Author: Cody Marrs Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press ISBN: 1421436655 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 239
Book Description
How the Civil War endures in American life through literature and culture. Recipient of the Eric Hoffer Award's Montaigne Medal The American Civil War lives on in our collective imagination like few other events. The story of the war has been retold in countless films, novels, poems, memoirs, plays, sculptures, and monuments. Often remembered as an emancipatory struggle, as an attempt to destroy slavery in America now and forever, it is also memorialized as a fight for Southern independence; as a fratricide that divided the national family; and as a dark, cruel conflict defined by its brutality. What do these stories, myths, and rumors have in common, and what do they teach us about modern America? In this fascinating book, Cody Marrs reveals how these narratives evolved over time and why they acquired such lasting power. Marrs addresses an eclectic range of texts, traditions, and creators, from Walt Whitman, Abram Ryan, and Abraham Lincoln to Margaret Mitchell, D. W. Griffith, and W. E. B. Du Bois. He also identifies several basic plots about the Civil War that anchor public memory and continually compete for cultural primacy. In other words, from the perspective of American cultural memory, there is no single Civil War. Whether they fill us with elation or terror; whether they side with the North or the South; whether they come from the 1860s, the 1960s, or today, these stories all make one thing vividly clear: the Civil War is an ongoing conflict, persisting not merely as a cultural touchstone but as an unresolved struggle through which Americans inevitably define themselves. A timely, evocative, and beautifully written book, Not Even Past is essential reading for anyone interested in the Civil War and its role in American history.
Author: Stacey Abbott Publisher: University of Texas Press ISBN: 0292716966 Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 279
Book Description
In 1896, French magician and filmmaker George Méliès brought forth the first celluloid vampire in his film Le manoir du diable. The vampire continues to be one of film's most popular gothic monsters and in fact, today more people become acquainted with the vampire through film than through literature, such as Bram Stoker's classic Dracula. How has this long legacy of celluloid vampires affected our understanding of vampire mythology? And how has the vampire morphed from its folkloric and literary origins? In this entertaining and absorbing work, Stacey Abbott challenges the conventional interpretation of vampire mythology and argues that the medium of film has completely reinvented the vampire archetype. Rather than representing the primitive and folkloric, the vampire has come to embody the very experience of modernity. No longer in a cape and coffin, today's vampire resides in major cities, listens to punk music, embraces technology, and adapts to any situation. Sometimes she's even female. With case studies of vampire classics such as Nosferatu, Martin, Blade, and Habit, the author traces the evolution of the American vampire film, arguing that vampires are more than just blood-drinking monsters; they reflect the cultural and social climate of the societies that produce them, especially during times of intense change and modernization. Abbott also explores how independent filmmaking techniques, special effects makeup, and the stunning and ultramodern computer-generated effects of recent films have affected the representation of the vampire in film.
Author: Paul Green Publisher: McFarland ISBN: 1476678006 Category : Literary Criticism Languages : en Pages : 208
Book Description
The detective genre has explored supernatural and paranormal themes throughout its colorful history. Stories of detectives investigating spiritualists, ghostly apparitions, the occult and psychics have spanned pulp fiction magazines, comic books, novels, film, television, animation and video games. This encyclopedia covers the history of the genre in its multiple forms and informs and adds to the knowledge of either the new or informed reader. Its A-Z format provides ready reference by title. Detective fans browsing for new discoveries will enjoy the entertaining style.
Author: M. Jess Peacock Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers ISBN: 1620327198 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 168
Book Description
Evil, death, demons, reanimation, and resurrection. While such topics are often reserved for the darker mindscapes of the vampire subgenre within popular culture, they are equally integral elements of religious history and belief. Despite the cultural shift of presenting vampires in a secular light, the traditional figure of the vampire within cinema and literature has a rich legacy of serving as a theological marker. Whether as a symbol of the allure of sin, as an apologetic for assorted religious icons, or as a gateway into a discussion of liberationist theology, the vampire has served as a spiritual touchstone from Bram Stoker's Dracula, to Stephen King's Salem's Lot, to the HBO television series True Blood. In Such a Dark Thing, Jess Peacock examines how the figure of the vampire is able to traverse and interconnect theology and academia within the larger popular culture in a compelling and engaging manner. The vampire straddles the ineffable chasm between life and death and speaks to the transcendent in all of us, tapping into our fundamental curiosity of what, if anything, exists beyond the mortal coil, giving us a glimpse into the interminable while maintaining a cultural currency that is never dead and buried.
Author: Louis S. Warren Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 030742510X Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 674
Book Description
William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody was the most famous American of his age. He claimed to have worked for the Pony Express when only a boy and to have scouted for General George Custer. But what was his real story? And how did a frontiersman become a worldwide celebrity? In this prize-winning biography, acclaimed author Louis S. Warren explains not only how Cody exaggerated his real experience as an army scout and buffalo hunter, but also how that experience inspired him to create the gigantic, traveling spectacle known as Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. A dazzling mix of Indians, cowboys, and vaqueros, they performed on two continents for three decades, offering a surprisingly modern view of the United States and a remarkably democratic version of its history. This definitive biography reveals the genius of America’s greatest showman, and the startling history of the American West that drove him and his performers to the world stage.
Author: Alain Silver Publisher: Amadeus Press ISBN: 9780879102661 Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 348
Book Description
In this greatly expanded third edition, Alain Silver and James Ursini turn their gaze for the first time upon the vampire films released during the past five years, including Interview with the Vampire and Vampire in Brooklyn.
Author: Stuart W. Wells, III Publisher: House of Collectibles ISBN: 9780676600803 Category : Antiques & Collectibles Languages : en Pages : 332
Book Description
What do the Bionic Woman, Captain Action, G.I. Joe, Thundercats, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have in common? They're action figures--and part of the hot new area of collectibles! COMPREHENSIVE. From the A-Team to the X-Men, Big Jim to the Little Mermaid, Desert Patrol to Waterworld, Marvel Superheroes to Masters of the Universe, The Official Price Guide to Action Figures lists more than 8,000 different figures from hundreds of series--with separate introductions to each series and its significance, history, and collectibility. SPECIAL SECTIONS. An on-target market review, a step-by-step look at how an action figure is created--from conception to sculpting to production, and a history of Kenner (a major manufacturer of action figures for the past twenty years). PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. Helpful tips from the experts on starting, building, and maintaining an action figure collection. WRITTEN BY EXPERTS. Stuart Wells III is the former executive editor of Collectible Toys & Values and Triton: Comics, Cards, and Collectibles, monthly magazines covering all types of action figures. Jim Main is the editor and publisher of Action Figure Collector and Barracks: The G.I. Joe Collectors Magazine. FULLY ILLUSTRATED. The Official Price Guide to Action Figures is packed with more than 600 photographs for easy identification. HOUSE OF COLLECTIBLES. Serving collectors for more than thirty-five years
Author: Melvyn Stokes Publisher: A&C Black ISBN: 1441177477 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 313
Book Description
American History through Hollywood Film offers a new perspective on major issues in American history from the 1770s to the end of the twentieth century and explores how they have been represented in film. Melvyn Stokes examines how and why representation has changed over time, looking at the origins, underlying assumptions, production, and reception of an important cross-section of historical films. Chapters deal with key events in American history including the American Revolution, the Civil War and its legacy, the Great Depression, and the anti-communism of the Cold War era. Major themes such as ethnicity, slavery, Native Americans and Jewish immigrants are covered and a final chapter looks at the way the 1960s and 70s have been dealt with by Hollywood. This book is essential reading for anyone studying American history and the relationship between history and film.
Author: Publisher: ISBN: 9781414406299 Category : Video recordings Languages : en Pages : 1424
Book Description
A guide to programs currently available on video in the areas of movies/entertainment, general interest/education, sports/recreation, fine arts, health/science, business/industry, children/juvenile, how-to/instruction.
Author: Cody Marrs
Author: Stacey Abbott
Author: Paul Green
Author: M. Jess Peacock
Author: Louis S. Warren
Author: Alain Silver
Author: Stuart W. Wells, III
Author: Melvyn Stokes
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