Heroism and Gender in War Films
Department or Program
German and Russian Studies
Files
Description
This edited collection treats several aspects of the mythical underpinnings of the construction of heroism in war and combat in fiction, propaganda, as well as documentary films. The discussion includes but is not limited to, the ways in which mythical motifs in war film narratives are used to justify a specific ideological position, shape the understanding of past and current military conflicts, support political agendas and institutions, and influence collective memory by providing images of heroism from past wars.
In this context, the debunking of war myths is particularly relevant. The questions that inform this area include those about the process of creation of myths about heroism in war and war heroes in media, their propagation in diverse cinematic forms, and their reception among different audiences and in different historical and political contexts. Of further interest are also ways in which the myths are deconstructed in specific cinematic genres (i.e. anti-war film, comedy) or subverted by various humorous strategies (such as parody, grotesque, spoof, exaggeration, etc.) in both humorous and non-humorous genres.
The authors in this volume also discuss issues related to race and gender codings of heroism and their connection to myth-making processes: establishing and questioning male heroism in combat, the heroism of women in non-combat situations but in the context of war, and the different ways of representing male and female heroes in war narratives.
The volume explores mythmaking in contemporary films about the war in various national cinematographies. Scholars from the United States, Canada, Austria and England specializing in different national film traditions and genres are contributing to this volume.
ISBN
978-1-137-36072-4
Publication Date
8-7-2014
Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
City
New York
Keywords
gender, humour, politics, women
Recommended Citation
Kazecki, Jakub, and Karen A. Ritzenhoff, eds. Heroism and Gender in War Films. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
Copyright Note
© 2014 Karen A. Ritzenhoff and Jakub Kazecki.