Ode to Gen X Institutional Cynicism in Stranger Things and 1980s Film

Callens, Melissa Vosen

ISBN 10: 1496832426 / ISBN 13: 9781496832429

Published by Univ Pr of Mississippi, 2021

About this Item

187 pages. 8.50x5.50x0.50 inches. In Stock.

Seller Inventory # x-1496832426

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Ode to Gen X Institutional Cynicism in Stranger Things and 1980s Film
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Mississippi
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1496832426
• ISBN 13: 9781496832429
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Brand New
• Weight: 0.25 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

Even for the casual viewer, the Netflix series Stranger Things will likely feel famil-iar, reminiscent of popular 1980s coming-of-age movies such as The Goonies, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Stand by Me. Throughout the series, nods to each movie are abundant. While Stranger Things and these classic 1980s films are all tales of childhood friendship and shared adventures, they are also narratives that reflect and shape the burgeoning cynicism of the 1980s.

In Ode to Gen X: Institutional Cynicism in "Stranger Things" and 1980s Film, author Melissa Vosen Callens explores the parallels be-tween iconic films featuring children and teenagers and the first three seasons of Stranger Things, a series about a group of young friends set in 1980s Indiana. The text moves be-yond the (at times) non-sequitur 1980s Easter eggs to a common underlying narrative: Gen-eration X’s growing distrust in American institutions.

Despite Gen X’s cynicism to-ward both informal and formal institutions, viewers also see a more positive characteristic of Gen X in these films and series: Gen X’s fierce independence and ability to rebuild and rede-fine the family unit despite continued economic hardships. Vosen Callens demonstrates how Stranger Things draws on popular 1980s popular culture to pay tribute to Gen X’s evolving outlook on three key and interwoven American institutions: family, economy, and government.

About the Author

Melissa Vosen Callens is associate professor of practice in communication at North Dakota State University, Fargo. Her work has appeared in Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy; English Journal; Communication Teacher; and A Sense of Community: Essays on the Television Series and Its Fandom, among other publications.