Culture, Identities and Technology in the Star Wars Films

Carl Silvio

ISBN 10: 0786429100 / ISBN 13: 9780786429103

Published by McFarland and Co Inc, US, 2007

About this Item

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. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780786429103

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Culture, Identities and Technology in the Star Wars Films
• Publisher: McFarland and Co Inc, US
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786429100
• ISBN 13: 9780786429103
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Dimensions: 15.24W x 1.24H x 22.86D centimeters 15.24 centimeters width by 1.24 centimeters height by 22.86 centimeters depth
• Weight: 331 grams

About this title

Synopsis

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.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

About the Authors

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 associate professor of English at Ohio University, where he teaches literature and popular culture. His research interests include twentieth- and twenty-first-century American literature and culture, ethics, trauma studies, critical posthumanisms, and speculative fiction and film.

Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University. He lives in Greenville, North Carolina.