Rhetoric and narratives as equipment for living: spinning in Borgen

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical background for studying rhetoric and narratives as equipment for living. Analyzing a case study on spinning and the spin doctor in recent narratives with a major focus on the Danish TV-series Borgen. Arguing that narratives can be equipment for teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

Introducing rhetorical concepts as tools for an analysis of narratives (based on the work of Kenneth Burke).

Findings

The authors argue for the importance of rhetoric and narrative as tools for meaning-making, illustrate how spinning has become a major topic in recent fiction (and the TV-series Borgen in particular), and focus on how Borgen can be equipment for living from different “terministic screens.”

Originality/value

The authors analyze how a popular narrative as Borgen can be read as equipment for living, focussing on how the spin doctor has become a major character in fiction, and illustrate what the authors can learn from narratives about rhetoric and spinning.

Citation

Soetaert, R. and Rutten, K. (2014), "Rhetoric and narratives as equipment for living: spinning in Borgen", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 27 No. 5, pp. 710-721. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-09-2014-0168