Overview

In the first book-length study of Romanticism in relation to American film, Michelle Devereaux takes established theories of contemporary American independent cinema as a point of entry, exploring the underlying philosophical and aesthetic Romantic connections between a selection of seven films from four popular filmmakers: Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman. Primarily dealing with questions of identity, imagination and the relation between self and world, these films also emphasise the anxieties of our own time: the nostalgia for an imaginary past, and the fear of an uncertain future.

Full Product Details

Author:   Michelle Devereaux (Film journalist and scholar, independent)
Publisher:   Edinburgh University Press
Imprint:   Edinburgh University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.20cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.276kg
ISBN:  

9781474446051

ISBN 10:   1474446051
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   26 May 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Filmmaking as Romantic Quest What is ‘Romantic’? Imagination and the Romantic Sensibility Romanticism, Sincerity and Authenticity: A Problem of Identity ‘Metamodernism’ and Romantic Irony From the New Wave to New Hollywood to Now Chapter Overviews Part I. Romantic Clarity and Confusion 1. Beauty Among the Ruins: The Painful Picturesque and Sentimental Sublime in Wes Anderson’s Aesthetics The Sublime and the Beautiful in Eighteenth-century Aesthetics The Royal Tenenbaums and the Painful Picturesque Trapped in a Never-ending Play: Anderson’s Use of Diegetic Space A Search for Meaning Within Postmodern Pastiche The Middle-aged Man and the Sea: The Life Aquatic and the Sentimental Sublime The Camp Cathedral: Eclecticism in Anderson’s Mise-en-scène and Dialogue Conclusion 2. ‘An Endless Succession of Mirrors’: Irony, Ambiguity and the Crisis of Authenticity in Synecdoche, New York Romantic Irony: From Kant and Schlegel to Byron and Beyond Embracing Irony and Undermining Realism in Synecdoche, New York ‘A Series of Mad Visions Perhaps’: The Screen as the Site of Confused Subjectivity The Mise en Abyme and the Mathematical Sublime Conclusion Part II. Emotion, Imagination and the Feminine Sublime 3. ‘Oh! You Pretty Things: The Egotistical and Feminine Sublimes in Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides Gendered Expressions of Sublimity: The Egotistical and Feminine Sublimes Staging Sublimity in Seventies Suburbia Mood Creation and the ‘Emotional Core’ of the Film The Aesthetics and Politics of ‘Pretty’ ‘Preparing to Give Assault’: Creating the ‘Pseudo-political’ gothic Conclusion 4. Girlfriend in the Machine: Intersubjectivity and the Sublime Limits of Representation in Spike Jonze’s Her The Role of Will in the Romantic Imagination Sublime Obscurity and the Mind’s Eye Photographing Sound in a Disembodied Mise-en-scène ‘The Light of Sense Goes Out’: Intersubjectivity and the Acknowledgment of Others Conclusion Part III. Childhood, (R)evolution and Imaginary History 5. ‘Because I’m a Wild Animal’ : Nature Versus Nurture in Fantastic Mr Fox Romantic Conceptions of Childhood and Nature Digging for the Middle Ground: Fantastic Mr Fox and American Pastoralism ‘A Native Blend of Myth and Reality’: The Landscape of Imagination Little Savages in the Garden: Ash, Kristofferson and the Romantic Child Mourning the Loss of Animal Nature Conclusion 6. ‘It’s Not Too Much, Is It?’ Keats, Fancy and the Ethics of Pleasurable Excess in Marie Antoinette Fancy and Material Excess as Alternative Romantic Discourse Marie Antoinette and the ‘Material Sublime’ The ‘Romantic Ethic, Daydreaming and Modern Consumption Revolution, Modernity and Shifting Personal Identities ‘Like a Little Piece of Cake’: The Body, Consumption and Moral Utility ‘Dying into Life’: Embracing the Romantic Depth Model? Conclusion Conclusion: On Endings and New Beginnings The Romantic Relationship to Reality: A Questioning of Absolutes The Battle Between Self-consciousness and Solipsism ‘Bravery in the Midst of Indeterminacy’: Emotion as a Form of Revolution List of Works Cited Index

Reviews

"While other thinkers have gestured towards the complementarity of Romanticism and contemporary art, none have done so in such a thorough and thoughtful manner. Michelle Devereaux's monograph breaks new ground by placing Romantic art and philosophy in conversation with cutting-edge American independent cinema, and in so doing presents both in a new light. Rich in detail and beautifully written, Devereaux's readings of films by the likes of Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola illuminate the connections between the Romantic era and our present moment. But more than this, in deepening our understanding of mankind's enduring feelings of anxiety and isolation, her book offers a first step in its overcoming.--Dr. Catherine Wheatley, King's College London In this intricately argued and elegantly written book, Michelle Devereaux offers an inventive, original take on American independent film, arguing that works by Wes Anderson, Charlie Kaufman, Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze exemplify ""neoromanticism"". [...] The Stillness of Solitude: Romanticism and Contemporary American Independent Film will serve as a valuable resource for researchers interested in the filmmakers she highlights, for each chapter offers a stand-alone analysis of one director's film.--Suzanne Ferriss, Nova Southeastern University ""Film-Philosophy Volume 25, Issue 2"""

In this intricately argued and elegantly written book, Michelle Devereaux offers an inventive, original take on American independent film, arguing that works by Wes Anderson, Charlie Kaufman, Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze exemplify “neoromanticism”. [...] The Stillness of Solitude: Romanticism and Contemporary American Independent Film will serve as a valuable resource for researchers interested in the filmmakers she highlights, for each chapter offers a stand-alone analysis of one director’s film. -- Suzanne Ferriss, Nova Southeastern University * Film-Philosophy Volume 25, Issue 2 * While other thinkers have gestured towards the complementarity of Romanticism and contemporary art, none have done so in such a thorough and thoughtful manner. Michelle Devereaux’s monograph breaks new ground by placing Romantic art and philosophy in conversation with cutting-edge American independent cinema, and in so doing presents both in a new light. Rich in detail and beautifully written, Devereaux’s readings of films by the likes of Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola illuminate the connections between the Romantic era and our present moment. But more than this, in deepening our understanding of mankind’s enduring feelings of anxiety and isolation, her book offers a first step in their overcoming. -- Dr. Catherine Wheatley, King's College London While other thinkers have gestured towards the complementarity of Romanticism and contemporary art, none have done so in such a thorough and thoughtful manner. Michelle Devereaux’s monograph breaks new ground by placing Romantic art and philosophy in conversation with cutting-edge American independent cinema, and in so doing presents both in a new light. Rich in detail and beautifully written, Devereaux’s readings of films by the likes of Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola illuminate the connections between the Romantic era and our present moment. But more than this, in deepening our understanding of mankind’s enduring feelings of anxiety and isolation, her book offers a first step in its overcoming. -- Dr. Catherine Wheatley, King's College London

Author Information

Michelle Devereaux is a film journalist and scholar. She received her doctorate in Film Studies from the University of Edinburgh and has taught film theory, history and criticism at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Birmingham. She is a board member of intersectional feminist journal on visual culture MAI and currently lives in British Columbia, Canada.

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