Popular Cinema As Political Theory ― Idealism and Realism in Epics, Noirs, and Satires

Cinema, literature, and television shape our collective political understanding. Their dramas enact and test political ideas, especially when they use the political myths widely available in popular forms such as epics, noirs, and satires. Popular Cinema as Political Theory explores mythmaking in popular genres, demonstrating how to see political arguments in the conventional characters, deeds, and settings that enable movies to entertain us. Analyzing favorites such as The Prestige, L.A. Confidential, Star Trek Into Darkness, No Country for Old Men, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, John Nelson provides a provocative and original account of political lessons from summer blockbusters and cinematic masterpieces alike.

John S. Nelson is Professor of Political Theory and Communication at the University of Iowa, USA. There he has directed the Project on Rhetoric of Inquiry, the Bridging Project for International and Interdisciplinary Studies, and Honors at Iowa. He has edited Poroi, an interdisciplinary journal on rhetoric in culture, inquiry, and politics, plus book series on Rhetoric of the Human Sciences and New Practices of Inquiry. His books include Video Rhetorics and Tropes of Politics.