The Philosophy of HorrorThomas Fahy University Press of Kentucky, 30 apr 2010 - 272 pagine Sitting on pins and needles, anxiously waiting to see what will happen next, horror audiences crave the fear and exhilaration generated by a terrifying story; their anticipation is palpable. But they also breathe a sigh of relief when the action is over, when they are able to close their books or leave the movie theater. Whether serious, kitschy, frightening, or ridiculous, horror not only arouses the senses but also raises profound questions about fear, safety, justice, and suffering. From literature and urban legends to film and television, horrorÕs ability to thrill has made it an integral part of modern entertainment. Thomas Fahy and twelve other scholars reveal the underlying themes of the genre in The Philosophy of Horror. Examining the evolving role of horror, the contributing authors investigate works such as Mary ShelleyÕs Frankenstein (1818), horror films of the 1930s, Stephen KingÕs novels, Stanley KubrickÕs adaptation of The Shining (1980), and Alfred HitchcockÕs Psycho (1960). Also examined are works that have largely been ignored in philosophical circles, including Truman CapoteÕs In Cold Blood (1965), Patrick S skindÕs Perfume (1985), and James PurdyÕs Narrow Rooms (2005). The analysis also extends to contemporary forms of popular horror and Òtorture-horrorÓ films of the last decade, including Saw (2004), Hostel (2005), The DevilÕs Rejects (2005), and The Hills Have Eyes (2006), as well as the ongoing popularity of horror on the small screen. The Philosophy of Horror celebrates the strange, compelling, and disturbing elements of horror, drawing on interpretive approaches such as feminist, postcolonial, Marxist, and psychoanalytic criticism. The book invites readers to consider horrorÕs various manifestations and transformations since the late 1700s, probing its social, cultural, and political functions in todayÕs media-hungry society. |
Sommario
8 | |
14 | |
ArtHorror as a Medium for Moral | 33 |
Hobbes Human Nature and the Culture of American Violence | 57 |
TVs GhostHunter Phenomenon | 72 |
Angel and the Quest for Identity | 86 |
Ideological Formations of the Nuclear Family in The Hills Have | 102 |
Land of the Dead | 121 |
Europe vs America in | 137 |
Grotesque Sublime | 179 |
A deleuzean Encounter with James Purdys | 199 |
The Philosophy of reproduction in Mary Shelleys | 212 |
kitsch and Camp and Things That Go Bump in the Night | 229 |
Contributors | 245 |
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actions aesthetic American Angelus argues audience birds Black Cat body Buffy camp Capote Carroll Carroll’s character Clutter Cold Blood creature crime critical culture dead Deleuze demonic depictions Edgar G encounter essay European everyday evil example experience fear feel fiction Frankenstein Ghost ghost-hunter shows Grenouille Grenouille's grotesque haunted Hickock and Smith Hills Have Eyes Hobbes horrific horror films horror genre human ideology Jack justified kill killer kitsch Kubrick living Mary Shelley monster moral responsibility movie murder narrative nature Noël Carroll novel paranoid scenario Paranormal personal identity philosophical philosophical skepticism Philosophy of Horror play pleasure Poelzig pornography postmodern present Psycho psychological represents retributivist role sadistic torture Scary Movie scene scent sense sexual Shelley skepticism social soul Stephen King story sublime supernatural Süskind terror Texas Chainsaw Massacre theory things tion torture-horror Ulmer ultimately uncanny University Press vampire Vampire Slayer victims viewer violence Werdegast wrong York zombies