Profane Parables

Name: Profane Parables
Brand: BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PRESS
SKU: 9781602589940
Price: 80.99 AUD
Availability: InStock

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PRESSISBN: 9781602589940

Film and the American Dream

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By Matthew S. Rindge
Imprint: BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PRESS
Release Date: March 30, 2018
Format: PAPERBACK
Dimensions: 228 x 152 mm
Weight: 290 g
Pages: 191

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The sacred ethos of the American Dream has become a central pillar of American civil religion. The belief that meaning is fashioned from some mixture of family, friends, a stable career, and financial security permeates American culture. Profane Parables examines three films that assault this venerated American myth. Fight Club (1999), American Beauty (1999), and About Schmidt (2002) indict the American Dream as a meaningless enterprise that is existentially, ethically, and aesthetically bankrupt. In their blistering critique of the hallowed wisdom of the American Dream, these films function like Jesus' parables. As narratives of disorientation, Jesus' parables upend conventional and cherished worldviews. Author Matthew Rindge illustrates the religious function of these films as parables of subversion that provoke rather than comfort and disturb rather than stabilize. Ultimately, Rindge considers how these parabolic films operate as sacred texts in their own right.

Matthew S. Rindge is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Gonzaga University.

Introduction 1. The American Dream: The Sacred Ethos of American Religion 2. Fight Club: Lamenting God's Abandonment and the American Dream 3. American Beauty: Death as Divine Beauty 4. About Schmidt: An American Rich Fool 5. Films as Parables of Disorientation Conclusion

"Rindge writes with both academic rigor and an approachable tone, which makes the text accessible for audiences in both academic circles and broader spheres, such as those interested in American civil religion, the particular filmmakers Rindge cites, or the biblical genre of parables." -- Joel Mayward, Journal of Religion & Film "Rindge's Profane Parables is an excellent work. It will appeal greatly to scholars of American Studies, film, religion, and popular culture." -- Margaret Weber, The Journal of Popular Culture "A wonderful piece of work" -- Choice As a whole, Profane Parables is a refined work that offers both a thought provoking and an easy read and I would recommend it to anyone thinking of exploring film from the perspective of biblical studies or interested in film, myths and morals. -- Sofia Sjo -- Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital Cuture

Profane Parables

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