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Matters of Gravity

By Scott Bukatman

Product Image: Matters of Gravity

Matters of Gravity

Only 1 item left in stock
Description
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.
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Edition:
illustrated
Number of Pages:
296
Release Date:
2003-08-01
Publication Date:
2003-07-21
Publisher:
Duke University Press
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
0822331195
ISBN13:
9780822331193
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
[email protected]
Weight:
459 g
Height:
153 cm
Width:
237 cm
Thickness:
16 cm

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The items bear minimal signs of past use, such as light scratches or memories in the form of markings. These signs of wear give the items a charming character and tell stories of their previous owners, while not affecting their functionality.
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