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Masters of the Grotesque
The concepts and theories surrounding the aesthetic category of the grotesque are explored in this book by pursuing their employment in the films of American auteurs Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, the Coen Brothers and David Lynch. The author argues that interpreting these directors' films through the lens of the grotesque allows us1to situate both the auteurs and the films within a long history of the grotesque in art and aesthetics. This cultural tradition effectively subsumes the contribution of any artist or1genre that intersects it but also affords the artist or genre--the auteur and the genre filmmaker--a pantheon and an abundance of images, themes, and motifs through which he1or she can subversively represent the world and our place in it.
Philosophy and Fiction
Fiction lies in order to tell the truth and seeks reality through shadows. Philosophy attempts to dispel false realities; it pursues clear understanding of things as they are. While the relation of philosophy and fiction is, perhaps, paradoxical, they implicate one another's picture of human experience. This book uses fiction to help readers process philosophical themes, and the philosophical reflection, in turn, helps clarify the fiction. The study moves through roughly a hundred years of modern fiction, from Washington Irving's "The Devil and Tom Walker" (1824) through James M. Cain's Double Indemnity (1936). Several "classic" works of literary fiction are examined, a few largely forgotten stories and several popular novels. Reading fiction through the lens of philosophy helps readers perceive the complexity and richness of fiction, reinvigorating the pursuit of wisdom that lies just beneath the surface of the words on the page.
A Critical Companion to Terry Gilliam
A Critical Companion to Terry Gilliam provides a fresh, up-to-date exploration of the director’s films and artistic practices, ranging from his first film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) to his recently released and latest film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018). This volume presents Gilliam as a director whose films weave together an avant-garde cinematic style, imaginative exaggeration, and social critique. Consequently, while his films can seem artistically chaotic and thus have the effect of frustrating and upsetting the viewer, the essays in this volume show that this is part of a very disciplined creative plan to achieve the defamiliarization of various accepted notions of human and social life.
Comedy on Stage and Screen
This book introduces readers to the genre of comedy, both on the stage and on the screen. It chronicles the history of comedy, starting with Ancient Greece, before summarising key chapters in Anglophone literary history, such as Shakespearean comedy, Restoration comedy, and Theatre of the Absurd. The book features an overview of key comic techniques (including slapstick, puns, and wit), as well as concise summaries of major theoretical debates (including the superiority theory and the Freudian account of laughter). The book works with many examples from the history of Anglophone comedy, including Oscar Wilde, Monty Python, and classic sitcoms. It addresses current research into cringe humour and the controversial topic of diversity in the field of comedy, and it connects classical tropes of comedy (like the fool or the marriage plot) to present-day examples. The book thus serves as an up-to-date study guide for everyone interested in comedy and its various subgenres.
Doctor Nobody and the Lower Animals
Hopkins Carver, a detective in a small town in Illinois, is caught between The Society, a white supremacist group headed by a disgraced pastor, and ARAFO, a violent anti-fascist resistance movement. The situation becomes critical when a black girl is found dead in an abandoned farmhouse. Is she just another victim in a local suicide epidemic, or is The Society involved? The town is on edge, and Carver may be losing his mind to Grief Machine, a new drug that has hit the town. Reality and memory blend with history and hallucination, and the lines between man and animal, between one's own mind and the rest of the world, are blurred as the war reaches a fever pitch.
Dark of the Center Line
Abraham Jacobsen is misfit for this world. His peculiar gifts have cursed him with a past of good deeds he cannot escape, with dreams and visions he cannot explain, with a future as stone-set as the etchings on a grave marker. Now, just as he has found a suitable place to loose his haunted thoughts in the outer blanks of rural Illinois, Abraham finds himself the prime suspect in the murder of a local girl. He is edged in upon by a priest who wants to see him canonized, an ancient vigilante group with ties to the county’s founding fathers, the dead girl’s farmer father, and local law enforcement. In his roving, Abraham has burned up the road of life in both directions, scorching and scarring as many as he has helped or healed. And the journey has only taken him deeper within the dark of the center line, into a country nothing-world of fields, farms, and roads, a place that seems peopled with his own inner demons and bad memories. But does the dark of the center line lead somewhere too?
The Other Journal: The Celebrity Issue
The Other Journal's first print edition focuses on the role of celebrity in North American culture--its phenomena, its significance, its utility. The articles illuminate different facets of celebrity culture through multiple vantage points and methodologies.Ê This issue features articles, art exhibits, and interviews by such prominent thinkers as Graham Ward, Carl Raschke, James K. A. Smith, James Davison Hunter, Brian McLaren, Luci Shaw, Gary Dorrien, and many others. Essays and reviews by Ruth Adams, Paul Jaussen, Katie Kresser, James K. A. Smith, Brad Elliott Stone, Gary David Stratton, Kj Swanson, John Totten, and Graham Ward Interviews by Allison Backous, David Horstkoetter, Chris Keller, Tom Ryan, James K. A. Smith, and Heather Smith Stringer with Gary Dorrien, Ron Hansen, James Davison Hunter, Brian McLaren, Carl Raschke, and the Opiate Mass Creative writing and poetry by Daniel Bowman, Jr., Joel Heng Hartse, Luci Shaw, and Schuy R. Weishaar
Film Appreciation through Genres
Our love of films often leads us to discuss them in enthusiastic, if not necessarily sophisticated, conversations. Many moviegoers want a better understanding so that they might better articulate their experiences. This midpoint between theorizing and plot summary is not difficult to achieve. Since their introduction just before the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of narrative films have followed the same structure--now known as Classic Hollywood Cinema. This book examines what "classic" means, particularly in Westerns, gangster films, film noir, horror, science fiction, slapstick comedy and screwball comedy/romance. The reader is introduced to concepts of film theory, which leads to a better and deeper appreciation of the movies. A 20-page comprehensive industry glossary of film terms is included for easy reference.
Tim Burton
Since his early days at Disney, Tim Burton has shown a unique talent and vision. His writing and directing credits range from big-budget features such as Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), to the comically grisly The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Corpse Bride (2005), to the twisted fairy tale Edward Scissorhands (1990), to literary adaptations like Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and Sweeney Todd (2007). Though his name has become synonymous with the macabre and the odd, Burton's films often reveal and champion the flawed human in us all. This collection of new essays brings together scholarship on many of his popular films, adaptations, and innovations in stop-motion animation and his collaborative relationship with actor Johnny Depp, providing an in-depth exploration of one of the most prominent figures on the pop culture landscape in recent decades.
Approaching Twin Peaks
Though it lasted just two seasons, Twin Peaks (1990-1991) raised the bar for television and is now considered one of the great dramas in TV history. Its complex plots and sensational visuals both inspired and alienated audiences. After 25 years, the cult classic is being revived. This collection of new essays explores its filmic influences, its genre-bending innovations and its use of horror and science fiction conventions, from the original series through the earlier film prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and subsequent video releases.
