Overview

"This first comprehensive study of the relationship between the tales of Edgar Allan Poe and the films of Alfred Hitchcock uncovers an unexpected range of affinities underlying the director's well-known regard for Poe. As an adolescent Hitchcock avidly read Poe and later acknowledged a direct influence: ""I can't help but compare what I try to put in my films with what Poe put in his stories."" Hitchcock's chief take-home lesson from Poe was that ""fear…is a feeling people like to feel when they are certain of being in safety."" Thus, Poe's legacy to Hitchcock was an obsession to delight and terrify audiences simultaneously. This study explores the aesthetic of Poe and Hitchcock in terms of a set of common obsessions, techniques, and genres. The structure of the study revolves around Eureka, Poe's explicit and allegorical treatise on the development of the universe. Each chapter explores the similarities and differences between Poe's and Hitchcock's treatment of such issues as doubles, the perverse, voyeurism, and romantic obsession. While Hitchcock's films consistently mirror plots, imagery, and relationships within Poe's tales, Perry also shows how Hitchcock's resistance to the traditional trappings of gothic tales sets his films apart from the works of Poe and gives them a unique touch. Researchers, students, and Hitchcock fans alike will by stirred by the original ideas and detailed research in this fantastic resource."

Full Product Details

Author:   Dennis R. Perry
Publisher:   Scarecrow Press
Imprint:   Scarecrow Press
Volume:   106
Dimensions:   Width: 15.10cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 22.70cm
Weight:   0.433kg
ISBN:  

9780810848221

ISBN 10:   0810848228
Pages:   248
Publication Date:   22 October 2003
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Part 1 Preface Part 2 1. Introduction: Hitchcock and Poe Chapter 3 Eureka and Hitchcock's Canon Part 4 2. Ratiocination: Original Unity Chapter 5 The Purloined Letter and Murder Part 6 3. Apocalypse: Crises of Fragmentation Chapter 7 The Masque of the Red Death and The Birds Part 8 4. Inexplicable Predicaments: Diffusion from the Center Chapter 9 The Pit and the Pendulum and North by Northwest Part 10 5. Doubles: The Universe of Others Chapter 11 William Wilson and Strangers on a Train Part 12 6. Imps of the Perverse: Diffusion from the Self Chapter 13 The Tell-Tale Heart and Rope Part 14 7. Voyeurism: Eyes of the Perverse Chapter 15 A Man of the Crowd and Rear Window Part 16 8. Romantic Obsession: Return to Transcendence Chapter 17 The Fall of the House of Usher and Vertigo Part 18 9. Humor and Horror: Collapsing into Unity Chapter 19 Ligeia and The 39 Steps Part 20 Annotated Bibliography Part 21 Index Part 22 About the Author

Reviews

...a useful and at times stimulating discussion that identifies and elucidates many points of connection that have not yet been mentioned in Hitchcock studies...a welcome addition to those studies that have effectively located Hitchcock in a literary as well as visual tradition. Hitchcock Annual Researchers, students, and Hitchcock fans alike will be impressed by the original ideas and detailed research in Hitchcock and Poe, a fantastic resource. Www.Sirreadalot.Org

Author Information

Dennis R. Perry is Associate Professor of English at Brigham Young University. He has published widely in the areas of literature and film.

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