Matters of Gravity

Special Effects and Supermen in the 20th Century

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Popular Culture, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Matters of Gravity by Scott Bukatman, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Scott Bukatman ISBN: 9780822384892
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: July 21, 2003
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Scott Bukatman
ISBN: 9780822384892
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: July 21, 2003
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

The headlong rush, the rapid montage, the soaring superhero, the plunging roller coaster—Matters of Gravity focuses on the experience of technological spectacle in American popular culture over the past century. In these essays, leading media and cultural theorist Scott Bukatman reveals how popular culture tames the threats posed by technology and urban modernity by immersing people in delirious kinetic environments like those traversed by Plastic Man, Superman, and the careening astronauts of 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Right Stuff. He argues that as advanced technologies have proliferated, popular culture has turned the attendant fear of instability into the thrill of topsy-turvydom, often by presenting images and experiences of weightless escape from controlled space.

Considering theme parks, cyberspace, cinematic special effects, superhero comics, and musical films, Matters of Gravity highlights phenomena that make technology spectacular, permit unfettered flights of fantasy, and free us momentarily from the weight of gravity and history, of past and present. Bukatman delves into the dynamic ways pop culture imagines that apotheosis of modernity: the urban metropolis. He points to two genres, musical films and superhero comics, that turn the city into a unique site of transformative power. Leaping in single bounds from lively descriptions to sharp theoretical insights, Matters of Gravity is a deft, exhilarating celebration of the liberatory effects of popular culture.

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

The headlong rush, the rapid montage, the soaring superhero, the plunging roller coaster—Matters of Gravity focuses on the experience of technological spectacle in American popular culture over the past century. In these essays, leading media and cultural theorist Scott Bukatman reveals how popular culture tames the threats posed by technology and urban modernity by immersing people in delirious kinetic environments like those traversed by Plastic Man, Superman, and the careening astronauts of 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Right Stuff. He argues that as advanced technologies have proliferated, popular culture has turned the attendant fear of instability into the thrill of topsy-turvydom, often by presenting images and experiences of weightless escape from controlled space.

Considering theme parks, cyberspace, cinematic special effects, superhero comics, and musical films, Matters of Gravity highlights phenomena that make technology spectacular, permit unfettered flights of fantasy, and free us momentarily from the weight of gravity and history, of past and present. Bukatman delves into the dynamic ways pop culture imagines that apotheosis of modernity: the urban metropolis. He points to two genres, musical films and superhero comics, that turn the city into a unique site of transformative power. Leaping in single bounds from lively descriptions to sharp theoretical insights, Matters of Gravity is a deft, exhilarating celebration of the liberatory effects of popular culture.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book The Weather in Proust by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book The Intimate Critique by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book Useful Cinema by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book The Other Zulus by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book Lion Songs by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book To Live and Die by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book Who Killed John Clayton? by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book Racial Politics in Contemporary Brazil by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book Rivers by Design by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book Border as Method, or, the Multiplication of Labor by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book Medium Cool by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book Cachita's Streets by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book The Enchantment Of Reason by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book Sex in Development by Scott Bukatman
Cover of the book Gumshoe America by Scott Bukatman
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