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[ecrea] New book: Tech-Noir Film: A Theory of the Development of Popular Genres

Mon Jul 18 22:35:13 GMT 2011




*Tech-Noir Film: A Theory of the Development of Popular Genres *

*By Emily E. Auger *

*About the book
*From the post-apocalyptic world of /Blade Runner/ to the James Cameron mega-hit /Terminator/, tech-noir has emerged as a distinct genre, with roots in both the Promethean myth and the earlier popular traditions of gothic, detective, and science fiction. In this new volume, many well-known film and literary works -- including /The Matrix, RoboCop/, and /Mary Shelley's Frankenstein/ -- are discussed with reference to their relationship to tech-noir and each other.

Tech-noir films, like all popular genres regardless of form, perpetually reground myth in real world events and issues. These events, as always, include war, but the years between 1970 and 2005, the years of the release dates for most of the films considered, were also years of extraordinary scientific and technological developments. They also develop their characters and sets so as to appeal to a larger film audience and lend special dramatic attention to the experiences of the victim or victims of technology. Many of these films have very little dialogue and rely on visual ways of conveying the tech-noir message, notably the frequent treatment of the human form within the /mise-en-scène./ The tech-noir genre is thus likely to last for as long as technology itself has currency within discourse, and it will surely have that currency for as long as it provides new and problematic possibilities for life. Featuring an extensive, clearly indexed filmography, /Tech-Noir Film/ will be of great interest to anyone wishing to learn more about the development of this new and highly innovative genre.

*About the author
*Emily E. Auger has graduate degrees in history, art and English literature. She has taught art history in Canadian and American universities for over twenty years.

*About Intellect
*Intellect publishes a diverse portfolio of academic books and journals in creative practice and popular culture. Their publications are in the fields of visual arts, film studies, performing arts, and culture and media studies.

*Title info
*
*Full Title:* /Tech-Noir Film: A Theory of the Development of Popular Genres
/*Author:* Emily E. Auger
*ISBN:* 9781841504247
*Published by: *Intellect* | Publication:* July 20th 2011
*Price:* £60 / $95
*Binding:* Hardback | *Extent: *pp | *Dimensions:* 230x174mm
*Territory:* World | *Readership:* General /Academic / Specialist




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