A critical examination of the notion of norm in literary structuralism and film historiography

The article critically examines the notion of (aesthetic) norm as developed by Jan Mukařovský and its later applications in David Bordwell’s poetics of cinema. It distinguishes between two approaches to the concept of norm in Mukařovský’s work – the systemic and the explanatory – and traces how each influenced different research programs: Czech literary structuralism and American neoformalist poetics of cinema. It then explores how Bordwell operationalized the notion of norm as a methodological tool, demonstrating its shifting analytical role across his works. It also situates this discussion within a transdisciplinary framework, highlighting how literary scholars can engage with the empirical potential of the notion of norm, while film scholars can benefit from a deeper understanding of its theoretical foundations. The conclusion proposes a reconsideration of norms as a tool for studying artistic creativity, linking them to debates on conventions and historiography.