Research Catalog

Title

Body, soul and cyberspace in contemporary science fiction cinema : virtual worlds and ethical problems / Sylvie Magerstadt, University of Hertfordshire, UK.

Author

Magerstädt, Sylvie, 1976-

Publication

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

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

ix, 95 pages; 23 cm.

Summary

"Body, Soul and Cyberspace explores how recent science-fiction cinema addresses questions about the connections between body and soul, virtuality, and the ways in which we engage with spirituality in the digital age. The book investigates notions of love, life and death, taking an interdisciplinary approach by combining cinematic themes with religious, philosophical and ethical ideas. Magerstädt argues how even the most spectacle-driven mainstream films such as Avatar, The Matrix and Terminator can raise interesting and important questions about the human self and our interaction with the world. Apart from these well-known science fiction epics, her analysis also draws on recent works, such as Inception, The Thirteenth Floor, eXistenZ, Aeon Flux, Total Recall (2012), Transcendence and TRON: Legacy. These films stimulate an engaging discussion on what makes us human, the role memory plays in understanding ourselves, and how virtual realities challenge the moral concepts that govern human relationships"--

Series Statement

Palgrave Pivot

Uniform Title

Palgrave pivot

Subject

• Science fiction films > History and criticism
• Human body in motion pictures
• Philosophy in motion pictures
• PERFORMING ARTS > Film & Video > History & Criticism
• PHILOSOPHY > Ethics & Moral Philosophy
• SOCIAL SCIENCE > Media Studies
• Human body in motion pictures
• Philosophy in motion pictures
• Science fiction films
• PERFORMING ARTS / Reference

Genre/Form

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references, filmography, and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction: Ethical Questions in Contemporary Science Fiction Films -- 1. Body: Cyborgs, Clones and Automata: The Matrix, eXistenZ, Avatar -- 2. Soul: Cyber-Spirituality and Immortality: The Thirteenth Floor, Aeon Flux, Transcendence -- 3. Cyberspace: Dreams, Memory and Virtual Worlds: TRON: Legacy, Total Recall (2012), Inception -- Conclusion: Imagining our Future(s) -- Bibliography -- Index.

ISBN

• 9781137399403
• 1137399406
• 9781137399427 (canceled/invalid)
• 9781137399410 (canceled/invalid)

LCCN

^^2014034501

OCLC

• 886489410
• SCSB-12556306

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library