Movies and the Meaning of Life: Philosophers Take on Hollywood

"The meaning of life is the most urgent of questions," said Albert Camus. And philosopher Woody Allen has wondered: "How is it possible to find meaning in a finite world, given my waist and shirt size?" Claims about what gives life meaning have not only been analyzed by philosophers but by the primary mythmakers in contemporary culture: Hollywood filmmakers.
Movies and the Meaning of Life shows how a wide variety of films have tackled -- to sometimes hilarious, sometimes surprisingly pointed effect -- the same questions that have obsessed the deep thinkers. These essays draw on such sources as The Truman Show and Contact to explore the nature of reality; Fight Club and Being John Malkovich for cogent lessons on finding one's true identity; American Beauty and The Shawshank Redemption for pointers on life's purpose; Pleasantville and Spiderman for nuggets of wisdom on how to live one's life; and more.

Author: Kimberly A. Blessing
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Open Court
Published: 03/29/2005
Pages: 302
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 9.18h x 6.24w x 0.66d
ISBN: 9780812695755