Clint Eastwood and Issues of American Masculinity

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Performing Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Cover of the book Clint Eastwood and Issues of American Masculinity by Drucilla Cornell, Fordham University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Drucilla Cornell ISBN: 9780823230143
Publisher: Fordham University Press Publication: August 25, 2009
Imprint: Fordham University Press Language: English
Author: Drucilla Cornell
ISBN: 9780823230143
Publisher: Fordham University Press
Publication: August 25, 2009
Imprint: Fordham University Press
Language: English

In this risk-taking book, a major feminist philosopher engages the work of the actor and director who has progressed from being the stereotypical “man’s man” to pushing the boundaries of the very genres—the Western, the police thriller, the war or boxing movie—most associated with American masculinity. Cornell’s highly appreciative encounter with the films directed by Clint Eastwood revolve around the questions “What is it to be a good man?” and “What is it to be, not just an ethical person, but specifically an ethical man?” Focusing on Eastwood as a director rather than as an actor or cultural icon, she studies Eastwood in relation to major philosophical and ethical themes that have been articulated in her own life’s work.

In her fresh and revealing readings of the films, Cornell takes up pressing issues of masculinity as it is caught up in the very definition of ideas of revenge, violence, moral repair, and justice. Eastwood grapples with this involvement of masculinity in and through many of the great symbols of American life, including cowboys, boxing, police dramas, and ultimately war—perhaps the single greatest symbol of what it means (or is supposed to mean) to be a man. Cornell discusses films from across Eastwood’s career, from his directorial debut with Play Misty for Me to Million Dollar Baby.

Cornell’s book is not a traditional book of film criticism or a cinematographic biography. Rather, it is a work of social commentary and ethical philosophy. In a world in which we seem to be losing our grip on shared symbols, along with community itself, Eastwood’s films work with the fragmented symbols that remain to us in order to engage masculinity with the most profound moral and ethical issues facing us today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this risk-taking book, a major feminist philosopher engages the work of the actor and director who has progressed from being the stereotypical “man’s man” to pushing the boundaries of the very genres—the Western, the police thriller, the war or boxing movie—most associated with American masculinity. Cornell’s highly appreciative encounter with the films directed by Clint Eastwood revolve around the questions “What is it to be a good man?” and “What is it to be, not just an ethical person, but specifically an ethical man?” Focusing on Eastwood as a director rather than as an actor or cultural icon, she studies Eastwood in relation to major philosophical and ethical themes that have been articulated in her own life’s work.

In her fresh and revealing readings of the films, Cornell takes up pressing issues of masculinity as it is caught up in the very definition of ideas of revenge, violence, moral repair, and justice. Eastwood grapples with this involvement of masculinity in and through many of the great symbols of American life, including cowboys, boxing, police dramas, and ultimately war—perhaps the single greatest symbol of what it means (or is supposed to mean) to be a man. Cornell discusses films from across Eastwood’s career, from his directorial debut with Play Misty for Me to Million Dollar Baby.

Cornell’s book is not a traditional book of film criticism or a cinematographic biography. Rather, it is a work of social commentary and ethical philosophy. In a world in which we seem to be losing our grip on shared symbols, along with community itself, Eastwood’s films work with the fragmented symbols that remain to us in order to engage masculinity with the most profound moral and ethical issues facing us today.

More books from Fordham University Press

Cover of the book Tastes of the Divine by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book A Weak Messianic Power by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book God's Mirror by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book The Body of Property by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book Prophecies of Language by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book Race Questions, Provincialism, and Other American Problems by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book To Bear Witness by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book The Metamorphosis of Finitude by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book Fifth Avenue Famous by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book The People's Right to the Novel by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book Earth, Life, and System by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book Orthodox Christianity and Nationalism in Nineteenth-Century Southeastern Europe by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book The Discipline of Philosophy and the Invention of Modern Jewish Thought by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book Reconstruction in a Globalizing World by Drucilla Cornell
Cover of the book Still the Same Hawk: Reflections on Nature and New York by Drucilla Cornell
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy