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OverviewWidely recognized in his character of the Tramp, Charlie Chaplin transcended the role of actor to become screenwriter, director, composer, producer, and finally studio head. The subject of numerous biographical studies, Chaplin has been examined as both myth and man, but these treatments fail to adequately address the often-overlooked complexity of his filmmaking. Refocusing Chaplin: A Screen Icon through Critical Lenses features essays that examine the actor and director through various theoretical perspectives—including Marxism, feminism, gender studies, deconstruction, psychoanalytic criticism, new historicism, performance studies, and cultural criticism. Complementing this range of intellectual inquiry is the wide reach of films discussed, from The Circus (1928), The Gold Rush (1925), and City Lights (1931) to Modern Times (1936), The Great Dictator (1940), Monsieur Verdoux (1947), and Limelight (1952). Shorter films, such as “The Pawnshop” (1916), “The Rink” (1916), and “A Dog’s Life” (1918) are also examined. These essays analyze the tensions between the carefully constructed worlds of Chaplin’s films and their cultural contexts. The varied approaches and range of materials in this volume not only comprehensively assess the screen icon but also foster a conversation that exemplifies the best of intellectual exchange. Refocusing Chaplin provides a unique view into the work of one of cinema’s most important and influential artists. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Lawrence Howe , James E. Caron , Benjamin ClickPublisher: Scarecrow Press Imprint: Scarecrow Press Dimensions: Width: 16.20cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 23.90cm Weight: 0.499kg ISBN: 9780810892255ISBN 10: 0810892251 Pages: 250 Publication Date: 03 October 2013 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print  This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of ContentsPreface: Why Refocus Chaplin? Lawrence Howe, James E. Caron, and Benjamin Click Acknowledgements Introduction: The Persisting Appeal of Chaplin and Charlie Charles Maland Chapter 1: Chaplin’s “Charlie” as Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenological Everyman or, How Bodily Intelligence Manifests the Personae, Styles, and Fable of Slapstick James E. Caron Chapter 2: Chaplin and the Static Image: A Barthesian Analysis of the Visual in My Trip Abroad and “A Comedian Sees the World” Lisa Stein Haven Chapter 3: A Heart of Gold: Charlie and the Dance Hall Girls Cynthia J. Miller Chapter 4: American Masculinity and The Gendered Humor of Chaplin’s Little Tramp Lawrence Howe Chapter 5: In the Shadow of Machines: Modern Times and the Iconography of Technology A. Bowdoin Van Riper Chapter 6: Deconstruction and the Tramp: Marxism, Capitalism, and the Trace Randall Gann Chapter 7: Chaplin’s Presence Rachel Joseph Chapter 8: The Paradox of the “Dictactor”: Mimesis, Logic of Paradox, and the Reinstatement of Catharsis in The Great Dictator, Monsieur Verdoux, and Limelight Marco Grosoli Chapter 9: Charles Chaplin Sings a Silent Requiem: Chaplin’s Films from 1928-1952 as Cinematic Statement on the Transition from Silent Cinema to the Talkies Aner Preminger Chapter 10: Chaplin’s Sound Statement on Silence: The Great Dictator as Rhetorical Encomium Benjamin Click Bibliography Index About the Contributors About the EditorsReviewsOne effective method of teaching theory is to focus on a popular text and provide competing interpretations. Howe, Caron, and Click gather a cluster of such perspectives as they converge on the polysemic, iconic auteur filmmaker Charlie Chaplin. Offering a wide range of theoretical perspectives-Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis-contributors exhume and dissect the body of Chaplin and his work, studying his screen persona and public celebrity. The approach serves both to highlight neglected aspects of the complex artist and to illumine theory. Charles Maland's introductory essay inaugurates this conversation by exploring the enduring appeal of both Chaplin and his cinematic persona Charlie. In his phenomenological study of Charlie's kinesic slapstick, Caron shows the clown as clumsy fool, 'eironic trickster,' and comic acrobat. Several essays offer particularly fascinating perspectives, especially Cynthia Miller's 'A Heart of Gold: Charlie and the Dance Hall Girls' and Click's rhetorical analysis of The Great Dictator. The critical collisions and cross-fertilizations among the contributors foster a lively, worthwhile intellectual exchange. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. CHOICE Refocusing Chaplin is recommended for libraries and research centers, especially at the university level, for its intelligent, thorough examination of perhaps the most important figure in cinema's history. Examiner.com This collection proves to be a valuable resource on one of the leading masters of cinema. Comics Grinder One effective method of teaching theory is to focus on a popular text and provide competing interpretations. Howe, Caron, and Click gather a cluster of such perspectives as they converge on the polysemic, iconic auteur filmmaker Charlie Chaplin. Offering a wide range of theoretical perspectives-Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis-contributors exhume and dissect the body of Chaplin and his work, studying his screen persona and public celebrity. The approach serves both to highlight neglected aspects of the complex artist and to illumine theory. Charles Maland's introductory essay inaugurates this conversation by exploring the enduring appeal of both Chaplin and his cinematic persona Charlie. In his phenomenological study of Charlie's kinesic slapstick, Caron shows the clown as clumsy fool, 'eironic trickster,' and comic acrobat. Several essays offer particularly fascinating perspectives, especially Cynthia Miller's 'A Heart of Gold: Charlie and the Dance Hall Girls' and Click's rhetorical analysis of The Great Dictator. The critical collisions and cross-fertilizations among the contributors foster a lively, worthwhile intellectual exchange. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. CHOICE Author InformationLawrence Howe is professor of English and Film Studies at Roosevelt University. He is the author of Mark Twain and the Novel: The Double-Cross of Authority (2009). James E. Caron is professor of English at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. He is the coeditor of Sut Lovingood's Nat'ral Born Yarnspinner: Essays on George Washington Harris (1996) and author of Mark Twain, Unsanctified Newspaper Reporter (2008). Benjamin Click is Chair of the English Department at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Director of the Twain Lecture Series on American Humor Culture. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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