Book Description
Slavoj Zizek, a leading intellectual in the new social movements in Eastern Europe, provides a virtuoso reading of the psychoanalytic theory of Jacques Lacan through the works of contemporary popular culture, from horror fiction and detective thrillers to popular romances and Hitchcock films.
Slavoj Zizek is a Researcher in the Institute of Sociology at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He ran as a proreform candidate for the presidency of the republic of Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia, in 1990.
Customer Reviews:
Lacanian heresy inside! Beware of being tainted!.......2004-10-05
I am struck by the negative reviews that caution readers: "Zizek is not an orthodox Lacanian! Read him only if you have already understood Lacan!" This is, of course, the typically cultish--really Catholic--approach to Lacan that treats him as a holy text, pre-supposes a series of high priests who have been properly anoited and through whom one must receive the officially sanctioned interpretation. I don't read Zizek for Lacan--I read him for Zizek, and I encourage others to do likewise. *Looking Awry* and *Enjoy Your Symptom* are prehaps the easiest approaches to Zizek and his brand of cultural criticism, as they rely almost entirely on popular culture, especially film. Zizek's perverse (and often dirty) sense of humor and tendency to read against the grain at all costs are apparent on nearly every page, which makes this a very engaging read, indeed. Intellectually, there are some problems with his approach, of course--but Zizek's voice is such a refreshing change of pace, and his constant turn to a reading that you thought was impossible (but turns out to be preversely appealing) makes them all worthwhile.
Perfect - if that's what you want........2004-05-15
That's what I wanted, at least: An illustration of the key Lacanian concepts. What Zizek'bokk gives you, in fact, is the key to reading Lacan.
Lacan's seminar is an unreadable text - if that's your first/second/third etc. time. Lacan, you see, does not make conclusions. To illustrate that:
- You are writing a paper on, let's say, "Gaze". You would like to know what's Lacan's take on gaze. You open "On Gaze as Object a" chapter from "Four Fundamentals".
- you read a paragraph. You do not quite understand what you have read.
- you read the following paragraph. Now, understanding this one is even more difficult, because Lacan is assuming that you have fully understood the previous one. Ok, third paragragh ... Should I continue?
- You either think that this book is non-sense or that you are stupid. Both conclusions are wrong.
As soon as you get the background - Lacan's non-sense makes perfect sense. Zizek give this background in a highly entertaining manner (his writing is a jewel - keeps you thinking "If only I could write like that!"). I am currently doing a PhD in literature, and I have to go through plenty of academic rubbish - dry and actually, useless critical books, that make use of Lacan, Foucault and others to get published and never be read. Zizec is a breath of fresh air.
Please believe me - do not give up on Lacan, do not call him bad names, (like "idiotic nonsense, nobody ever understood him, they were all pretending to understand him because they were afraid to look stupid in the 60s") - before you read Zizec.
This book is great; those below who don't like it are clowns.......2002-09-22
Jacques Lacan's theories are completely, utterly undecipherable. The only way to begin to understand the fundamentals of psychoanalytic theory is to read somebody else writing on Lacan. And thank God Zizek does that for us. To understand Lacan, I've always had to turn to film theory critism--Laura Mulvey--but none of that ever goes beyond theories of the gaze, neglecting to dispell the mystery around some of the most basic concepts of Lacan. Zizek rolls through these various terms and ideas, always providing an exemplification of the idea in popular culture, usually in Hitchcock or within Sci-Fi genres, and then a clear-to-understand definition. So if you're confused as to what desire, drive, lack, objet a, other, Other, the Real, or the Thing are in terms of Lacanian jargon, this might be your book.
Titling awry.......2001-07-08
This book is very interesting but I think it would have been better to call it "An Introduction to Popular Culture trhough Jaques Lacan". This would be a proper title because Zizek dedicates more space to tell us what some products of popular culture are about (i.e. Stephen King's novel "Pet Sematary"; Robert Sheckley's short story "The Store of the Worlds") than to explain, or even outline, the theories of Jaques Lacan. This in itself is not a critique, I just want to say that the title can be misleading. You will not find here an explanation or an introduction to Lacan, but rather a Lacanian reading or interpretation of some products of popular culture (novels, short stories and films.) If you are looking for an easy or brief rendering of Lacan, this book will not be of much help. Moreover, I would say that the readers who will profit the most are those who are already familiar with, or at least know something about, Lacanian thought. This said, I think that Zizek's Lacanian reading of popular works is very good in some cases, and somewhat poor in others. For example, he recalls the novel "Pet Sematary" but he explains almost nothing about it. The good cases, however, make it worth the effort to read the book (Zizek's writing is complicated, but so is Lacan's), and even if you do not agree with some of his points, they are still useful to encourage thought and discussion. If you are interested in the study of popular culture, the interpretation of film and literature, or in the application of Lacanian theory to social analysis, this book will certainly be of use.
Looking Awry This Book.......2000-06-01
This book consists of three parts each of which treats so wide range of topics that there seems to be no logical consistency except Lacanian theory. In the first part, Zizek applys Lacanian theory on reality to various topics such as Zenofs paradox, Shakespearefs gHamleth, Stephen Kingfs gPet Semataryh, and Steven Spielbergfs gEmpire of the Sunh. Then, the second part focuses on Hitchcockfs works and the third part discusses gFantasy, Bureaucracy, Democracyh, however, both parts treat various works in popular culture, too. Actually, Zizek treats Lacanian theory on reality in the first part, on psychoanalysis in the second part, and on gthe Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Realh in the third part, and the third part arranges the preceding parts. But I feel that this book is about how to analyze popular culture rather than about Lacan. As an introduction to Jacques Lacan, I think this book is too difficult. However, this bookfs style which does not have a logical consistency like an ordinary thesis might be more easy to know Lacanian theory than compactly explaining book with many diagrams.
Book Description
Over the last decade the philosophy of film has emerged as a distinctivefield within aesthetics, engaging with a variety of questions concerningthe relationship between film and art. One question in particularhas become very prominent in philosophical discussions of film: to what extent can film-or individual films-act as a vehicle of or forum for philosophy itself? This is the domain of "film as philosophy," which forms the focus of this volume. The collection brings together a wide range of contributors, including both philosophers and film scholars. All of them address the question of whether philosophy can take the form of, or be articulated through, film. The contributors canvas a wide variety of forms and periods of film as they present diverse answers to this question.
Book Description
Originally published in 1972, this pioneering book has become a classic in visual anthropology. Worth and Adair set out to answer the question, What would happen if someone from a culture that makes and uses motion pictures taught people who have never made or used motion pictures to do so for the first time? They taught filmmaking and editing to a group of six Navajos in Pinetree, Arizona. This book explains what happened, what they and the Navajos said and thought about what happened, and how they analyzed the films in a cultural context. The films, still available for rent, are described in detail and illustrated with still photographs.
Richard Chalfen, a research assistant on the original project in 1966, has updated the book with a thorough discussion of the importance of the Navajo project and a critical assessment of the reactions to it.
Customer Reviews:
A classic and quietly radical innovation.......2000-03-25
"Through Navajo Eyes" examines the importance of cutural perspective in ethnographic filmmaking. Sol Worth and John Adair's study of the Navajo made a simple innovation. Previously, filmmakers had usually pointed the camera at others in order to create an audiovisual representation of their world. In essence, Worth and Adair instead handed over the camera to see what would result. The results were fascinating, and elude definitive interpretation to this very day. This "experiment" has been repeated many times, and in many places, which is perhaps the greatest testament to the power and originality of a simple, yet ultimately radical, shift of control over the perspective and re-presentation of reality in film.
Book Description
The Philosopher at the End of the Universe Philosophy Explained Through Science Fiction Films Mark Rowlands This provocative, thought-provoking, and thoroughly entertaining guide explains the basics of philosophy-as seen through today's blockbuster movies nyone can grasp the essential concepts of philosophy while still holding a bucket of popcorn. Mark Rowlands makes philosophy utterly relevant to our everyday lives and reveals its most potent messages using nothing more than a little humor and the plot lines of some of the most spectacular, expensive, high-octane films on the planet. Learn about: -The Nature of Reality from The Matrix -Good and Evil from Star Wars -Morality from Aliens -Personal Identity from Total Recall -The Mind-Body Dilemma from Terminator -Free Will from Minority Report -Death and the Meaning of Life from Blade Runner -And much more. If Keanu Reeves can understand Descartes surely anyone can. 'Hugely entertaining....Rowlands knows his stuff and marries some of the tougher philosophical arguments to the more accessible conduit of popular entertainment....enjoyable and illuminating.' -Waterstone's Books Quarterly [UK] Mark Rowlands is a philosopher, author, and university professor living in Cork, Ireland. Philosophy 0-312-32234-8 $23.95 $34.95 Canadian 51/2" x 81/4" / 288 pages Thomas Dunne Books August
Customer Reviews:
An Entertaining, yet Robust Hike for the Armchair Philosopher.......2005-12-19
Who knew that we would see big-screen heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Keanu Reeves, and Tom Cruise take their rightful places beside the likes of Descartes, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, and Plato? And I don't mean at the Oscars!
In this book Rowlands has brought together several areas of popular interest: philosophy, movies, and science fiction, in a way that benefits all three. It is a rollicking romp through often-dry philosophical fields such as the meaning of life, theory of knowledge, the mind-body problem, personal identity, free will, and ethics.
While the tone is tongue-in-cheek, the content took me deeper down the rabbit-hole of philosophy than many such popular offerings.
See the Movies in a Whole New Light!.......2005-10-23
This was a great book.
It made me appreciate these movies on a whole new level, (with the exception of the Matrix which I now enjoy for the FIRST time!)
By applying philosophical concepts to movies the author brilliantly breaks them down into proverbial 'apples & oranges'. Be warned though... once you pick it up its hard to put down half way through a chapter! So allow the time!
If I had to have a criticism it would be that some (maybe one, two at most) chapters go a little into overkill... but hey! Better a little more than a little less.
Hope this guy writes another book along similar lines!
Entertaining and Rewarding.......2005-01-12
A great primer for philosophical thought that does not put one to sleep. In fact, this was such a good read, it kept me up late into for several evenings. Professor Rowlands also happens to be one funny man. Very well done.
A New Genre: Sci-Phi.......2004-11-23
Let me begin by saying that I met the author, Mark Rowlands, on several occasions while he was teaching at University College, Cork, in Ireland. Let me also say that I was extremely jealous when I first came across this book in a bookshop in Cambridge, England. For years I have shown my students clips from science-fiction films such as "The Matrix" (re: Descartes's first Meditation) and "The Terminator" (re: machines without sensation -- Descartes again) and "Total Recall" (re: Descartes's first Meditation again, and Locke's memory theory of identity) when teaching my Modern Philosophy course. But Rowlands beat the rest of us to it and wrote a book in this vein -- an introduction to philosophy by way of popular science-fiction films.
This Winter Term (2005), for the second year in a row, I will be assigning this book for my Modern Philosophy course. (Last time I had to order the books from England; this time they are available in the US). In 2004 my students enjoyed the book tremendously and it proved very useful, especially the sections on Descartes (chapters 2 and 3 on skepticism about the external world and the mind-body problem -- "The Matrix" and "The Terminator"), Locke (chapter 4 on personal identity -- "Total Recall" and "The Sixth Day") and Hume (chapter 5 on free will -- "Minority Report").
The author, Rowlands, is known best for his work in the philosophy of mind and applied ethics (especially the ethical status of animals). I believe that the earlier parts of the book, dealing with philosophy of mind, metaphysics and epistemology, are easily the best. The final parts of the book dealing with ethics -- chapter 6 on "Hollow Man" (why should we be ethical?), chapter 7 on "Independence Day" and "Aliens" (should the scope of ethics extend to aliens?) and chapter 8 on "Star Wars" (good vs. evil) -- are not quite up to standard. Somewhere in between are the parts dealing with the meaning of life -- chapter 1 on "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" and chapter 9 on "Blade Runner".
The book is written primarily for undergraduates. It normally does a nice job of presenting philosophical ideas and problems in an appealing and direct fashion. You can tell that the author is part of the generation that is in tune with popular culture, but has a D.Phil from Oxford and can write about supervenience or Doug Lenat's CYC project.
This makes it all sound far too serious and educational, however. The most important thing about this book is that it is very, very funny. It's funny about philosophy, and it's funny about films too. Exhibit A: ""Minority Report"... also has Tom Cruise in it, not a man you normally associate with complex philosophical issues. I mean, scientology? Give me a break." (p. 121) Rowlands is nothing if not irreverent, and you will laugh out loud while reading this, I guarantee.
So far, I have found only a few factual errors (references are to the English Ebury Press 2003 paperback edition). Heidegger's "Being and Time" was published in 1927, not 1926 (p. 7). Wittgenstein's "Tractatus Logico-philosophicus" was completed in 1918 and published in 1921, not published in 1916 (p. 53). And the Tom Cruise/Cameron Crowe movie is "Vanilla Sky", not "Vanilla Skies" (p. 121). The only philosophical error I have found is that he refers to Occasionalism as "parallelism" (p. 72) (parallelism is a different thesis and can be espoused by a mind-body identity theorist such as Spinoza). But that is just something discussed in a footnote.
I am not always entirely happy with Rowlands' resolutions of various matters in the final sections of his chapters. But it would be unfair to beat him over the head about this. I also find some of the humor to be too laddish for my taste. It's not particularly funny the first time to say how much you love beer and imagined sex with Sarah Michelle Gellar, and it's painful the n-th time. But these are minor criticims of a very refreshing read, on the whole.
Book Description
Do humans have free Will? What distinguishes morally right from morally wrong action? Does God exist? Does life have meaning? What is the ultimate nature of reality? What are the limits of human knowledge?
Philosophy through Film offers a stimulating new way to explore the basic questions of philosophy. Each chapter uses a popular film to examine one such topic- from free will and skepticism to personal identity and artificial intelligence- in an approachable yet philosophically rigorous manner. A wide range of films is employed all of which are readily available through major video rental chains. This unique and engaging introduction provides an exciting new way to learn about philosophy, and connects complicated philosophical questions to the familiar settings of popular culture.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent introduction to philosophy through film.......2007-08-08
In the last decade or so a number of philosophers have become interested in film, both as a way of illustrating difficult concepts in philosophy and as a medium with a rich potential for the development of philosophical thought. Mary Litch's "Philosophy through Film" was one of the first and remains one of the best and most useful textbooks for introducing students to philosophical concepts by way of film, and uses ideas drawn from philosophy to help analyze films that raise important questions about the nature of human identity, the character of knowledge, and ethical and existential questions about how we live. The format is especially helpful. Each chapter introduces a central philosophical theme and raises several of the issues that surround this theme, and then illustrates the theme with a brief account of two or three contemporary and easily accessible films that raise issues related to this theme. The final part of the chapter presumes that students will have gone on to view the film for the first time, or once again with the specific thematic issues of the chapter in mind. She then gives a detailed summary of each film to suggest how the film raises and resolves such issues and examines what is at stake in the way the film seems to resolve this issue. So, for example, a chapter on personal identity -- the question what makes a person who he or she is -- is complemented by analyses of the films Being John Malkovich and Memento. A chapter on epistemology -- the question how we know what we know and whether we can have knowledge at all -- is complemented by analyses of "Total Recall" and "The Matrix." Overall, it is a fine book that is well written and clear -- and while I may disagree with some of her emphases and wish she had discussed certain subjects more or less, the overall presentation is compelling and interesting. Something she doesn't do, but that other philosophers have begun to do in a number of books, is raise questions about the nature of film itself and whether and to what extent it is a medium uniquely suited for the expression or exploration of philosophical ideas. Even more, whether film itself might be said to be a medium for philosophy and not merely a useful illustration of philosophical concepts. I use this as a text in my course entitled Film and Philosophy to introduce students to the methods of philosophy, and especially to make relevant some of the seemingly abstract debates that take place within ethics, epistemology and metaphysics. I supplement this with discussions and readings in aesthetics to raise the question what is distinctive to film as a medium, and to raise questions that go beyond film as an illustration of philosophy and in the direction of the "philosophy of film." I'd love to see Mary Litch come out with a new edition of this excellent text, and expect to keep using it for some time.
Book Description
Philosophy Through Fiction and Film offers a fresh approach to philosophy using literary and film narratives along with standard philosophic works to introduce readers to the basic branches of the field. This book covers the fundamental problems of philosophy including epistemology, physics, ethics, religion, and politics. For anyone interested in a lively, engaging, and complete introduction to philosophy.
Customer Reviews:
Snoozer of a text.......2007-01-08
I purchased this book for a college philosophy class and what a poorly chosen text! The information is scarce and misleading with limited view-points and interpretations. My professor even abandoned it after the first 2 weeks. I found it extremely conveluded and not even worth purchasing for free-time reading.
Book Description
A work in both aesthetics and ethics, this book proceeds from the interplay of film and philosophy. It examines a group of first-rate popular movies to show how films which wonderfully entertain audiences also contain developed and important conceptions of virtue. By interpreting popular movies from this philosophical viewpoint the book deepens our aesthetic appreciation of film. At the same time, the analyses of film illustrate how narratives are essential to moral reflection by filling out and extending our understanding of moral life with the particulars of their characters and stories. The film interpretations can be read independently or as building within a series of ever-widening social contexts. Beginning with emphasis on the development of the virtuous individual (Groundhog Day), the discussion moves to romantic friendship (The African Queen), family (Parenthood), and then to cooperative community (Rob Roy). The concluding films are about virtuous individuals who must act within alienating social conditions: family and community are undermined (Fresh) or they have been eclipsed by economic forces and interests (Jaws and Aliens). Free of technical language and theorizing, the essays in this book should appeal to film fans and philosophers, in or out of the classroom.
Average customer rating:
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Nourishing Faith through Fiction: Reflections of the Apostles' Creed in Literature and Film.: An article from: Christianity and Literature
Robert Johnston
Manufacturer: Conference on Christianity and Literature
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ASIN: B0008FIQY4
Release Date: 2005-07-30 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Christianity and Literature, published by Conference on Christianity and Literature on June 22, 2002. The length of the article is 1127 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Nourishing Faith through Fiction: Reflections of the Apostles' Creed in Literature and Film.
Author: Robert Johnston
Publication:
Christianity and Literature (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2002
Publisher: Conference on Christianity and Literature
Volume: 51
Issue: 4
Page: 686(3)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Sojourners, published by Sojourners on July 1, 2002. The length of the article is 461 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Reading between the lines: characters live into their relationship to God with seriousness and joy. (Excerpt).(From Reading is Believing: The Christian Faith Through Literature and Film) (book review)
Author: David Cunningham
Publication:
Sojourners (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2002
Publisher: Sojourners
Volume: 31
Issue: 4
Page: 51(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Biblical Theology Bulletin, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 715 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Useless Beauty: Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Contemporary Film.(Book Review)
Author: Zeba A. Crook
Publication:
Biblical Theology Bulletin (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 35
Issue: 3
Page: 112(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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