Description
Book SynopsisFor more than thirty years, David Cronenberg has made independent films such as
Scanners and
A History of Violence which aim to disturb, surprise, and challenge audiences. He has also repeatedly drawn on literary fiction for inspiration, adapting themes from authors like William Burroughs, J. G. Ballard, and Patrick McGrath for the big screen;
David Cronenberg: Author or Filmmaker? is the first book to explore how underground and mainstream fiction have influenced—and can help illuminate—his labyrinthine films.
Film scholar Mark Browning examines Cronenberg’s literary aesthetic not only in relation to his films’ obvious source material, but by comparing his movies to the writings of Vladimir Nabokov, Angela Carter, and Bret Easton Ellis. This groundbreaking volume addresses Cronenberg’s narrative structures and his unique conception of auteurism, as well as his films’ shocking psychological frameworks, all in the broader context of film adaptation studies.
David Cronenberg is an essential read for anyone interested in the symbiotic relationship between literature and filmmaking. “
David Cronenberg is a work that attempts to illuminate and unravel the connection between the great Canadian auteur and his literary influences.”—
Film Snob Weekly “
David Cronenberg is an essential read for anyone interested in the symbiotic relationship between literature and filmmaking.”—
Video Canada Trade Review"David Cronenberg is a work that attempts to illuminate and unravel the connection between the great Canadian auteur and his literary influences."- Film Snob Weekly "David Cronenberg is an essential read for anyone interested in the symbiotic relationship between literature and filmmaking." - Video Canada "The end result is an illuminating look at a consummate artist who immerses himself not only in the source of his narratives, but as Browning neatly demonstrates, the author too." - Michael Dalton, M/C Reviews "The book manages to open up the study of Cronenberg's films by applying an original often analytical framework that is quite different from the more prevalent psychoanalytical one used, perhaps too often, in relation to this director's work. A fresh revelation, indeed." - Nathalie Brillon, Screening the Past "The author engages in a relentless search for sources that might enable readers to understand the director's work more fully." - Literature, Film and Art Association Newsletter, Chicago
Table of ContentsChapter 1: 'Videodrome: "Not a love story - a film about pornography"' - Page 57 - Mark Browning Chapter 2: 'Dead Ringers: "Schizophrenia cannot be understood without understanding despair"' - Page 81 - Mark Browning Chapter 3: 'Naked Lunch: "Nothing is true: everything is permitted"' - Page 109 - Mark Browning Chapter 4: 'Crash: "Not a film about pornography - a love story"' - Page 133 - Mark Browning Chapter 5: 'eXistenZ: "Thou the player of the game art God"' - Page 157 - Mark Browning Chapter 6: '"The child in time": Time and space in Cronenberg's Spider' - Page 179 - Mark Browning
