Cross-cultural analysis of horoscopes in British and Bulgarian women's magazines

Abstract

This paper aims to consider some aspects of the horoscope as a media genre in a number of British and Bulgarian magazines.
It is divided into five chapters. The introductory chapter informs the reader about the aims and objectives I have set to achieve with this research, as well as about the factors that have influenced my choice of topic: my personal interest and insufficient research in this area.
Chapter 1 introduces a number of basic concepts: media text and discourse, genre and values, as well as a selective account of the theories I have drawn upon in an attempt to formulate the key concept in this study - the horoscope as a media genre.
Chapter 2 sketches out the two basic research methods I have employed in this paper: content and critical discourse analyses. In addition, it provides a full description of my sample and outlines the criteria I have applied for its selection.
Chapter 3 offers a detailed analysis of the horoscopes in six British (Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, Take a Break, Woman's Own and Woman's Weekly) and six Bulgarian magazines (Eva , Za zhenata, Zhenata dnes, Vestnik za zhenata, Zhena and Hubava zhena). It highlights the recurrent patterns and themes in the horoscope and outlines some of the basic values this genre projects to the audiences in the two cultures.
The concluding chapter brings together the conclusions I have arrived at in the process of the analysis of my data and suggests issues for further research.