This Shark, Swallow You Whole : Essays on the Cultural Influence of Jaws

One of the most influential thrillers in media history, Jaws first surfaced as a best-selling novel by first-time novelist Peter Benchley in 1974, followed by the 1975 feature film directed by Steven Spielberg at the beginning of his storied career. Jaws is often considered the first "blockbuster," and successive generations of filmmakers have cited it as formative in their own creative development.

For nearly 50 years, critics and scholars have studied how and why this seemingly straightforward thriller holds such mass appeal. This book of original essays assembles a range of critical thought on the impact and legacy of the film, employing new perspectives--historical, cinematic, literary, scientific and environmental--while building on the insights of previous writers. While varying in focus, the essays in this volume all explore why Jaws was so successful in its time and how it remains a prominent storytelling influence well into the 21st century.

Kathy Merlock Jackson is a professor of media and communication at Virginia Wesleyan University, where she teaches courses in media studies and children's culture. She is the author of over a hundred articles, chapters, and reviews and has published fifteen books. She is a former editor of The Journal of American Culture and a past president of the Popular Culture Association. She serves on the editorial boards of The Journal of American Culture and The Journal of Popular Culture and is co-chair of the Animals and Popular Culture Area of the Popular Culture Association.

Philip L. Simpson is vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Eastern Florida State College on the Space Coast of Florida. He serves as co-chair of the Stephen King Area for the Popular Culture Association, chair of the Endowment Committee for the Popular Culture Association, and editorial board member of  The Journal of American Culture. He has published numerous books, book chapters, and journal articles on film, literature, popular culture, and horror, as well as short fiction.