Ambiguity in »Star Wars« and »Harry Potter«
Ambiguity in »Star Wars« and »Harry Potter«

Author: Christina Flotmann

Publisher: transcript Verlag

Published: 2014-03-31

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 3839421489

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The study combines theories of myth, popular culture, structuralism and poststructuralism to explain the enormous appeal of »Star Wars« and »Harry Potter«. Although much research already exists on both stories individually, this book is the first to explicitly bring them together in order to explore their set-up and the ways in which their structures help produce ideologies on gender and ethnicity. Hereby, the comparison yields central insights into the workings of modern myth and uncovers structure as integral to the success of the popular genre. It addresses academic audiences and all those wishing to approach the tales from a fresh angle.

Cultural Politics in Harry Potter
Cultural Politics in Harry Potter

Author: Rubén Jarazo-Álvarez

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-08-29

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 1000556603

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Cultural Politics in Harry Potter: Life, Death and the Politics of Fear is the first book-length analysis of topics, such as death, fear and biopolitics in J.K. Rowling’s work from controversial and interdisciplinary perspectives. This collection brings together recent theoretical and applied cultural studies and focuses on three key areas of inquiry: (1) wizarding biopolitics and intersected discourses; (2) anxiety, death, resilience and trauma; and (3) the politics of fear and postmodern transformations. As such, this book: provides a comprehensive overview of national and gender discourses, as well as the transiting bodies in-between, in relation to the Harry Potter books series and related multimedia franchise; situates the transformative power of death within the fandom, transmedia and film depictions of the Potterverse and critically deconstructs the processes of subjectivation and legitimation of death and fear; examines the strategies and mechanisms through which cultural and political processes are managed, as well as reminding us how fiction and reality intersect at junctions, such as terrorism, homonationalism, materialism, capitalism, posthumanism and technology. Exploring precisely what is cultural about wizarding politics, and what is political about culture, this book is key reading for students of contemporary literature, media and culture, as well as anyone with an interest in the fictional universe and wizarding world of Harry Potter.

Changing readers’ attitudes? The representation of discrimination in the Harry Potter novels
Changing readers’ attitudes? The representation of discrimination in the Harry Potter novels

Author: Alena Eikens

Publisher: diplom.de

Published: 2017-06-27

Total Pages: 33

ISBN-13: 3960676646

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When Joanne K. Rowling published her first Harry Potter novel in 1997, probably nobody expected the tremendous success her writing debut was going to bring her. The huge popularity of the seven-book series led not only to an equally successful series of film adaptations, but also to a variety of well selling merchandise. Children and adults alike are enchanted by the wizarding world that Rowling so meticulously created. However, Rowling’s story does not only serve as a source for our entertainment, she also uses her fantasy world as a metaphor for our own world, depicting rights and wrongs in many different fields. One of the main themes is even a very controversial one: discrimination. And Rowling did not just invent a world in black and white, she does not simply tell the reader that prejudice is a reprehensible trait in our society. Rather, she created a world for the readers to explore and find things out for themselves as the story continued. In this paper, the author claims that the representation of discrimination in the Harry Potter series influences the readers in a positive way and that they are likely less prejudiced against stigmatised groups after reading the books.

The Myth Awakens
The Myth Awakens

Author: Ken Derry

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2018-09-13

Total Pages: 183

ISBN-13: 1498246265

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The trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens made a strong impression on fans. Many were excited by what they saw as a return to the spirit of George Lucas's 1977 creation. Others--including several white supremacy groups--were upset and offended by key differences, most notably the shift away from a blond, blue-eyed, male protagonist. When the film was finally released, reactions similarly seemed to hinge on whether or not The Force Awakens renewed the "mythic" aspects of the original trilogy in ways that fans approved of. The Myth Awakens examines the religious implications of this phenomenon, considering the ways in which myth can function to reinforce "traditional" social and political values. In their analyses the authors of this book reflect on fan responses in relation to various elements of (and changes to) the Star Wars canon--including toys, video games, and novels, as well as several of the films. They do so using a variety of critical tools, drawing from studies of gender, race, psychology, politics, authority, music, ritual, and memory.

Women's Space
Women's Space

Author: Melanie A. Marotta

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2020-01-17

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 1476636729

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From the Star Wars expanded universe to Westworld, the science fiction western has captivated audiences for more than fifty years. These twelve new essays concentrate on the female characters in the contemporary science fiction western, addressing themes of power, agency, intersectionality and the body. Discussing popular works such as Fringe, Guardians of the Galaxy and Mass Effect, the essayists shed new light on the gender dynamics of these beloved franchises, emphasizing inclusion and diversity with their critical perspectives.

Politics in Fantasy Media
Politics in Fantasy Media

Author: Gerold Sedlmayr

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-10-21

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1476617554

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Fantasy is often condemned as escapist, unsophisticated and superficial. This collection of new essays puts such easy dismissals to the test by examining the ways in which Fantasy narratives present diverse, politically relevant discourses--gender, race, religion or consumerism--and thereby serve as indicators of their real-world contexts. Through their depiction of other worlds allegedly disconnected from our own, these texts are able to actualize political attitudes. Instead of categorizing Fantasy either as conservative or progressive, the essays suggest that its generic peculiarity allows the emergence of productive forms of oscillation between these extremes. Covered are J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire sequence, J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, the vampire TV series True Blood, and the dystopian computer game Fallout 3.

Disney and the Dialectic of Desire
Disney and the Dialectic of Desire

Author: Joseph Zornado

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-10-18

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 3319626779

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This book analyzes Walt Disney’s impact on entertainment, new media, and consumer culture in terms of a materialist, psychoanalytic approach to fantasy. The study opens with a taxonomy of narrative fantasy along with a discussion of fantasy as a key concept within psychoanalytic discourse. Zornado reads Disney’s full-length animated features of the “golden era” as symbolic responses to cultural and personal catastrophe, and presents Disneyland as a monument to Disney fantasy and one man’s singular, perverse desire. What follows after is a discussion of the “second golden age” of Disney and the rise of Pixar Animation as neoliberal nostalgia in crisis. The study ends with a reading of George Lucas as latter-day Disney and Star Wars as Disney fantasy. This study should appeal to film and media studies college undergraduates, graduates students and scholars interested in Disney.

The Transformative Potential of Black British and British Muslim Literature
The Transformative Potential of Black British and British Muslim Literature

Author: Lisa Ahrens

Publisher: transcript Verlag

Published: 2019-07-31

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13: 3839447690

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This study investigates power, belonging and exclusion in British society by analysing representations of the mosque, the University of Oxford, and the plantation in novels by Leila Aboulela, Robin Yassin-Kassab, Diran Adebayo, David Dabydeen, Andrea Levy, and Bernardine Evaristo. Lisa Ahrens combines Foucault's theory of heterotopia with elements of Wolfgang Iser's reader-response theory to work out Black British and British Muslim literature's potential for destabilising exclusionary boundaries. In this way, new perspectives open up on the intersections between space, power and literature, intertwining and enriching the discourses of Cultural and Literary Studies.

Harry Potter and the Classical World
Harry Potter and the Classical World

Author: Richard A. Spencer

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-07-11

Total Pages: 325

ISBN-13: 1476621411

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J.K. Rowling has drawn deeply from classical sources to inform and color her Harry Potter novels, with allusions ranging from the obvious to the obscure. "Fluffy," the vicious three-headed dog in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is clearly a repackaging of Cerberus, the hellhound of Greek and Roman mythology. But the significance of Rowling's quotation from Aeschylus at the front of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a matter of speculation. Her use of classical material is often presented with irony and humor. This extensive analysis of the Harry Potter series examines Rowling's wide range of allusion to classical characters and themes and her varied use of classical languages. Chapters discuss Harry and Narcissus, Dumbledore's many classical predecessors, Lord Voldemort's likeness to mythical figures, and magic in Harry Potter and classical antiquity--among many topics.

McLuhan’s Galaxies: Science Fiction Film Aesthetics in Light of Marshall McLuhan’s Thought
McLuhan’s Galaxies: Science Fiction Film Aesthetics in Light of Marshall McLuhan’s Thought

Author: Artur Skweres

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-01-17

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 3030041042

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This groundbreaking book uses observations made by Marshall McLuhan to analyze the aesthetics of science fiction films, treating them as visual metaphors or probes into the new reality dominated by electronic media: - it considers the relations between the senses and sensuality in Blade Runner, the visually-tactile character of the film, and the status of replicants as humanity’s new clothes; - it analyzes the mixture of Eastern and Western aesthetics in Star Wars, analyzing Darth Vader as a combination of the literate and the tribal mindset; - it discusses the failure of visual society presented in the Terminator and Alien franchises, the rekindling of horror vacui, tribalism, and the desire to obliterate the past as a result of the simultaneity of the acoustic space; - finally, the book discusses the Matrix trilogy and Avatar as being deeply related in terms of the growing importance of tactility, easternization, tribalization, as well as connectivity and the implosion of human civilization.