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

*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