Pregnancy in Literature and Film
Author | : Parley Ann Boswell |
Publisher | : McFarland |
Total Pages | : 247 |
Release | : 2014-03-13 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781476614687 |
ISBN-13 | : 1476614687 |
Rating | : 4/5 (687 Downloads) |
Download or read book Pregnancy in Literature and Film written by Parley Ann Boswell and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-03-13 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This exploration of the ways in which pregnancy affects narrative begins with two canonical American texts, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (1848) and Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861). Relying on such diverse works as Frankenstein, Peyton Place, Beloved, and I Love Lucy, the book chronicles how pregnancy evolves from a conventional plot device into a mature narrative form. Especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, the pregnancy narrative in fiction and film acts as a lightning rod with the power to electrify all genres of fiction and film, from early melodrama (Way Down East) to noir (Leave Her to Heaven); from horror (Rosemary's Baby) to science fiction and dystopia (Alien, The Handmaid's Tale); and from iconic (Lolita) to independent (Juno, Precious). Ultimately, the pregnancy narrative in popular film and fiction provides a remarkably clear lens by which we can gauge how popular American film and fiction express our most profound--and most private--fears, values and hopes.