Semiotics is long on theoretical often obscure discourses but short on applications that
demonstrate with clarity the applicability of its methods. This book confronts a challenging
object the circus and endeavors to describe its performances in ways that explain how circus
acts produce meaning and cause a deep emotional involvement for their audiences. The approach
is not top-down such as would be a method that would dogmatically apply a particular theory to
fully explain the phenomena in terms of this theory alone. Epistemologically this book is an
example of the bottom-up strategy which consists of considering first the objects and
heuristically calling upon methodological resources in a broad theoretical array to come to
grips with the problems that are encountered. Any circus act is a complex event that has
cognitive and emotional dimensions. It is also a part of a history and an institution and
cannot be abstracted from its cultural and sociological contexts. Thus the range of relevant
theoretical and methodological approaches must include structural semiotics biosemiotics
pragmatics socio-semiotics cultural anthropology the cognitive sciences the psychology and
sociology of emotions to name only the most important. But the ultimate focus of this book is
to enable the readers to better understand the meaning of circus performances and to appreciate
the skills and creativity of this traditional popular art which constantly renews itself from
generation to generation.
