Overview

The Film Theory in Practice series fills a gaping hole in the world of film theory. By marrying the explanation of a film theory with the interpretation of a film, the volumes provide discrete examples of how film theory can serve as the basis for textual analysis. This book provides a broad introduction to network theory and shows how this theory can motivate a close reading of Robert Altman's 1975 film Nashville. By offering a tour of the expansive intellectual network we can now call network theory, the book demonstrates how analyzing the ubiquitous characteristics of networks changes the way film fans, students, and scholars might understand cinema’s storytelling possibilities. It models a method of interpretation (focusing on character, cinematography, and sound) that students can practice with other feature films. Moreover, it situates film within a larger discourse about art and society, offering students the tools for analyzing other large-form cultural objects. Organized into two parts, the first section of the book presents an overview of network theory, its various facets as a still-emerging discourse, and its historical context in post-industrial life, before turning to Altman’s Nashville. It then explores the film’s narrative style and character system as a special case of network cinema, to show how there is more than “connectedness” alone to the network form.

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9781501388217

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Reviews

In grappling with Nashville, Robert Altman’s monumental exemplification of networked life, Tavlin shows what network theory can actually do for us in the interpretation of complex cultural objects. And when we set out on other interpretations of network films, his comprehensive theoretical overview will help keep us attuned to the nodes, edges, and routes through this essential and evolving approach. * J.D. Connor, Hitchcock Chair, USC School of Cinematic Arts, USA *

Author Information

Zachary Tavlin is Associate Professor, Adj. in Liberal Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA. He has published widely on the topics of American literature, film and visual culture, and critical theory. He is the author of the book Glancing Visions: Surface and Depth in Nineteenth-Century American Literature (2023).

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