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The definition of a narrative is ga chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and spaceh [Boardwell, Thompson, pg.60]. Youfve Got Mail is about a love relationship that is built in the vast world of cyberspace. The male and female protagonists are Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly who are played by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan respectively. The story outline revolves around two bookshop business people, Kathleen who owns a small bookstore gThe Shop Around The Cornerh, and Joe who owns a major bookstore, gFox Booksh. They meet by chance only to find that both of them are business competitors and therefore start loathing each other, but unknown to both of them, they have an intimate relationship built on email in cyberspace. These are the factors that are gvisibly and audibly present in the film before ush [Boardwell, Thompson, pg. 61]. The opening credits of the movie show the computer generated image of Manhattan City, New York, the sounds of someone typing on the keyboard and the sounds of an Internet modem dialing up. This lets the viewer know what the movie is about, that it is set in New York and that it has to do with the world of cyberspace. Towards the end of the opening credits, as the computer cursor clicks on the screen, everything on it changes into ereal lifef. This shows that the plot is about the mixture of real life and cyberspace. gThe opening provides a basis for what is to come and initiates us into the narrative. In some cases, the plot will seek to arouse curiosity by bringing us into a series of actions that has already startedh [Boardwell, Thompson, pg. 68]. In the start of Youfve Got Mail, as Kathleen is checking and reading her email, the viewer is able to see that the developing online romance between Joe and herself has been going on for quite some time. In real life, Joe and Kathleen are already in each otherfs lives even though they have never met before. As the viewer can see, they cross each otherfs path everyday and walk past the same places and even get coffee from the same Starbucks outlet. The tone of the film is lighthearted and consistent and this is supportive of the theme of the film. There are only a few sad moments in the film like when Kathleenfs bookstore is forced to close down when Fox Books, owned by Joe Fox, opens in the neighbourhood. The setting of Kathleenfs store gives the viewer of serenity when they eenterf it. It has a comforting and homely feel to the place.
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