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This chapter sets out a chronological account of the poet's career, her publication history and critical reception during her lifetime, and situates her among her contemporaries. It outlines the main trends in the critical treatment of Berggol′ts's work after her death.

The Introduction reviews the critical controversies after Dickens's death about his representative Englishness and influence on readers. It defines the book's focus on theories of serial memory in Enlightenment psychology, nineteenth-century pedagogy, and accounts by Victorian literary critics about the effects of reading serial fiction. The book argues that Dickens's serial novels taught shared reading practices based in associationist theories of memory that transformed Dickens's popularity into an inclusive and participatory cultural politics and ultimately a mission for literature within democratic education. The “pleasures of memory” involve the common experience of memory's coherence through novel reading and the shared reception of popular serial genres.

This chapter delineates the place of Dickens's serial fiction in the early Victorian literary field by charting the history of the critical reception of Dickens's first serial novel and his emergence as one of the earliest historical instances of the modern author as celebrity. Victorian critics made repeated use of associationist conceptions of memory and rhetorical invention to characterize both the originality and vivid impact on readers of Dickens's fictions, linking these effects to the author's humor, penchant for close observation, and retentive memory. The Pickwick Papers institutes Dickens's narrative technique of embedding associationist social epistemology and critique within his most famous characters' comedic dialogue. Focusing on Dickens's relationship to working-class readers and his many charitable public speeches on behalf of universal education as a means of cultural inclusion of the poor, the chapter concludes that through his celebrity authorship Dickens projected a model of popular reading as democratic participation in the arts.

This chapter explores the critical reception of SAW (2004). Critical acclaim for the SAW films is rare. The New York Times regarded the series as 'distasteful', while the LA Times went as far as to say the films were 'vile filth'. Although there are notable critics who support the horror genre, horror is usually dealt short shrift by critical institutions. Certainly, reviews of horror films within the mainstream press would seem inclined to evaluate the film's morality, rather than any artistic or dramatic achievement. An interesting aspect of horror reception, however, is that the genre would seem to be critic proof. Horror audiences are mistrusting of, and even actively contradict, mainstream disparagement of their beloved genre. Despite initial maulings from mainstream reviewers, SAW went on to considerable success.

This chapter assesses the critical reception of Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010). Rarely in the press and media is popular cinema, of which Inception is surely an example, subject to rigorous critical examination. Occasionally, however, some writers do provide insights worth discussing at greater depth, cues to possible lines of analysis and appraisal. Justin Chang, in Variety, described the film as 'a heist thriller for surrealists, a Jungian Rififi'. Whether this colourful description makes valid comparisons can be determined by considering the conventions of 'heist' films. The British critic Mark Kermode has argued that the film demonstrates 'that it is possible for blockbusters and art to be the same things'. Meanwhile, many negative reviews of the film are simply dismissive and lacking in any justification, but here and there one can find some provocative statements worthy of serious consideration. In the light of contemporary theories about the nature of mind and consciousness, the notion of inception can be seriously challenged.

This introductory chapter begins with a history of the critical reception of Thomas' poetry. It establishes basic terms; traces the gradual understanding of the co-ordinates of his work; and suggests new ways in which it might be read. It sets the scene for the subsequent chapters, chronologically arranged, spanning Thomas' poetic development from 1930 until his death.

Although many historical epics of the 1950s and 1960s are now regarded as cinema classics, their critical reception on their original release was quite different. These films were often seen as highly problematic cinematic exercises, with films such as Ben Hur being praised precisely for their difference from other films of this type. More recently, there is a claimed resurgence of this form of cinema following the success of Gladiator, although a series of similar projects were already in production when Gladiator was released. The case of Gladiator is an interesting one, as it demonstrates an unexpected critical response. Despite perceptions of the film as a critical success, Scott’s film opened to an initially frosty reception; conversely, films like 300 and Clash of the Titans were warmly received as extravagant showcases of spectacle and, later, 3D. This chapter explores the reception of Gladiator and compares it to that of other films released in the early to mid 2000s.

This chapter focuses on the last of Tartan Film’s theatrical releases before the official adoption of the Asia Extreme brand: the scandalous Japanese action film Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku, 2000). From initial censorship concerns about the film in its native Japan, Tartan’s publicity department capitalised on Orientalist fears of the East to take advantage of the film’s ‘dangerous’ status and its potential to create outrage. Analysis traces the film’s controversy from the hysterical reaction to the film’s release in Japan, where it was associated with youth violence and triggered a parliamentary debate, to Tartan’s aggressive marketing campaign in the UK, which formed a symbiotic relationship with the film’s sensationalist status in both journalistic and critical press articles. Various factors affecting the film’s British reception will be examined, including the troubling timing of the film’s release, just three days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in America. This chapter includes a comprehensive timeline of multimedia releases, demonstrating the cultural impact and earning potential of the Battle Royale franchise in Japan and the UK.

This chapter examines cult Asian cinema in the UK at the very peak of its critical acclaim and commercial success, and the drastically altered context for Asian film reception will be discussed. This chapter argues that the proliferation and high visibility of a wider range of Asian cinema than critics had ever experienced before has allowed them to finally construct their own canons of quality within national Asian cinema industries and genres. The frames of reference used by British critics to assess meaning and value have changed dramatically. At this point, too, Tartan’s brand had been transformed, achieving mainstream visibility, yet finding itself in danger of expanding to the point of losing authenticity and fracturing into meaninglessness. Nonetheless, 2004 was the peak year for Tartan, and a wide range of their releases and promotional (and self-congratulatory) activities are examined: the acclaimed release of bold new Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs (2002); the unprecedented success of Oldboy (2003), hot off its award from the Cannes International Film Festival; the critical debate inspired by the uncategorisable cult hit Save the Green Planet! (2003); and finally the scandalous (non-)release of Battle Royale II (2003).

This chapter addresses two major questions in regard to the critical reception of the career and films of Preston Sturges. The first question is how Sturges’s public persona as a “madcap” personality working in the Hollywood studio system created a master narrative that both informed and influenced the critical reception of his films and thus proved to be a precursor to what would come to be identified as “auteur” criticism. This leads to a second question: how did the theme of public spectacle in both Sturges’s personal/professional life and in his films that take a satirical and/or cynical view of public figures, influence critical debates in regard to the director as “auteur,” as well as inciting theoretical debates regarding the final purpose and/or ideological effect of his comedies as satire and/or irony reflecting cynicism and/or nihilism? Finally, the chapter explores how a study of the ambivalence that marks the history of critical writing on both Sturges’s life and his films provides an insight into the cultural practice of film criticism itself. To that end, the chapter gives particular attention to the critical debates provoked by three films, The Great McGinty, Sullivan’s Travels, and Hail the Conquering Hero.

This chapter examines the UK release of the Japanese horror film Ring (Hideo Nakata, 1998). The film was significant in establishing a new audience for (and critical appreciation of) Japanese horror in the UK. British film critics claimed that Ring was representative of a non-graphic, suggestive tradition in horror, typified by the Hollywood films The Sixth Sense (1999) and The Blair Witch Project (1999). Rather than responding to Ring as a foreign or alien text, critics familiarised the film in order to use it rhetorically to present a sense of difference from teen horror films popular at the time, such as Scream (1996). Thus, in the case of Ring, critics aligned themselves with Japanese cinema and placed the film in a specifically British cinematic (and literary) tradition, all in order to ‘Other’ a cycle of Hollywood films they viewed as populist, sanitised and feminised. This chapter includes a summary of the pertinent literature on this specific debate within horror and gothic studies, followed by detailed analysis of critical reviews in order to account for the positive reception and enduring influence of Ring on the later Asia Extreme brand and cycle.

This chapter charts a key moment in the consolidation of the Asia Extreme label: the 2003 touring film festival and aggressive marketing campaign to court a wider audience by screening seven films exclusively in multiplex cinemas in the UK. This chapter considers Tartan’s marketing tactics, the critical reception of these films, as well as Tartan’s multiple strategies to consolidate a strong brand identity, which included shrewdly appropriating the pre-Asia Extreme fan culture through its assimilation of the Japanese cult auteur Shinya Tsukamoto. Finally, a fan’s response to the festival is examined, as the overarching analysis begins to address the increasing anxieties of fans and experts at the commodification and mainstreaming of ‘their’ niche passion. The revitalization of the Hong Kong action film is discussed, in relation to Asia Extreme’s appropriation of the genre and the legacy of John Woo’s ‘Heroic Bloodshed’ action films, as well as the controversial reception of A Snake of June (2002).

Harold Prince wanted to shake up facile assumptions about fascism and guilt, and he quickly scored a coup in rehearsals by drawing a parallel between the racial unrest and persecution of black Americans at the time and the street gang thuggery of Nazi Germany. Prince achieved a symbolic edge after breaking down barriers between musical stylization and realistic drama. This chapter explores Prince's rehearsal methods that sought to elicit spontaneity and authenticity. It presents specific examples of the director's use of rigorous textual analysis and his attention to practical matters, such as the shape and color of a prop, the beats and tempi of speech and song, the spatial relationships between decor and actors, subtext, and the total stage picture. Actors' concerns, as well as those of choreographer Ron Field and composers John Kander and Fred Ebb, are highlighted, as are problems with the musical's structure, leading to a radical change before the Boston opening and that city's critical reception.

This chapter focuses on the reputation and reception of the Korean director Kim Ki-duk. Kim was a central figure in Tartan’s Asia Extreme brand, and the frustrated efforts of Tartan’s owner and general manager Hamish McAlpine to get Kim’s notorious The Isle (2000) released in the UK uncut, over the ruling of the BBFC, were themselves used to generate goodwill among fans and increased attention. This chapter considers the very specific construction of the Asia Extreme brand by examining Kim Ki-duk films released by Tartan both with and without Asia Extreme branding. Debates around animal cruelty and censorship are considered. Finally, the response of expert critic Tony Rayns to Kim’s increasing visibility is discussed as an expression of cultural anxiety over the changing status of Korean cinema in the West.

Hawks reflects on the critical reception of his films and addresses the interpretations that many critics project on his work. He recalls a press conference concerning the film The Big Sleep and talks about his personal view of film criticism.

This chapter sets out the rational for the volume, which is to provide a critical companion to the work of this Nobel Prize winning author. Little has been written on her in English, a gap that this volume seeks to fill in a systematic way by devoting individual chapters to the main works and also treating themes and issues such as reception, poetics, and translation. A brief overview is given of Herta Müller's life and works (fiction, essays, and volumes of collages). Influenced by Holocaust literature, the Romanian language, and her own life experiences as a victim of persecution, Müller transforms the bleak Romanian reality that is her subject matter into highly poetic prose. An overview of the critical reception of her works to date is followed by individual chapter summaries.

This chapter describes the critical reception of The Mummy (1932). When the film was screened, professional film critics were intrigued by the central figure of Boris Karloff, the actor who had been transformed into a living mummy. The Los Angeles Times even offered a prescient take that foresaw Karloff's future place in the film pantheon. As for the film itself, however, the critical reception was more lukewarm. Critics who had grown tired of horror cinema found little in The Mummy to change their opinions. The chapter then looks at re-evaluations and later evaluations of the film. Critics continue to find weaknesses, but they also continue to find rewarding new ways of approaching The Mummy. On the whole, The Mummy has managed to stand firm despite early critical indifference and subsequent changes in audience tastes. The film's position as the start of a subgenre has ensured that The Mummy retains immortality as a popular culture artefact.