Culture, Identities and Technology in the Star Wars Films
Essays on the Two Trilogies
Edited by
Carl
Silvio
and Tony M. Vinci
Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III
ISBN
978-0-7864-2910-3
notes, bibliographies, index
243pp.
softcover
2007
Available for immediate shipment
Description
Released in May 1977, the original Star Wars movie inaugurated the age of the movie blockbuster. It also redefined the use of cinematic special effects, creating a new textual universe that now stretches through three decades, two trilogies and generations of fascinated viewers. The body of critical analysis that has developed from this epic focuses primarily on the Star Wars universe as a contemporary myth. However, like any fiction, it must also be viewed—and consequently analyzed—as a product of the culture which created it.
The essays in this book analyze the Star Wars trilogies as a culturally and historically specific phenomenon. Moving away from the traditional myth-based criticism of the films, the essayists employ a cultural studies model to examine how this phenomenon intersects with social formations such as economics, technology, race and gender. Critical approaches are varied and include political and economic analysis informed by feminism, contemporary race theory, Marxism, new media studies and post-humanism. Among the topics covered are the connections between the trilogies and our own cultural landscape; the problematic issues of race and gender; and the thematic implications of Lucas’ presentation of technology.
About the Author
Carl Silvio is an assistant professor of English at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York. He lives in Rochester.
Tony M. Vinci is an instructor of English at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York.
Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He lives in Greenville.
C.W. Sullivan III is in the English department at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.
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Table of Contents & Excerpts
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