Profane parables : film and the American dream

Summary: 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. (Publisher).

Record details

ISBN: 9781481304290
ISBN: 1481304291
ISBN: 9781481305877
ISBN: 9781481305860
ISBN: 1481305875
ISBN: 1481305867
Physical Description: 1 online resource (xi, 179 pages : illustrations)
remote
Computer data.
Publisher: Waco, Texas : Baylor University Press, [2016]

Content descriptions

General Note:	CatMonthString.july.24 Multi-User.
Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes filmography (pages 165-167). Includes bibliographical references (pages 115-164) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	The American dream : the sacred ethos of American religion -- Fight club : lamenting God's abandonment and the American dream -- American beauty : death as divine beauty -- About Schmidt : an American rich fool -- Films as parables of disorientation.
Type of Computer File or Data Note:	Text (HTML), electronic book.
System Details Note:	Mode of access: Internet.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction Note:	Access requires VIU IP addresses and is restricted to VIU students, faculty and staff. Access restricted by subscription.
Issuing Body Note:	Made available online by EBSCO.