Assignment Links
Course Information
Instructor: K. Gillis-Bridges
Class: MW, 12:30-1:50 p.m.
Rooms: Mary Gates 082A/082
Office:
Padelford A-105
Hours: MW 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Phone/Voice: 206.543.4892
Email: kgb@u
Modleski Article Response
Length and Due Date
Length: 1-2 pages, formatted as described in the “Essays” portion of the
syllabus
Due: Wednesday, November 19; bring in two electronic formats
Assignment
Tania Modleski critiques theorists who see mass cultural forms like film as supporting dominant ideologies. Low-culture genres like horror, Modleski argues, “are engaged in an unprecedented assault on all that bourgeois culture is supposed to cherish . . .” (694). Narratively, visually, and thematically, horror films undermine cultural beliefs regarding family and other institutions and critique aspects of contemporary life. Moreover, according to Modleski, their open-ended plots eschew narrative closure, which generally functions to reinstitute the status quo, and their underdeveloped characters thwart spectators’ ability to identify with someone “like them.” As Modleski notes, however, horror films are not entirely oppositional, particularly in their connection of victimization and feminization.
Although Modleski references Videodrome, an extended discussion of the film is beyond the scope of her article. For your response, you will engage Modleski’s ideas as they apply to Videodrome. How does the film use narrative and visuals to subvert dominant cultural values or practices? Does Videodrome take a wholly adversarial position, or are there limits to its critique? In your analysis, make sure to clearly identify the values or practices the film destabilizes (notions of gender, sexuality, identity; our relationship with media, etc.) before examining Videodrome's story, characters, and visual elements.
Materials
While you do not need to be familiar with the theoretical approaches Modleski references in order to complete your response, those of you who want more background may consult the following sites:
- Frankfurt School, Overview (review of a recent history of the Frankfurt School)
- Frankfurt School Theories of Media
- Postmodernism: Overview
- Postmodernism and Media Studies (site written by education graduate students examining how postmodernism affects K-12 media education; consequently, the language is accessible, a contrast to many sites on postmodernism)