's worst nightmare.

Willy Wonka is a fictional character from the

movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

(2005), which was based on a novel by Roald

Dahl (IMDb).

DEAN:

There's a couple of kids upstairs with

stomach ulcers; say they got it from mixing

Pop Rocks and Coke. Another guy... his face

froze that way.

“Pop Rocks” is a candy which pops in one’s

mouth and “Coke” is short for “Coca-Cola”.

Dean mentioned a myth about the negative

consequence of combining Pop Rocks and

Coke – one gets a stomach ulcer. This is

untrue, but since everything that the boy

Jesse believed was true, in fact became true,

children got sick because of mixing the two.

In Slovene culture, Pop Rocks may be

referred to as “pokajoča sladkarija, pokalice”

and Coca-Cola is kokakola. Similar myth

circles in Slovene culture on mixing Mentos

candy and Coca-Cola.

DEAN:

Yeah. Everything Jesse believes comes true.

He thinks the tooth fairy looks like Belushi,

joy buzzers really shock people, boom, that's

what happens.

Dean compares the tooth fairy, a bearded

man with pink wings and tutu to the

American actor John Belushi.

SAM:

So, dug up what I could on Jesse Turner. It's

not much. Uh, B student, won last year's

Pinewood Derby. But get this. Jesse was

adopted. His birth records are sealed.

Sam mentions Jesse’s victory on Pinewood

Derby, an event for which Scouts build their

own miniature cars and organize a race.

DEAN:

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, who else could turn

someone into a toy? You're Superman—

Dean says to Jesse he is like a Superman

because he has supernatural abilities.

Superman is a fictional superhero who

45

minus the cape and the go-go boots. See, my

partner and I, we work for a secret

government agency. It's our job to find kids

with special powers. In fact, we're here to

take you to a hidden base in South Dakota,

where you'll be trained to fight evil.

JESSE:

Like the X-Men?

DEAN:

Exactly like the X-Men.

appeared in comic books, movies and

cartoons. Slovene word is also “superman”.

15

Jesse then asks whether he will be trained to

fight evil in a hidden base like the superhero

team X-Men which appeared in many

movies. The Slovene public knows them

under the name of “Možje X”.

15 SSKJ2.

46

5.2 SUMMARY OF THE ANALYSIS

References in six episodes of Supernatural were collected and explained. In total, there were

64 references to literature, film, history and events. The results show the occurrence of

references as types (not tokens).

Chart 1: Share of References in Episodes

As the chart shows, most references were found in episode five (30%) and the least in episode

two (8%). Episode five is the one which revolves around the American actor James Dean and

his story, therefore the high number of references was expected.

In the series, the character Dean is the one who uses the highest number of references and that

makes him humorous, entertaining, witty and appealing to the audience. These references help

build his character. On the other hand, his brother Sam is sensible, realistic and down to earth.

The analysis shows that Dean uttered 36 of the references (56%) and Sam only 7 (10%). Other

references are either titles of the episodes or were uttered by someone else.

The references can be divided into five categories: (1) music, (2) TV and movies, (3) literature,

(4) general American culture, everyday life and (5) sport.

11%

8%

23%

9%

30%

19%

Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6

47

Chart 2: Types of References

a) Music

Music references present a small percentage (8%). They are either a title of the episode

(Sympathy for the Devil, Good God Y’all – the first one is a line taken from a song and the

second one is a title of a song). Secondly, Dean often uses names of famous rock musicians as

their aliases (for example, “agents Bonham and Copeland” and “agents Page and Plant”, all

members of famous rock bands). Another Dean’s characteristic is love for rock music and thus

the references.

b) TV and Movies

References to TV and movies are the most common (58%). References in this group are diverse

– from cartoons, movies, actors and TV series. There are references to American cartoons, such

as Looney Tunes (Yosemite Sam), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Smurfs, and to children’s

TV programs, for example Watch Mr. Wizard and Sesame Street.

There are various references to movies, such as Soul Plane, Twilight, Thelma and Louise, Hulk,

Back to the Future, The Parent Trap and Christine; movie characters (Alonzo Mosely and

Eddie Moscone from Midnight Run, Darth Vader from Star Wars, Willy Wonka from Charlie

and the Chocolate Factory, Superman, X-Men); movie settings (Mount Doom from Lord of the

Rings); lines from movies (Godfather III, Babe); and actors (Cate Blanchett, James Dean, John

Belushi).

8%

58%

5%

28%

1%

Music TV Industry Literature General American Culture, Everyday Life Sport

48

References to TV series are also common, for example X-Files, Kolchak, Dynasty, The Andy

Griffith Show and Happy Days, and two references to reality shows were found (My New BFF,

The Simple Life).

c) Literature

There are only three references to literature in the analyzed episodes; one is a phrase “Onward,

Christian soldiers”, title of the biblical hymn by Sabine Baring-Gould about Christian soldiers

marching together against the enemies of Jesus Christ. Other two are more popular – reference

to Bambi from the book by Felix Salten and to Romeo from Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and

Juliet.

d) General American Culture, Everyday Life

References to American lifestyle and everyday life present around a third of all references.

These are references to newspapers (US Weekly, Penthouse Forum, Travel Magazine and New

York Times), American history (Abraham Lincoln, Civil war, Franklin Roosevelt, quote by

Winston Churchill) and other items from American culture (GED, Hawley Five and Dime,

William Morris Endevaour, Pinewood Derby etc.).

e) Sport

There is only one reference to sport (to American baseball player Bill Buckner) because the

main characters do not show interest in sports.

These references are mainly used for the purpose of humour and characterization (for example,

the character of Dean is known for his use of popular cultural references), but not for the plot

development. However, the episode Fallen Idols presents an exception, as the whole plot is

based on the mystery events revolved around the car called “Little Bastard” whose owner was

the American actor James Dean. Consequently, the references are important part of the plot as

the whole story is based on them. In this episode, references are explained by the characters

themselves, whereas in other episodes, the story comprehension is undisturbed if the reference

is not noticed by the viewer.

49

5.3 QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS

The questionnaires were given to first- and third-year students of English Language and

Literature at the Faculty of Arts in Maribor. With this questionnaire, the level of understanding

of selected references and possible differences between the results of first-year and third-year

students were examined. Altogether, 77 questionnaires were distributed, 54 to the first-year

students and 23 to the third-year students. The questionnaire contained 10 multiple-choice

questions and the respondents were asked to select correct answers from the choices offered as

a list. The questionnaire in its original form is given in the appendix.

Question 1:

BOBBY: And how are we supposed to do all this, genius?

DEAN: I got no idea. But what I do have is a GED and a give-'em-hell attitude, and I'll

figure it out.

BOBBY: You are nine kinds of crazy, boy.

What is a GED?

a) A test that students take before entering high school education.

b) A test for those who do not complete high school.

c) A test that students take before going to the college.

0

20

40

60

80

First-Year Students Third-Year Students

Correct Incorrect

Chart 3: Question 1

50

The first question was the definition of a GED and it was related to American general cultural

knowledge. The correct answer was (b). It was correctly answered by 36% of all students; first-

year students were slightly more successful.

Question 2:

LINDSEY: You blow into town last week, you don't talk to anybody, you're obviously

highly educated. You're like this...

SAM: Riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a taco.

This is a reference to the quote: “a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped inside an

enigma”. Who is the author of this quote?

a) The author is Winston Churchill. He was referring to Russia.

b) The author is Thomas Jefferson. He was referring to the future of the USA.

c) The author is George Bush. He was referring to his opponent during elections.

The correct answer was (a). The second question was correctly answered by only 26% of all

students. Third-year students were slightly more successful. This question was related to

American history and Cold War, so the small percent of correct answers is not unusual.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

First-Year Students Third-Year Students

Correct Incorrect

Chart 4: Question 2

51

Question 3:

DEAN: I got a camp full of twitchy trauma survivors out there with an apocalypse

hanging over their head. The last thing they need to see is a version of The Parent Trap.

So, yeah, you stay locked down.

What is The Parent Trap?

a) A movie in which three children decide to kidnap their divorced parents and make them

fall in love again.

b) A movie in which long-lost twin sisters find each other and switch their identities.

c) A movie in which parents oppose the marriage of a young couple and therefore they

make a plan on how to gain their approval.

With third question, respondents’ familiarity with the movie The Parent Trap was examined.

The correct answer was (b). The question was correctly answered by 71% of all students, in

which the first-year students had more correct answers. Since the movie The Parent Trap from

1998 was often played on Slovene television, the high percent of correct answers was expected.

Chart 5: Correct Answers to the Third Question

First-Year Students55%

Third-Year Students

45%

First-Year Students Third-Year Students

52

Question 4:

Dean: You know, it's kind of funny. Talking to a messenger of God on a cellphone. It's, you

know, like watching a Hell's Angel ride a moped.

Who is a Hell’s Angel?

a) A fictional character from a movie starring Bruce Willis.

b) A creature from the Bible.

c) A member of a motorcycle club.

The fourth question was related to general American culture (the respondents had to recognise

“a Hell’s Angel” as a member of a motorcycle club (the correct answer was (c)) and was

correctly answered by a little less than half of all students (47%). The first-year students had

slightly more correct answers (53%) than the third-year students (47%).

53%47%

First-Year Students Third-Year Students

Chart 6: Correct Answers to the Fourth Question

53

Question 5:

Dean: Sheriff Carnegie. Danielle's gonna be all right. She's sworn off The Simple Life, but

other than that…

What is The Simple Life?

a) Reality show.

b) Soap opera.

c) Self-help book.

The fifth question was examining the respondents’ familiarity with The Simple Life, Paris

Hilton’s reality show. The correct answer was (a). Altogether, 44% of correct answers were

given. First-year students were slightly more successful.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

First-Year Students

Third-Year Students

Correct Incorrect

Chart 7: Answers to Question 5

54

Question 6:

Dean: Especially Ms. Chancey. She only cared about two things. Dynasty and bedtime.

What is Dynasty?

a) Woman magazine.

b) Soap opera.

c) Chocolate.

The sixth question was examining respondents’ familiarity with Dynasty, TV soap opera from

1980s which was rebooted in 2017. The correct answer was (b). Correct answers were given by

64% of students. The higher percentage of correct answers was expected because the series was

renewed in 2017.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

First-Year Students

Third-Year Students

Correct Incorrect

Chart 8: Answers to Question 6

55

Question 7:

Chuck: You went, like, full-on Vader. Your body temperature was one-fifty. Your heart

rate was two hundred. Your eyes were black.

Who is Vader?

a) Character from Star Wars.

b) Character from Star Trek.

c) Robot in the movie I, Robot.

The seventh question was examining the respondents’ familiarity with Darth Vader, fictional

character from Star Wars franchise which is also popular in Slovene cinemas and television.

The correct answer was (a). The students reached high percent of correct answers (98%), first-

year students slightly better than third-year students.

Chart 9: Correct Answers to Question 7

51%49%

First-Year Students Third-Year Students

56

Question 8:

Dean: So, what, I'm Thelma and you're Louise and we're just going to hold hands and sail

off this cliff together? Give me one good reason why I should do this.

How are Thelma and Louise connected?

a) They are in love.

b) They are related.

c) They are friends.

The eight question was examining whether the respondents know how the main characters from

the movie Thelma and Louise are connected and in this way checking their familiarity with this

movie. The correct answer was (c). Altogether, 39% of correct answers were given. First-year

students were slightly more successful.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

First-Year Students

Third-Year Students

Incorrect Correct

Chart 10: Answers to Question 8

57

Question 9:

Dean: Let me tell you something. There are two things I know for certain. One, Bert and

Ernie are gay. Two, you are not gonna die a virgin. Not on my watch. Let's go.

Who are Bert and Ernie?

a) Dean’s friends.

b) Muppets.

c) Characters in TV show Barney and Friends.

The ninth question was related to Bert and Ernie, two Muppets from the American children’s

television show Sesame Street. The respondents correctly answered in 66%. Third-year students

had more correct answers than first-year students.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

First-Year Students

Third-Year Students

Incorrect Correct

Chart 11: Answers to Question 9

58

Question 10:

Dean: Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna drink this, Hulk out, and you're gonna

waste every one of the demon scum that killed my best friend.

What does it mean to “Hulk out”?

a) To become extremely angry and violent.

b) To lie down and go to sleep.

c) To transform into an animal.

The last question was examining the respondents’ familiarity with the fictional superhero Hulk

who first appeared in 2008 in the movie The Incredible Hulk and is popular with the younger

generation. As expected, altogether there were 92% of correct answers. First-year students were

slightly more successful.

Chart 12: Answers to Question 10

The results show no significant deviances in the correctness of the answers of third- and first-

year students; however, the first-year students reached slightly higher percent of correct

answers. In average, the first-year students had 59% of correct answers and the third-year

students 56%. The students performed better on questions related to present American popular

culture (the movie The Parent Trap from 1998 71%, Vader from Star Wars 98%, Hulk 92%).

Questions with the least correct answers were those on American general culture, i.e. only 36%

of students knew the definition of GED and the question on the Winston Churchill’s quote on

Russia was correctly answered by only 26% of students.

52%48%

First-Year Students Third-Year Students

59

6 CONCLUSION

The main aim of this master thesis was to look into the specific references to American culture

in the selected episodes of the popular American TV series Supernatural and how they are

comprehended by Slovene students of English language and literature. In the first part of the

thesis, the terms such as culture, popular culture, mass culture theory and cultural translation

were presented in order to give a theoretical background to the analysis of cultural references.

In addition, the series Supernatural was presented and its distinctive features.

The empirical part consists of the analysis and explanation of references in the selected episodes

and the survey based on a questionnaire. The first research hypothesis was that most of the

references to American culture were popular culture references since Supernatural is a popular

fantasy series with a mass audience and its creators aim to attract and appeal to as many viewers

as possible. This hypothesis can be confirmed as almost 70% of all references were references

to TV industry and music, while others were references to famous literary works (e.g. Romeo

and Juliet and Bambi), general American culture (historic events, famous people) and sport.

The second hypothesis was that the purpose of most references was to appeal to the audience

through the tone of the text and were not vital for the plot development. This hypothesis can be

partially confirmed. In the majority of cases, the references are not vital for the plot

development, rather they are there to intensify the appeal to the broader audience, set the

humoristic mood and identify the personality of the character16. However, in some cases, as in

the episode 5, Fallen Idols, the cultural items are part of the plot since the whole story is based

on them. In this case, the references play an important role in the episode and are even explained

by the characters themselves, whereas in other episodes, the story comprehension is undisturbed

if the reference was not noticed by the viewer.

The third hypothesis was that the Slovene viewers understand most of the references to the

American popular culture because of the influence it has in the world. This hypothesis can be

confirmed since the respondents mostly recognised the present popular culture references to

film and TV (e.g. The Parent Trap, Vader from Star Wars, Hulk). Fewer correct answers were

given when the references were from 1980s and 1990s popular culture (Thelma and Louise,

Dynasty) and in relation the references to general American culture (GED, Hell’s Angels) and

global history combined with American culture (e.g. Churchill’s quote combined with tacos).

16 In Supernatural, character Dean is known by using references to popular culture in his lines.

60

The results show no significant deviances in the correctness of the answers of third- and first-

year students; however, the first-year students reached slightly higher percent of correct

answers. In average, the first-year students had 59% of correct answers and the third-year

students 56%. The students performed better on questions related to present American popular

culture (Vader from Star Wars 98%, Hulk 92%).

Possible further researches could be done regarding the subtitling of the references of this series

and looking into possible translation solutions. Regarding the understanding of the references,

a study could also examine the understanding of references by the general Slovene audience,

not just students of English language.

61

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. IMDb,

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3949660/?ref_=nv_sr_1. Accessed 16 September 2018.

Terzič, Matjaž. “Christine, morilski avtomobil.” Dnevnik, 1 August 2017,

https://www.dnevnik.si/1042779944. Accessed 22 September 2018.

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The Andy Griffith Show. IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053479/. Accessed 13

September 2018.

The Parent Trap. IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120783/?ref_=nv_sr_1. Accessed 18

September 2018.

Usborne, Simon. “Are Bert and Ernie Really a Gay Couple?” Independent, 9 July 2014,

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/bert-and-ernie-they-call-it-

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Watch Mr. Wizard. IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043244/. Accessed 8 October 2018.

Waugh, Patricia. Metafiction – The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction. Routledge,

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The list of episodes for analysis:

“Fallen Idols.” Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, season 5, episode 5, Wonderland Sound

and Vision, and Warner Bros. Television, 2009.

“Free to Be You and Me.” Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, season 5, episode 3,

Wonderland Sound and Vision, Warner Bros. Television and Supernatural Films,

2009.

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“Good God, Y'All.” Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, season 5, episode 2, Wonderland

Sound and Vision, Warner Bros. Television and Supernatural Films, 2009.

“I Believe the Children Are Our Future.” Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, season 5,

episode 6, Wonderland Sound and Vision, and Warner Bros. Television, 2009.

“Sympathy for the Devil.” Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, season 5, episode 1,

Wonderland Sound and Vision, Warner Bros. Television and Supernatural Films,

2009.

“The End.” Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, season 5, episode 4, Wonderland Sound and

Vision, Warner Bros. Television and Supernatural Films, 2009.

Subtitles from Podnapisi.NET:

“Supernatural (2005) S05E01 - Slovenski podnapisi.” 14 September 2009,

https://www.podnapisi.net/sl/subtitles/sl-supernatural-2005-S05E01-O-sympathy-

for-the-devil/pGgI. Accessed 23 August 2018.

“Supernatural (2005) S05E02 - Slovenski podnapisi.” 20 September 2010,

https://www.podnapisi.net/sl/subtitles/sl-supernatural-2005-S05E02-O-good-god-

y%27all/q5sN. Accessed 25 August 2018.

“Supernatural (2005) S05E05 - Slovenski podnapisi.” 19 October 2017,

https://www.podnapisi.net/sl/subtitles/sl-supernatural-2005-S05E05-O-fallen-

idol/lOhE. Accessed 15 September 2018.

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8 APPENDIX

Pozdravljeni,

sem Sabina Bedek, študentka Filozofske fakultete v Mariboru, smer Poučevanje

angleščine in v okviru magistrske naloge pripravljam raziskavo, katere namen je

preučiti stopnjo razumevanja referenc na tematiko ameriške kulture pri študentih

smeri Angleški jezik in književnosti.

Vprašalnik je anonimen, za izpolnjevanje pa boste potrebovali le nekaj minut časa.

Zbrani podatki bodo obravnavani strogo zaupno in analizirani na splošno. Uporabljeni

bodo izključno za pripravo te magistrske naloge.

Za vaše sodelovanje se vam prijazno zahvaljujem.

Sabina Bedek

Pri vsakem vprašanju obkrožite črko pred pravilnim odgovorom.

1. BOBBY: And how are we supposed to do all this, genius?

DEAN: I got no idea. But what I do have is a GED and a give-'em-hell attitude,

and I'll figure it out.

BOBBY: You are nine kinds of crazy, boy.

What is a GED?

d) A test that students take before entering high school education.

e) A test for those who do not complete high school.

f) A test that students take before going to the college.

2. LINDSEY: You blow into town last week, you don't talk to anybody, you're

obviously highly educated. You're like this...

SAM: Riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a taco.

69

This is a reference to the quote: “a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped inside

an enigma”. Who is the author of this quote?

d) The author is Winston Churchill. He was referring to Russia.

e) The author is Thomas Jefferson. He was referring to the future of the USA.

f) The author is George Bush. He was referring to his opponent during elections.

3. DEAN: I got a camp full of twitchy trauma survivors out there with an

apocalypse hanging over their head. The last thing they need to see is a

version of The Parent Trap. So, yeah, you stay locked down.

What is The Parent Trap?

d) A movie in which three children decide to kidnap their divorced parents and

make them fall in love again.

e) A movie in which long-lost twin sisters find each other and switch their

identities.

f) A movie in which parents oppose the marriage of a young couple and

therefore they make a plan on how to gain their approval.

4. Dean: You know, it's kind of funny. Talking to a messenger of God on a

cellphone. It's, you know, like watching a Hell's Angel ride a moped.

Who is a Hell’s Angel?

d) A fictional character from a movie starring Bruce Willis.

e) A creature from the Bible.

f) A member of motorcycle club.

70

5. Dean: Sheriff Carnegie. Danielle's gonna be all right. She's sworn off The

Simple Life, but other than that…

What is The Simple Life?

d) Reality show.

e) Soap opera.

f) Self-help book.

6. Dean: Especially Ms. Chancey. She only cared about two things. Dynasty and

bedtime.

What is Dynasty?

d) Woman magazine.

e) Soap opera.

f) Chocolate.

7. Chuck: You went, like, full-on Vader. Your body temperature was one-fifty.

Your heart rate was two hundred. Your eyes were black.

Who is Vader?

d) Character from Star Wars.

e) Character from Star Trek.

f) Robot in the movie I, Robot.

8. Dean: So, what, I'm Thelma and you're Louise and we're just going to hold

hands and sail off this cliff together? Give me one good reason why I should

do this.

How are Thelma and Louise connected?

d) They are in love.

e) They are related.

f) They are friends.

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9. Dean: Let me tell you something. There are two things I know for certain. One,

Bert and Ernie are gay. Two, you are not gonna die a virgin. Not on my watch.

Let's go.

Who are Bert and Ernie?

d) Dean’s friends.

e) Muppets.

f) Characters in TV show Barney and Friends.

10. Dean: Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna drink this, Hulk out, and

you're gonna waste every one of the demon scum that killed my best friend.

What does it mean to “Hulk out”?

d) To become extremely angry and violent.

e) To lie down and go to sleep.

f) To transform into an animal.