Rayna Denison and Rachel Mizsei-Ward (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781628462340
- eISBN:
- 9781626746787
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462340.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
There are now superheroes from every corner of the world, and they are becoming increasingly important within local and global cultures alike. This collection brings together a wide range of film, ...
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There are now superheroes from every corner of the world, and they are becoming increasingly important within local and global cultures alike. This collection brings together a wide range of film, television and media experts from around the world in discussion of the places and positions that superheroes occupy in local, transnational and global culture. Within local media culture, superheroes occupy everything from subaltern to highly commercialized positions on world screens, in addition to occupying an increasingly central place as the core intellectual properties residing at the heart of American blockbuster multimedia franchises. This collection consequently questions the dominant paradigm of the “American” superhero, offering a nuanced understanding of where and how superhero characters and cultures originate, how they are culturally and linguistically translated, and how they flow within and between the world’s cultures. The collection contains explorations into the global reach of superheroes from the USA, including characters like Thor, Spider-Man and The Phantom. In addition, this collection questions the seeming “American” origins of the superhero, with chapters investigating alternative traditions, origin points and indigenizations of the superhero from India to Thailand. All of these media flows in superhero culture also contain contested ideological, political and gendered meanings, from the appearance of Islamic superheroes to the continual re-invention of the superhero in Indian cinema. In tackling these complex topics, this collection speaks to growing academic and popular interest in superhero characters, attempting to demonstrate how such superheroes have become important contested sites of resistance, commerce, ideology and history.Less
There are now superheroes from every corner of the world, and they are becoming increasingly important within local and global cultures alike. This collection brings together a wide range of film, television and media experts from around the world in discussion of the places and positions that superheroes occupy in local, transnational and global culture. Within local media culture, superheroes occupy everything from subaltern to highly commercialized positions on world screens, in addition to occupying an increasingly central place as the core intellectual properties residing at the heart of American blockbuster multimedia franchises. This collection consequently questions the dominant paradigm of the “American” superhero, offering a nuanced understanding of where and how superhero characters and cultures originate, how they are culturally and linguistically translated, and how they flow within and between the world’s cultures. The collection contains explorations into the global reach of superheroes from the USA, including characters like Thor, Spider-Man and The Phantom. In addition, this collection questions the seeming “American” origins of the superhero, with chapters investigating alternative traditions, origin points and indigenizations of the superhero from India to Thailand. All of these media flows in superhero culture also contain contested ideological, political and gendered meanings, from the appearance of Islamic superheroes to the continual re-invention of the superhero in Indian cinema. In tackling these complex topics, this collection speaks to growing academic and popular interest in superhero characters, attempting to demonstrate how such superheroes have become important contested sites of resistance, commerce, ideology and history.
Robert Moses Peaslee and Robert G. Weiner (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781628462388
- eISBN:
- 9781626746831
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462388.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
Along with Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman, the Joker is one of the most recognizable sequential art characters in popular culture. While there has been a great deal of scholarly attention on ...
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Along with Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman, the Joker is one of the most recognizable sequential art characters in popular culture. While there has been a great deal of scholarly attention on superheroes, very little has been done looking at the role of supervillains; The Joker: A Critical Study of the Clown Prince of Crime attempts to fill this gap. It is the first academic work to provide a comprehensive study of this character, asking the question, why, particularly today, is the Joker so relevant to audiences? Scholars from a wide array of disciplines look at the Joker through the lens of feature films, video games, comics, politics, magic and mysticism, psychology, animation, television, performance studies, and philosophy. This collection adds to our understanding of the role comic book and cinematic villains play in the world and the ways various media affect their interpretation. The Joker: A Critical Study of the Clown Prince of Crime will be useful for those scholars in Game Studies, Comic Studies, Graphic Narrative, Television and Film Studies.Less
Along with Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman, the Joker is one of the most recognizable sequential art characters in popular culture. While there has been a great deal of scholarly attention on superheroes, very little has been done looking at the role of supervillains; The Joker: A Critical Study of the Clown Prince of Crime attempts to fill this gap. It is the first academic work to provide a comprehensive study of this character, asking the question, why, particularly today, is the Joker so relevant to audiences? Scholars from a wide array of disciplines look at the Joker through the lens of feature films, video games, comics, politics, magic and mysticism, psychology, animation, television, performance studies, and philosophy. This collection adds to our understanding of the role comic book and cinematic villains play in the world and the ways various media affect their interpretation. The Joker: A Critical Study of the Clown Prince of Crime will be useful for those scholars in Game Studies, Comic Studies, Graphic Narrative, Television and Film Studies.
Steven Peacock
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780719086953
- eISBN:
- 9781781706336
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719086953.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
Swedish crime fiction became an international phenomenon in the first decade of the twenty-first century, starting with novels but then percolating through Swedish-language television serials and ...
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Swedish crime fiction became an international phenomenon in the first decade of the twenty-first century, starting with novels but then percolating through Swedish-language television serials and films into English-language BBC productions and Hollywood remakes. This book looks at the rich history of Nordic noir, examines the appeal of this particular genre, and attempt to reveal why it is distinct from the plethora of other crime fictions.Less
Swedish crime fiction became an international phenomenon in the first decade of the twenty-first century, starting with novels but then percolating through Swedish-language television serials and films into English-language BBC productions and Hollywood remakes. This book looks at the rich history of Nordic noir, examines the appeal of this particular genre, and attempt to reveal why it is distinct from the plethora of other crime fictions.
Miles Leeson (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781526122162
- eISBN:
- 9781526138767
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526122162.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This is the first edited collection of essays which focuses on the incest taboo and its literary and cultural presentation from the 1950s to the present day; it considers a number of authors rather ...
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This is the first edited collection of essays which focuses on the incest taboo and its literary and cultural presentation from the 1950s to the present day; it considers a number of authors rather than a single author from this period. This study discusses the impact of this change in attitudes on literature and literary adaptations in the latter half of the twentieth century, and early years of the twenty-first century. Although primarily concerned with fiction, the collection includes work on television and film. This collection will enhance the growing academic interest in trauma narratives and taboo-literature, offering a useful contribution to a fast-evolving field of artistic criticism which is concerned with the relationship between social issues and creativity. Authors discussed include Iain Banks, A.S. Byatt, Angela Carter, Simone de Beauvoir, Ted Hughes, Doris Lessing, Ian McEwan Iris Murdoch, Vladimir Nabokov, Andrea Newman and Pier Pasolini and Sylvia Plath.Less
This is the first edited collection of essays which focuses on the incest taboo and its literary and cultural presentation from the 1950s to the present day; it considers a number of authors rather than a single author from this period. This study discusses the impact of this change in attitudes on literature and literary adaptations in the latter half of the twentieth century, and early years of the twenty-first century. Although primarily concerned with fiction, the collection includes work on television and film. This collection will enhance the growing academic interest in trauma narratives and taboo-literature, offering a useful contribution to a fast-evolving field of artistic criticism which is concerned with the relationship between social issues and creativity. Authors discussed include Iain Banks, A.S. Byatt, Angela Carter, Simone de Beauvoir, Ted Hughes, Doris Lessing, Ian McEwan Iris Murdoch, Vladimir Nabokov, Andrea Newman and Pier Pasolini and Sylvia Plath.
Colin Shaw
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198159377
- eISBN:
- 9780191673603
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198159377.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Film, Media, and Cultural Studies
Children watch three distinct kinds of television programmes, even though the words ‘Children's Television’ may be used interchangeably to describe programmes made in order to instruct children, ...
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Children watch three distinct kinds of television programmes, even though the words ‘Children's Television’ may be used interchangeably to describe programmes made in order to instruct children, following in a formal and systematic way a particular pattern of study, as well as programmes made to entertain children outside school, though often having characteristics of an educative or informative kind. The categories are educational programmes, children's programmes, with a description of the very much larger third category, adult programmes, the programmes primarily intended for adults, but watched for much of the time in great numbers by children of all age-ranges. More information about forthcoming programmes is now available to American audiences following the introduction of a rating system for programmes containing sexual, violent, or indecent material. Under the Telecommunications Act 1996, the Federal Communications Commission was given the right to establish such a system, but its exercise of the right was deferred for twelve months.Less
Children watch three distinct kinds of television programmes, even though the words ‘Children's Television’ may be used interchangeably to describe programmes made in order to instruct children, following in a formal and systematic way a particular pattern of study, as well as programmes made to entertain children outside school, though often having characteristics of an educative or informative kind. The categories are educational programmes, children's programmes, with a description of the very much larger third category, adult programmes, the programmes primarily intended for adults, but watched for much of the time in great numbers by children of all age-ranges. More information about forthcoming programmes is now available to American audiences following the introduction of a rating system for programmes containing sexual, violent, or indecent material. Under the Telecommunications Act 1996, the Federal Communications Commission was given the right to establish such a system, but its exercise of the right was deferred for twelve months.
Stephen Purcell
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748635238
- eISBN:
- 9780748652297
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748635238.003.0029
- Subject:
- Literature, Shakespeare Studies
This chapter considers the BBC Television Shakespeare of 1978–85, the Animated Tales of 1992–4 and the ShakespeaRetold series of 2005 as decisive conjunctures. It is highlighted that television ...
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This chapter considers the BBC Television Shakespeare of 1978–85, the Animated Tales of 1992–4 and the ShakespeaRetold series of 2005 as decisive conjunctures. It is highlighted that television Shakespeare is, like silent cinema, in urgent need of reconsideration. It then evaluates what might be called ‘Shakespeare on television’ and ‘Shakespeare as television’ respectively, before turning its attention to a broader analysis of some of the ways in which television has presented ‘Shakespeare’ the cultural icon. It is striking that the most effective of the ‘straight’ television Shakespeares tend to be those that emphasize their own theatrical qualities. A television format that can provide the site for a more literal contestation of Shakespeare's cultural status is the workshop. It finally addresses Slings and Arrows because it embodies many of the recurring concerns and contradictions of Shakespeare on television.Less
This chapter considers the BBC Television Shakespeare of 1978–85, the Animated Tales of 1992–4 and the ShakespeaRetold series of 2005 as decisive conjunctures. It is highlighted that television Shakespeare is, like silent cinema, in urgent need of reconsideration. It then evaluates what might be called ‘Shakespeare on television’ and ‘Shakespeare as television’ respectively, before turning its attention to a broader analysis of some of the ways in which television has presented ‘Shakespeare’ the cultural icon. It is striking that the most effective of the ‘straight’ television Shakespeares tend to be those that emphasize their own theatrical qualities. A television format that can provide the site for a more literal contestation of Shakespeare's cultural status is the workshop. It finally addresses Slings and Arrows because it embodies many of the recurring concerns and contradictions of Shakespeare on television.
Jonathan Bignell
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719064203
- eISBN:
- 9781781701867
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719064203.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century and Contemporary Literature
This chapter reviews the arguments addressed in this study and the issues that were raised about their relationship with critical traditions in Television Studies and in Beckett scholarship. It then ...
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This chapter reviews the arguments addressed in this study and the issues that were raised about their relationship with critical traditions in Television Studies and in Beckett scholarship. It then suggests how some of the limits of this study might be opened in future work. Finally, this chapter determines this book's contribution to the historiography of Beckett's work as part of the historiography of television.Less
This chapter reviews the arguments addressed in this study and the issues that were raised about their relationship with critical traditions in Television Studies and in Beckett scholarship. It then suggests how some of the limits of this study might be opened in future work. Finally, this chapter determines this book's contribution to the historiography of Beckett's work as part of the historiography of television.
Jonathan Bignell
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719064203
- eISBN:
- 9781781701867
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719064203.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century and Contemporary Literature
This introductory chapter discusses Samuel Beckett and his works that were adapted for British television and radio. It considers the question of whether Beckett's television plays are single ...
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This introductory chapter discusses Samuel Beckett and his works that were adapted for British television and radio. It considers the question of whether Beckett's television plays are single ‘literary’ dramas or part of a larger series. It also identifies some critical traditions in Television Studies. The final section of the chapter presents an overview of the following chapters.Less
This introductory chapter discusses Samuel Beckett and his works that were adapted for British television and radio. It considers the question of whether Beckett's television plays are single ‘literary’ dramas or part of a larger series. It also identifies some critical traditions in Television Studies. The final section of the chapter presents an overview of the following chapters.
Jennie Chapman
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781617039034
- eISBN:
- 9781621039891
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781617039034.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature
This chapter examines changing evangelical attitudes towards media, technology, and celebrity through an analysis of their depiction in Left Behind. In the modern period, American evangelicals have ...
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This chapter examines changing evangelical attitudes towards media, technology, and celebrity through an analysis of their depiction in Left Behind. In the modern period, American evangelicals have embraced television, film, and the internet as the most effective tools of evangelism at their disposal, a shift in attitudes that is evident in Left Behind. The novels repudiate Marshall McLuhan’s claim that ‘the medium is the message’ by showing evangelicals seizing the technology of the Antichrist for the cause of Christ; they thus effect the erasure of the medium itself in order to elevate the agency and intention of its human user. The chapter also discusses the figure of the celebrity preacher in the novels in relation to notions of authority and idolatry, suggesting that celebrity preachers are depicted as a technology of affect that mediates believers’ relationship with the divine.Less
This chapter examines changing evangelical attitudes towards media, technology, and celebrity through an analysis of their depiction in Left Behind. In the modern period, American evangelicals have embraced television, film, and the internet as the most effective tools of evangelism at their disposal, a shift in attitudes that is evident in Left Behind. The novels repudiate Marshall McLuhan’s claim that ‘the medium is the message’ by showing evangelicals seizing the technology of the Antichrist for the cause of Christ; they thus effect the erasure of the medium itself in order to elevate the agency and intention of its human user. The chapter also discusses the figure of the celebrity preacher in the novels in relation to notions of authority and idolatry, suggesting that celebrity preachers are depicted as a technology of affect that mediates believers’ relationship with the divine.
Robert Shaughnessy
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780719086939
- eISBN:
- 9781526132192
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719086939.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, Shakespeare Studies
This chapter considers the screen history of the play, examining the major film versions (directed by Paul Czinner, 1936, Christine Edzard, 1992, and Kenneth Branagh, 2006) and the BBC-Time Life ...
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This chapter considers the screen history of the play, examining the major film versions (directed by Paul Czinner, 1936, Christine Edzard, 1992, and Kenneth Branagh, 2006) and the BBC-Time Life Television Shakespeare production of 1978. None of these has been particularly well-received by critics and audiences, and the chapter discusses their uneasy use of film and television realism to render the pastoral fantasy world of the play. The discussion of the BBC production draws upon the corporation’s audience research data to investigate what actual spectators made of it in the context of the late 1970s television viewing experience.Less
This chapter considers the screen history of the play, examining the major film versions (directed by Paul Czinner, 1936, Christine Edzard, 1992, and Kenneth Branagh, 2006) and the BBC-Time Life Television Shakespeare production of 1978. None of these has been particularly well-received by critics and audiences, and the chapter discusses their uneasy use of film and television realism to render the pastoral fantasy world of the play. The discussion of the BBC production draws upon the corporation’s audience research data to investigate what actual spectators made of it in the context of the late 1970s television viewing experience.
