Table of Contents

Preface to the Third Edition; Introduction Part One: Theory 1. Genre Andrew Tudor; 2. The Idea of Genre in the American Cinema Edward Buscombe; 3. A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre Rick Altman; 4. Genre Films and the Status Quo Judith Hess Wright; 5. Social Implications in the Hollywood Genres Jean-Loup Bourget; 6. Ideology, Genre, Auteur Robin Wood; 7. Cinema/Ideology/Criticism" Revisited: The Progressive Genre Barbara Klinger; 8. The Structural Influence: New Directions in Film Genre Study Thomas Schatz; 9. Genre Film: A Classical Experience Thomas Sobchack; 10. Experience and Meaning in Genre Films Barry Keith Grant; 11. Genre and Performance: An Overview Richard de Cordova; 12. Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess Linda Williams; 13. Questions of Genre Steve Neale; 14. Hybrid or Inbred: The Purity Hypothesis and Hollywood Genre History Janet Staiger Part Two: Selected Genre Criticism 15. The Western (Genre and Movies) Douglas Pye; 16. Apes and Essences: Some Sources of Significance in the American Gangster Film Edward Mitchell; 17. Notes on Film Noir Paul Schrader; 18. Chinatown and Generic Transformation in Recent American Films John G. Cawelti; 19. Shoot-Out at the Genre Corral: Problems in the "Evolution" of the Western Tag Gallagher; 20. The Bug in the Rug: Notes on the Disaster Genre Maurice Yacowar; 21. "Surge and Splendor": A Phenomenology of the Hollywood Historical Epic Vivian Sobchack; 22. Children of the Light Bruce F. Kawin; 23. Monsters from the Id Margaret Tarratt; 24. Tales of Sound and Fury: Observations on the Family Melodrama Thomas Elsaesser; 25. Screwball Comedies: Constructing Romance, Mystifying Marriage David R. Shumway; 26. Redressing the "Natural": The Temporary Transvestite Film Chris Straayer; 27. Friendly Civilians: Images of Women and the Feminization of the Audience in Vietnam War Films Susan Jeffords; 28. The Self-Reflexive Musical and the Myth of Entertainment Jane Feuer; 29. The Black Gangster Film Mark A. Reid; 30. Teen Films: The Cinematic Image of Youth Timothy Shary; 31. Global Noir: Genre Film in the Age of Transnationalism David Desser Bibliography; Notes on Contributors; Index

Promotional Information

This third edition adds new essays on teen films, the question of genre hybridity, and neo-noir and genre in the era of globalization, along with an updated bibliography.

About the Author

Barry Keith Grant is a professor in the Department of Communications, Popular Culture, and Film at Brock University.

Reviews

From reviews of the second edition: "The fascinating, well-chosen essays in this volume represent almost all of the recent (and often competing) trends in film scholarship and present significant revisions of earlier genre theories and analysis. Grant shows that the generic core, however constituted and established, is but one atom in a complex structure of film experience, response, and meaning." Choice "A terrific collection of essays on film theory and genre criticism... With its numerous stills and an excellent bibliography, this work is ideal as an academic text or as an informative read for film buffs." Bloomsbury Review From reviews of the first edition: "The most pedagogically useful text on genre analysis because of the comprehensive nature of its scope." Film Quarterly "Ought to be considered by anyone teaching a course on theory and criticism of the American cinema." Communication Booknotes