The search for meaning in film and television
Subtitle: disenchantment at the turn of the millennium
By: Marcus Maloney, La Trobe University, Australia
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 202
ISBN-13: 9781137499288
Subjects: Motion pictures; PERFORMING ARTS / Television / History & Criticism; Television; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies; Philosophy; PERFORMING ARTS / Film & Video / History & Criticism
Description: "This fascinating study explores the difficulties faced by modern Westerners in their search for a meaningful life. It sheds light on this enduring cultural dilemma through a close reading of four popular film and television narratives: Pixar's animated feature film, Toy Story; Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight; the television romantic comedy, Sex and the City; and, finally, the mobster drama, The Sopranos. The readings are guided by a number of inter-related questions. First, in what ways do these popular stories speak to the modern West's meaning dilemma? What do they have to say about contemporary culture, and its capacity to illuminate the fundamental human? What are the core problems faced by the central characters and how are they resolved? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, do the four stories that come into focus suggest hope or despair in the modern West's search for meaning?"--
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note:; title: Table of ContentsAcknowledgements1. Introduction 2. Just a Toy3. Batman and Society 4. Self, Sex and the City 5. Tony Soprano and the Big Nothing 6. Conclusion NotesBibliography.