Book Description
Since its original publication in 1987, Channels of Discourse has provided the most comprehensive consideration of commercial television, drawing on insights provided by the major strands of contemporary criticism: semiotics, narrative theory, reception theory, genre theory, ideological analysis, psychoanalysis, feminist criticism, and British cultural studies.
The second edition features a new introduction by Robert Allen that includes a discussion of the political economy of commercial television. Two new essays have been added—one an assessment of postmodernism and television, the other an analysis of convergence and divergence among the essays—and the original essays have been substantially revised and updated with an international audience in mind. Sixty-one new television stills illustrate the text.
Each essay lays out the general tenets of its particular approach, discusses television as an object of analysis within that critical framework, and provides extended examples of the types of analysis produced by that critical approach. Case studies range from Rescue 911 and Twin Peaks to soap operas, music videos, game shows, talk shows, and commericals.
Channels of Discourse, Reassembled suggests new ways of understanding relationships among television programs, between viewing pleasure and narrative structure, and between the world in front of the television set and that represented on the screen. The collection also addresses the qualities of popular television that traditional aesthetics and quantitative media research have failed to treat satisfactorily, including its seriality, mass production, and extraordinary popularity.
The contributors are Robert C. Allen, Jim Collins, Jane Feuer, John Fiske, Sandy Flitterman-Lewis, James Hay, E. Ann Kaplan, Sarah Kozloff, Ellen Seiter, and Mimi White.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Overview of Media Studies Methodologies.......2002-07-04
In a critical writing course I taught in Spring 2002, I used Channels of Discourse, Reassembled as the core text for the course readings. The many chapters within are written by the best of the best in the fields of media studies and cultural studies, and the methodologies are presented in an easy-to-read manner which is informative and full of examples and case studies. This is an excellent book for media studies students, as its chapters lay out the basic information they should know about many of the methodologies often used in media criticism.
Book Description
In this searing polemic, Lee Edelman outlines a radically uncompromising new ethics of queer theory. His main target is the all-pervasive figure of the child, which he reads as the linchpin of our universal politics of “reproductive futurism.” Edelman argues that the child, understood as innocence in need of protection, represents the possibility of the future against which the queer is positioned as the embodiment of a relentlessly narcissistic, antisocial, and future-negating drive. He boldly insists that the efficacy of queerness lies in its very willingness to embrace this refusal of the social and political order. In No Future, Edelman urges queers to abandon the stance of accommodation and accede to their status as figures for the force of a negativity that he links with irony, jouissance, and, ultimately, the death drive itself.
Closely engaging with literary texts, Edelman makes a compelling case for imagining Scrooge without Tiny Tim and Silas Marner without little Eppie. Looking to Alfred Hitchcock’s films, he embraces two of the director’s most notorious creations: the sadistic Leonard of North by Northwest, who steps on the hand that holds the couple precariously above the abyss, and the terrifying title figures of The Birds, with their predilection for children. Edelman enlarges the reach of contemporary psychoanalytic theory as he brings it to bear not only on works of literature and film but also on such current political flashpoints as gay marriage and gay parenting. Throwing down the theoretical gauntlet, No Future reimagines queerness with a passion certain to spark an equally impassioned debate among its readers.
Customer Reviews:
Important, but..........2006-03-21
Lee Edleman's book poses important questions for all of us about "queerness" and resistance to our presumedly "normal" cultural investments in a redemptive future figured most vividly in the notion of the "child." I admire the work being done here, and in particular the intellectual chutzpah it takes to dismantle this dominant ideological framework while taking on Baudrillard, Butler and other formidable thinkers. It is, however, unfortunate that Edelman seems to have become enchanted as much by his own linguistic cleverness as by the important ideas he sets out to explore.
Thelabor required to make sense of the dense, overwrought and smugly elitist tone of the text detracts from and, I imagine for many readers unfamiliar with the burdensome jargon, simply impedes understanding. This is particularly painful in the chapter on Hitchcock's "The Birds" which seems to be as much a compendium of bad bird puns as it is a serious inquiry into the themes of the book.
That being said, Edelman has made an important, even daring, contribution to queer theory. His readings of texts and films are original and thought-provoking. Furthermore, the ideas Edelman lays out in "No Future" could and should help shape our understanding of the importance of resisting what he calls a "vision of futurity." Sadly, his impenetrable prose limits access to his ideas and keeps the circuit of discourse firmly shut to those most likely to benefit from the ideas he puts forth.
Book Description
Slavoj Zizek, dubbed by the Village Voice "the giant of Ljubljana," is back with a new edition of his seriously entertaining book on film, psychoanalysis (and life). His inimitable blend of philosophical and social theory, Lacanian analysis, and outrageous humor are here made to show how Hollywood movies can explain psychoanalysis-and vice versa. Why does the phallus appear? Why is woman a symptom of man? Why are there always two fathers? These typical Zizek questions are explained by means of such films as Marnie and The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Customer Reviews:
the point?.......2004-07-17
"I cannot weigh in an estimation of the value of this book. Surely, it is not as profoundly useful or clear as Zizek's political and philosophical thriller, Ticklish Subject. Yet, the application of Zizek's critical arsenal to Hollywood without the baggage of Politics and History, makes room for exposition through, sad to say, a universal and more immediate medium." Here's a statement that completely misses not only the point but the importance of Zizek. Ofcourse, in an era of achedemics and 'intellectual'-types complacently spiteful to popular culture as the anti-shakespeare (christ?), this isn't surprising.
elevator music piped upwind.......2003-03-28
Clarity of language and argument one finds, some feel, rarely in current theoretical writing or in psychoanalytic writing. Here Zizek has structured his book so that nearly every idea gets two chances to impress the reader. I would agree with one of the reviews on this site of another of Zizek's books, that the author writes more clearly and persuasively about politics than about culture. However, this book presents a pleasing mixture (as most of Zizek's books do) of the cultural, political, philosophical, and Lacanian munch.
Each chapter sets out to answer a question posed by the chapter heading (e.g., Why is Reality Always Multiple?). First Zizek approaches a solution or description of the problem as it appears in Hollywood films. These Zizek treats as texts or case studies. Whatever your opinion of the merits of psychoanalytic description for general use, the discussion of the films makes marvellously amusing reading. As demanding for this reader as the steep range of theoretical vocabulary employed is the ample library of films from which Zizek draws his examples. Many of which films I'd never seen. The second section of each chapter recasts the first approach through film in the language, theory and realm of analysis, theory and philosophy.
I cannot weigh in an estimation of the value of this book. Surely, it is not as profoundly useful or clear as Zizek's political and philosophical thriller, Ticklish Subject. Yet, the application of Zizek's critical arsenal to Hollywood without the baggage of Politics and History, makes room for exposition through, sad to say, a universal and more immediate medium.
very clear stuff.......1999-04-02
If you know anything about Hegel and Lacan, Zizek is actually a quite clear expositor of Lacan. Looking awry is particularly clear, lucid to the point of simplification in his account of Lacan, but what can you expect when your proof-test is Hitchcock and HOllywood movies. Most academic books consist of (dead author) and (contemporary theorist), and if the text at hand simply serves to validate the theory, why drag out heavy reading when Hitchcock will do? If the theory is correct, it encompasses both Shakespeare and anything oj simpson ever appeared in, so not to use both would only be a sign of stuffiness. Zizek has the virtue of being easy to read and not taking himself too seriously, and begins every chapter with a quote from Lenin or Stalin, as if Stalin was the last philosopher. It's not a parody, but if Kojeve (Lacan) is right, that every philosophy is just a repetition of one moment of the Hegelian spirit, then Zizek's jeu d'esprit is an honest accomodation to what's happening now.
Lacanian theory and the movies.......1998-05-01
This book is impossible, complicated, and confusing. Good luck to anyone who tries to figure it out. Zizek careens through film history, haphazardly - and sometimes carefully - appropriating examples in order to make various 'post-modern' and Lacanian points. It almost seems like parody, but ... it's not.
Book Description
This unique volume collects a series of essays that link new developments in Lacanian psychoanalytic theory and recent trends in contemporary cinema.
Though Lacanian theory has long had a privileged place in the analysis of film, film theory has tended to ignore some of Lacan's most important ideas. As a result, Lacanian film theory has never properly integrated the disruptive and troubling aspects of the filmic experience that result from the encounter with the Real that this experience makes possible. Many contemporary theorists emphasize the importance of the encounter with the Real in Lacan's thought, but rarely in discussions of film. By bringing the encounter with the Real into the dialogue of film theory, the contributors to this volume present a new version of Lacan to the world of film studies. These essays bring this rediscovered Lacan to bear on contemporary cinema through analysis of a wide variety of films including Memento, Eyes Wide Shut, Breaking the Waves, and Fight Club. The films discussed here demand a turn to Lacanian theory because they emphasize the disruptive role of the Real and of jouissance in the experience of the human subject. There are a growing number of films in contemporary cinema that speak to film's power to challenge and disturb the complacency of spectators, and the essays in Lacan and Contemporary Film analyze some of these films and bring their power to light. Because of its dual focus on developments in Lacanian theory and in contemporary film, this collection serves as both an accessible introduction to current Lacanian film theory and an introduction to the study of contemporary cinema. Each essay provides an accessible, jargon-free analysis of one or more important films, and at the same time each explains and utilizes key concepts of Lacanian theory. The collection stages an encounter between Lacanian theory and contemporary cinema, and the result is the enrichment of both.
Customer Reviews:
Feminist Film Theory.......2000-05-25
Silverman's observations regarding classical Hollywood cinema constantly drive the reader beyond the complacency of a male-centered interpretation of film. Make no mistake about it, her prose is thick, but the rewards of contemplating her thoughts are there for the picking. She extends the thought of Laura Mulvey, and does so by also using the psychoanalytic method. If the reader has questions about the validity of this particular method, then he/she may question some of the ideas that are put forth. However, Mulvey's acknowledges that the psychoanalytic method itself has traditionaly bowed to the father-figure. Her intention is to raise the reader's awareness of this tendency before she begins to explore the ramifications of patriarchal society on the filmic medium. Incredibly interesting are remarks on the "disembodied voice" and its relationship to female characters that can be found in Hollywood cinema. This is the essence of what makes film an "acoustic mirror."
Book Description
This volume finds the proper place of psychoanalytic thought in critical analysis of cinema through a series of essays that debate its legitimacy, utility, and validity as applied to the horror genre. It distinguishes itself from previous work in this area through the self-consciousness with which psychoanalytic concepts are employed and the theorization that coexists with interpretations of particular horror films and subgenres.
Average customer rating:
|
Hollywood on the Couch: A Candid Look at the Overheated Love Affair Between Psychiatrists and Moviemakers
Stephen Farber , and
Marc Green
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Industry
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Dance
| General
| Reference
| Theater
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
California
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Reference Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0877959986 |
Book Description
These fifteen carefully chosen essays by well-known scholars demonstrate the vitality and variety of psychoanalytic film criticism, as well as the crucial role feminist theory has played in its development. Among the films discussed are Duel in the Sun, The Best Years of Our Lives, Three Faces of Eve, Tender is the Night, Pandora's Box, Secrets of the Soul, and the works of Jacques Tourneur (director of The Cat People and other features).
Average customer rating:
|
Cinema of Anxiety: A Psychoanalysis of Italian Neorealism
Vincent F. Rocchio
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Psychoanalysis
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Cultural
| Anthropology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Marxism
| Political Doctrines
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Italy
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Social History
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Italian Film in the Light of Neorealism
ASIN: 0292771010 |
Book Description
The "new" realism of Italian cinema after World War II represented and in many ways attempted to contain the turmoil of a society struggling to rid itself of Fascism while fighting off the threat of radical egalitarianism at the same time. In this boldly revisionist book, Vincent F. Rocchio combines Lacanian psychoanalysis with narratology and Marxist critical theory to examine the previously neglected relationship between Neorealist films and the historical spectators they address. Rocchio builds his analysis around case studies of the films Rome: Open City, Bicycle Thieves, La Terra Trema, Bitter Rice, and Senso. Through the lens of psychoanalysis, he challenges the traditional understanding of Neorealism as a progressive cinema and instead reveals the anxieties it encodes: a society in political turmoil, an economic system in collapse, and a national cinema in ruins, while war, occupation, collaboration, and retaliation remain a part of everyday life. These case studies demonstrate how Lacanian psychoanalysis can play a key role in analyzing the structure of cinematic discourse and its strategies of containment. As one of the first books outside of feminist film theory to bring the ideas of Lacan to theories of cinema, this book offers innovative methods that reinvigorate film analysis. Clear and detailed insights into both Italian culture and the films under investigation will make this engaging reading for anyone interested in film and cultural studies.
Average customer rating:
- Another interesting book by the same author.
- Innovative approach to film and psych
|
Movies and the Mind: Theories of the Great Psychoanalysts Applied to Film
William Indick
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Psychoanalysis
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0786419539 |
Book Description
The latent symbolism in film imagery can be psychoanalyzed just like the imagery in dreams. This work applies to film the psychoanalytic techniques of Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Joseph Campbell, Otto Rank and Rollo May, providing a fundamental understanding of film symbols and structure. It offers a comprehensive and eclectic approach to film analysis, using a broad variety of theories and examples from both classic and contemporary movies, from Dracula (1930) to American Beauty (1999). The final chapter applies all the previously discussed techniques to one film, Malcolm X (1992). The work boasts a filmography and bibliography and is illustrated with film stills.
Customer Reviews:
Another interesting book by the same author........2005-03-26
I recently read Indick's "Psychology for Screenwriters" and enjoyed it, so I took a chance and bought this book. Though some of the same theories are covered, Indick actually takes a very different perspective in this one, approaching movies from a film analysis approach rather than from the point of view of the writer. It's an excellent companion to "Psych for Screenwriters," or just on its own. There were also some very original psychoanalytic takes on the religious symbolism in movies, the female hero in Disney pictures and the psychosexual aspects of monsters in horror movies. Also, the chapters on Carl Jung's archetypes and Otto Rank's "Myth of the Birth of the Hero" really helped me understand Joseph Campbell's theory of the "Hero's Journey" a lot better. All in all, a very worthwhile book for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of film.
Innovative approach to film and psych.......2004-09-21
Wish I had this book in my Intro to Psych college course...I would have enjoyed the class much more!
Books:
- Channels of Discourse, Reassembled: Television and Contemporary Criticism
- Delmar's Standard Textbook of Electricity, 3E
- Directors on Directing: A Source Book of the Modern Theatre
- Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America
- Film Directing: Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Michael Wiese Productions)
- Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An Illustrated Manual
- For a Few Demons More (Rachel Morgan, Book 5)
- George Gershwin: His Life and Work
- German National Cinema (National Cinemas)
- Grindhouse: The Sleaze-filled Saga of an Exploitation Double Feature
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide
- Autumn Journey
- The Practice of Tempera Painting
- The Translucent Revolution: How People Just Like You are Waking Up and Changing the World
- Thin
- An Irish Country Doctor
- A Primer of Population Genetics
- Careers for Foreign Language Aficionados & Other Multilingual Types, Second Edition
- Two Year College Student Guide to Creating a Great Resume
- Incentives Approach to Improving the Unemployment Compensation System
Approaches to Popular Film (Inside Popular Film)
Television: The Critical View
Media Analysis Techniques
This Thing of Ours
Television: Technology and Cultural Form (Routledgeclassics)
