Research Catalog

Title

Classical masculinity and the spectacular body on film : the mighty sons of Hercules / Daniel O'Brien, University of Southampton, UK.

Author

O'Brien, Daniel, 1967-

Publication

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

vii, 191 pages; 23 cm

Summary

"The cinema has often showcased the muscular male body, most notably in genres invoking classical Greco-Roman culture, whether peplum, epic or sword-and-sorcery. This book reassesses the classically-inflected action film as a significant cinematic form, often marginalized in media studies, that transcends such reductive labels as camp or kitsch. The focus is on the depiction of heroic masculinity, often characterized as reactionary or fascist, yet far more varied and contradictory, especially in relation to femininity and non-whiteness. These diverse representations of masculinity offer a major contribution to debates on maleness within and beyond academia that has been largely unexplored. In particular, Hercules in his many incarnations is one of the most important mythopoetic figures, on a par with King Arthur, Robin Hood, Tarzan and James Bond, informing popular cultural interpretations of manliness and the exaggerated male form"--

Subject

• Hercules (Roman mythological character) > In motion pictures
• Herakles
• Masculinity in motion pictures
• Heroes in motion pictures
• Mythology, Classical in motion pictures
• Human body in motion pictures
• PERFORMING ARTS / Film & Video / History & Criticism
• SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies
• SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies
• Film
• Männlichkeit
• Held
• Mythos
• PERFORMING ARTS / Reference
• Männlichkeit Motiv
• Mythos Motiv
• Communication
• Culture > Study and teaching
• Gender expression
• Gender identity
• Motion pictures
• Motion pictures and television
• Sex (Psychology)
• Sociology

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Machine generated contents note: -- List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction PART I: MEN AS MEN SHOULD BE 1. Hercules Unchained 2. Hercules Reformed 3. Hercules Diminished 4. Hercules Rebooted 5. I'm Spartacus! PART II: TAMING THE WOMEN WITH LOVE OR DEATH 6. The Loves of Hercules 7. The Temptress from Beyond 8. Fight Like a Man PART III: THIS THING OF DARKNESS 9. White Man's Burden? 10. Doom's Children 11. This is Sparta! Bibliography.

ISBN

• 9781137384706 (hardback)
• 1137384700 (hardback)

LCCN

^^2014028975

OCLC

• 881655995
• SCSB-12692576

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library