Eighteen Woody Allen Films Analyzed
Anguish, God and Existentialism
Nonfiction, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Film
| Author: | Sander H. Lee | ISBN: | 9780786481101 |
| Publisher: | McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers | Publication: | October 2, 2015 |
| Imprint: | Language: | English |
| Author: | Sander H. Lee |
| ISBN: | 9780786481101 |
| Publisher: | McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers |
| Publication: | October 2, 2015 |
| Imprint: | |
| Language: | English |
This new textbook is an abridgment of the author’s earlier Woody Allen’s Angst: Philosophical Commentaries on His Serious Films (McFarland, 1997; “invaluable”—Choice.) Five main topics are explored: the desire of many of his characters to ground their lives in traditional ethical values despite their realization that such values may no longer be certain; the opposition between pessimism and optimism throughout his films; gender issues relating to romantic love, sexual desire and the ongoing changes in our cultural expectations of both men and women; the idea that contemporary American society is rapidly descending into barbarism precisely because of societal failure to maintain a sense of individual moral responsibility; and a critique of psychoanalysis as a method for understanding human behavior. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
This new textbook is an abridgment of the author’s earlier Woody Allen’s Angst: Philosophical Commentaries on His Serious Films (McFarland, 1997; “invaluable”—Choice.) Five main topics are explored: the desire of many of his characters to ground their lives in traditional ethical values despite their realization that such values may no longer be certain; the opposition between pessimism and optimism throughout his films; gender issues relating to romantic love, sexual desire and the ongoing changes in our cultural expectations of both men and women; the idea that contemporary American society is rapidly descending into barbarism precisely because of societal failure to maintain a sense of individual moral responsibility; and a critique of psychoanalysis as a method for understanding human behavior. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
