The Traumatic Screen: The Films of Christopher Nolan

Author:   Stuart Joy
Publisher:   Intellect Books
ISBN:  

9781789382020


Pages:   200
Publication Date:   22 October 2020
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
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The Traumatic Screen: The Films of Christopher Nolan


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Overview

Christopher Nolan occupies a rare realm within the Hollywood mainstream, creating complex, original films that achieve both critical acclaim and commercial success. In The Traumatic Screen, Stuart Joy builds on contemporary applications of psychoanalytic film theory to consider the function and presentation of trauma across Nolan’s work, arguing that the complexity, thematic consistency, and fragmentary nature of his films mimic the structural operation of trauma.   From 1997’s Doodlebug to 2017’s Dunkirk, Nolan’s films highlight cinema’s ability to probe the nature of human consciousness while commenting on the relationship between spectator and screen. Joy examines Nolan’s treatment of trauma—both individual and collective—through the formal construction, mise-en-scène, and repeated themes of his films. The argument presented is based on close textual analysis and a methodological framework that incorporates the works of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan. The first in-depth, overtly psychoanalytic understanding of trauma in the context of the director’s filmography, this book builds on and challenges existing scholarship in a bold new interpretation of the Nolan canon.

Full Product Details

Author:   Stuart Joy
Publisher:   Intellect Books
Imprint:   Intellect Books
ISBN:  

9781789382020


ISBN 10:   1789382025
Pages:   200
Publication Date:   22 October 2020
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. The Traumatic Screen: Trauma, Psychoanalysis and Cinema 2. Revisiting the Scene of the Crime: Repressing the Past in Insomnia 3. Batman Begins, Again: The Temporality of Trauma in The Dark Knight Trilogy 4. Looking for the Secret: The Intersection between Trauma and Desire in The Prestige 5. The Dream has Become Their Reality: Acting-Out and Working-Through Trauma in Inception 6. Beyond the Void: Interstellar and the Possibilities of Post-Traumatic Growth 7. Keep Calm and Carry On: Combating Collective Trauma in Dunkirk 8. Conclusion – Ending at the Beginning with Doodlebug, Following and Memento

Reviews

Nolan's films have been explored in a number of critical works, but this is the first study to examine his work--from Doodlebug (1997) to Dunkirk (2017)--from a psychoanalytic perspective. The characters in Nolan's films typically have undergone a traumatic experience and must reconcile past memories in order to move forward. [Joy's] synthesized approach to trauma . . . looks at themes of time, memory, identity, and narrative, motifs that are recurring elements in Nolan's films. For example, he takes a Freudian approach to exploring how the murder of the parents of the young Bruce Wayne (Batman) affected Wayne's development. A solid addition to the literature on Nolan. . . . Recommended. -- CHOICE


Nolan's films have been explored in a number of critical works, but this is the first study to examine his work-from Doodlebug (1997) to Dunkirk (2017)-from a psychoanalytic perspective. The characters in Nolan's films typically have undergone a traumatic experience and must reconcile past memories in order to move forward. [Joy's] synthesized approach to trauma . . . looks at themes of time, memory, identity, and narrative, motifs that are recurring elements in Nolan's films. For example, he takes a Freudian approach to exploring how the murder of the parents of the young Bruce Wayne (Batman) affected Wayne's development. A solid addition to the literature on Nolan. . . . Recommended. * CHOICE *


Author Information

Stuart Joy is a senior lecturer in film and television at Solent University in Southampton, UK. His research interests include contemporary film theory and practice, media and cultural theory, film history and gender representation in film and television.

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